With blood bears against poisonous herbs

The poisonous ragwort is spreading more and more on the Kraillinger Sanatoriumswiese.

The church is now taking action against it - with blood bears.

Krailling

- The poisonous ragwort has been around for a long time on the Kraillinger Sanatoriumswiese.

But now it's a nuisance.

In the past, the mowing of the meadow was fed locally.

This is no longer possible because the herb has increased immensely and with it the toxins in the animal feed.

The seeds of the biennial plant remain in the soil for up to 20 years and can sprout again at any time.

Caterpillars taste bitter herb

The church is now trying to master the plague with a new method.

As the Kraillinger environmental officer Verena Ast reported to the local council in the latest meeting, blood bears are to be released on the sanatorium meadow next year.

These are the caterpillars of a nocturnal butterfly, also known as the Jacob wort bear.

The caterpillar only eats the ragwort, which contains bitter substances.

The caterpillars like the bitter herb, but the birds don't like the bitter caterpillars.

Ecological and inexpensive

In the summer of next year, the inflorescences of the ragwort should be cut off just before sowing.

Then they want to expose the blood bears, which the Bund Naturschutz will take over.

Areas that are not infested are mowed.

In the following year, the caterpillars are then distributed by hand to areas that are still or newly infested with ragwort.

The caterpillars are bred by Andreas Frahm, a farmer from Neuengörs in Schleswig-Holstein, who freed his fields from the poisonous herb using the blood bears.

Verena Ast expects that the problem on the sanatorium meadow due to the caterpillars will be under control in three to four years.

Their use is ecological and inexpensive.

Seeds spread by construction machinery?

At the meeting of the municipal council it was assumed that the strong reproduction of the ragwort was promoted by the use of construction machinery when setting up the refugee accommodation on the edge of the sanatorium meadow.

Often these machines are not cleaned sufficiently and so distribute seeds from plants on other construction sites.

Mayor Rudolph Haux announced that external companies will be monitored more closely in this regard in the future.

Dietlind Freyer-Zacherl (FBK) said the giant hogweed was probably also bought on the sanatorium meadow through the construction machinery.

The plant is known to cause severe burns on contact.

For the future, Freyer-Zacherl wanted another species-rich, colorful meadow to be created south of Pentenrieder Strasse.