Odense family flees home as oak processionary caterpillars cause weeks of rashes and irritation

A family in Odense has been forced to leave their home after weeks of severe reactions to the oak processionary caterpillar, known locally as the “larva from hell,” Danish broadcaster DR reports.

Anne Dorthe Lind-Feldt said she and her family could no longer stay in their house due to persistent rashes, itching, and eye irritation. Her husband’s vision has been blurred for over a month, and her one-year-old daughter developed a full-body rash, prompting the family to seek temporary shelter with a friend.

“It’s terrible. We feel like we’ve fled our own home,” Lind-Feldt said. “It’s overwhelming. We’re moving small children around like nomads.”

Neighbor Alexander Boe and his two sons also suffered severe itching and rashes. After surveying his housing association, he found 93 of 118 households reported similar symptoms. Boe is now organizing a demonstration to demand stronger action from the municipality.

Odense Municipality has closed three footpaths and a kindergarten due to high concentrations of the caterpillars’ irritating hairs, which recent windy weather has spread through the air. Martin Petersen, head of the city’s Climate and Environment Administration, acknowledged the outbreak has “exploded” this year but insisted the municipality had taken all possible precautions.

“We consulted experts, including foreign ones, and worked with our contractors,” Petersen said. “But this species is here to stay. We will never eliminate it entirely.”