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You mention natural predators - is there any particular predator that we ought to be encouraging?

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Hi Jeremy, blue tits and great tits have been observed predating on OPM caterpillars, so nest boxes could be used to encourage them. Also there is a parasitic fly 'Carcelia iliaca' that is associated with OPM, with high rates of parasitism (up to 76%) being reported in Belgium, France and the Netherlands. The fly is present in the UK having first been spotted in 2014 in Richmond Park, but more research is underway. You can read more about it here: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/288993706_Carcelia_iliaca_Diptera_Tachinidae_a_specific_parasitoid_of_the_oak_processionary_moth_Lepidoptera_Thaumetopoeidae_new_to_Great_Britain

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