Aerial spraying of insecticide against Pine Beauty
The photograph is courtesy of the family of George Dey. George took many forestry photographs in his forestry career and many are now shown on this web site. Check under ‘Groups’ and George Dey Collection.
The aircraft is flying over Garbat Forest (Torrachilty?) applying insecticide over Lodgepole pine in which large populations of Pine Beauty caterpillars have hatched and are eating their way through the pine needle foliage. Initially the caterpillars are very small but grow rapidly in good weather and feeding conditions. Their size is constrained by their external frame or skin and as they grow they have to shed this several times before they can reach full size. The ideal time to apply the insecticide which is applied in ultra low volumes is when the caterpillars are very small. It was however always a race against the ever growing caterpillars, getting all the organising structures in place and of course the weather which had to be fine, dry and with very light winds.
Groups: Aircraft in Forestry Work, Animal, Insect, Plant and Fungal species in forestry, Forestry Areas, Forestry in Action, George Dey Forestry Collection
Garbat Forest block is in Torrachilty, on the right hand side of the A835, before the Inchbae Hotel and Inchbae Wood as you head towards Ullapool. There were further outbreaks of Pine Beauty in LP crops at the southern eastern end of the Garbat block and in the FC block at the bottom of Strathrannoch, to the west of the road into the Strath in 1983 and 1984, if I mind correctly. Comment left on 27 August 2015 at 23:51 by Bill Rayner