This winter, we have launched an exciting new environmentally friendly initiative at Club de Golf Alcanada to address a longstanding issue. The “processionary caterpillar” has been problematic on and around our golf course for many years. Not only do the fine hairs of these small creatures cause severe allergic reactions in humans and animals, but the caterpillars weaken and damage pine trees if their population is not controlled. While the government has implemented various measures, property owners must take action on their lands.
Traditionally, controlling the spread of processionary caterpillars involved shooting their white nests in the pine trees with salt—an effective but time-consuming method. For over a decade, most golf courses in Mallorca, including ours, have sprayed their pine trees each November with an eco-friendly product, Bacillus Thuringiensis, to prevent the hatching of the caterpillars’ larvae. Unfortunately, this treatment does not guarantee a 100% success rate, and it is impossible to reach all the pine trees on our property, especially in deeper wooded areas.
New methods are being developed, and a promising future treatment involves injecting pine trees with a chemical that prevents the caterpillars from hatching for three years in each treated tree. We will conduct our first test of this method in Alcanada in 2025.
Unfortunately, the problem with the processionary caterpillar has worsened over the past few years due to unusually warm and dry winters, which favour their development.
In the fall of 2024, we contacted a local ornithologist, Mrs. Cristina Fiol from GEAN (Management, Studies, and Nature Activities), to discuss a new approach. Consequently, during the winter of 2024/2025, 30 nesting boxes were built and installed by the specialist around the course and the clubhouse. These boxes are designed to attract two species of insectivorous birds that can be beneficial for controlling insect pests: the “great tit” and the “spotted flycatcher.” Specifically, the great tit can feed on the pine processionary moth caterpillar. The aim of the nesting boxes is to provide these birds with a place to reproduce, as they need to build their nests. This way, their presence in the area is promoted as an additional resource to try to achieve pest infestation levels that the forest mass can withstand and that are less bothersome for the players at the Club de Golf Alcanada. We must keep in mind that this initiative alone does not solve the problem but does complement the other measures being carried out, in addition to helping increase the diversity of beneficial birds in the local forests. Together with the ornithologist, we identified three areas near the clubhouse and on the golf course (between holes 7, 8, and 9) that are easily accessible for regular monitoring and evaluation of the success of the initiative. If we observe a significant number of birds nesting in Alcanada, we will gradually increase the number of nesting boxes around the field in the future.
