A white silk nest at the tip of a branch, a line of caterpillars crossing the drive: the problem does not go away on its own, and it comes back stronger the following year. We work on the pines of the Fouesnant area.
Climbing arborist
French national specialist certificate in tree pruning and care, 2014
4.9/5 from 38 Google reviews, as of 15 October 2026
As of 15 October 2026
Quote after a site visit
South Finistère
Local service
The nest sits at the tip of a branch, several metres off the ground.
Bt does not act on dogs, birds or pollinators.
On the furrowed bark of a maritime pine, everything depends on it.
Out of season, you are told so, even if it means waiting for autumn.
Maxime Caradec holds the CS TSA (French national specialist certificate in tree pruning and care, 2014).
Professional services tailored to your needs
A white silk pouch at the tip of a branch, on a pine or a cedar. A photo is often enough to confirm it.
A sealed collar around the trunk catches the caterpillars on their way down and sends them into a collection bag. Fitted in winter.
A soil bacterium that the caterpillar swallows as it feeds. Sprayed in autumn.
Set in summer, it catches the male moths and reduces the nests of the following winter.
The great tit eats the caterpillars without minding the hairs. Long-term prevention.
When the nest can be reached on ropes. Whether it is feasible is judged on site.
No. Hosed down, burnt or shot down, a nest scatters its stinging hairs over the whole property, where they stay active for years. Maxime Caradec, the climbing arborist of Arb'Ouest, reaches it on ropes.
At the slightest disturbance, each caterpillar releases thousands of microscopic stinging hairs: itching and eye injuries in people, necrosis of the tongue in dogs. A nest that fell two years ago is still stinging.
The dog is the most frequent victim: it sniffs the line of caterpillars, then licks it. It is a veterinary emergency. The risk peaks from late winter into spring, during the processions.
A hose blasts the nest apart and drops the hairs on the lawn and on you. Burning makes them breathable. A shotgun spreads them where the children play. Cutting the branch without protection leaves an intact nest on the ground that will still have to be picked up.
With a dog or children, the eco-trap. It is the only method that physically stops the caterpillars from reaching the ground.
Bacillus thuringiensis is only worth using in autumn: once winter has passed, the caterpillars eat less and it loses its point. The pheromone trap has no effect on a nest already in place: it prepares the following year.
The nest sits at the tip of a branch, several metres off the ground.
Bt does not act on dogs, birds or pollinators.
On the furrowed bark of a maritime pine, everything depends on it.
Out of season, you are told so, even if it means waiting for autumn.
Maxime Caradec holds the CS TSA (French national specialist certificate in tree pruning and care, 2014).
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The garden is left clean
Everything you need to know before contacting us
Do not touch it, and keep children and dogs away from the tree. Send us a photo taken from a distance. Depending on the season, an eco-trap is fitted in winter or the tree is treated with Bacillus thuringiensis in autumn.
The eco-trap and Bacillus thuringiensis are both priced on a quote, according to the size and number of trees, after a site visit within 30 km of Fouesnant.
Bacillus thuringiensis in autumn, while the young colonies are feeding. The eco-trap in winter, before the processions. The pheromone trap in summer. Nests are spotted in winter and treated the following autumn.
Call a vet immediately: it is an emergency counted in minutes. Our part comes afterwards: finding the pine the caterpillar came from, which can almost always be seen from the property.
The pine processionary caterpillar is classed as harmful to human health, and many towns make control compulsory by local order. The rules vary across South Finistère: your town hall (mairie) will tell you what applies.
Verified reviews from our Google Business listing
No review is copied onto this site. They can all be read at their source, on the Google profile of Arb'Ouest. The reviews themselves are written in French.
Describe the tree in two lines. The quote is sent within 72 hours of the visit. Allow a week from December to February.
After a site visit. Maxime replies in writing, by WhatsApp or email.
What makes the price? What sets the price of tree pruning
Tree care in 15 towns of South Finistère · town pages in French
Send a photo of the tree on WhatsApp. The quote follows a site visit, with no obligation.
