Gentleman Jackdaws

Jackdaws are sociable birds that pair for life – and they may be one answer to box tree caterpillars, says Val

- Val Bourne

THERE was a letter in AG 14 September referring to an article I wrote on the box tree caterpillar in AG 3 August. I didn’t come up with a definitive answer and the writer wasn’t happy that I hadn’t recommended a chemical solution to the problem. Personally, I’d rather have the box tree caterpillars in my garden than a lungful of chemical mist entering my bloodstream!

There is good news on the box tree caterpillar front, though. A flock of jackdaws has cleaned up the problem at the National Trust’s Ham House, near Richmond, Surrey. They’ve frisked the box plant in the kitchen garden and it’s growing back.

Head gardener Rosie Fyles first noticed jackdaws plucking caterpillars from the box hedges in May, but thought it might be a one-off. However, when more caterpillars returned in August, the jackdaws came back.