Oak processionary moth or OPM (Thaumetopoea processionea) is established as a breeding population on a range of Quercus species (mostly Quercus robur, Q. petraea and Q. cerris) in every single one of London's 32 boroughs. The alien, invasive insect pest is now spreading across the counties of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Essex, Kent and Surrey which border England's capital city, despite intensification in insecticide spraying over the last ten years at least. In 2017, United Kingdom (UK) Forestry Commission contractors sprayed 17,687 trees across 350 sites. During 2018, 600 sites were sprayed, representing a 71% increase on the previous year.
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