CIU Takes Action Against Pine Processionary Moth

Cyprus International University (CIU), in cooperation with Taşkent Nature Park, has launched a natural and environmentally friendly control project against the pine processionary moth, whose population has increased in recent years and which poses a serious threat to red pine forests as well as to human and animal health.
Within the scope of the project, the aim is to develop sustainable methods that preserve the natural balance of the ecosystem without resorting to the use of chemical insecticides in the fight against the pine processionary moth. To this end, birdhouses provided by the Nicosia Forestry Department and Taşkent Nature Park have begun to be installed on selected trees with the participation of students from the CIU Animal Friends Club, Environment Club, and Agriculture Club.
As part of the initiative, the project seeks to increase the population of great tits, which are among the natural predators of the pine processionary moth. By creating safe breeding habitats through birdhouses, it is intended that these bird species will play an effective role in the natural control of the pine processionary moth.
Throughout the project, data on the bird populations breeding in the birdhouses will be collected regularly, and the findings will contribute to the development of natural control methods. At the same time, by avoiding the long-term environmental and biological negative effects caused by chemical pesticides used in conventional methods, the project aims to maintain the balance between harmful and beneficial organisms.
The effectiveness of the project in areas close to human settlements will also be evaluated with the help of the birdhouses installed within the CIU campus In this respect, the project aims to serve as an example of sustainable and nature-friendly control methods that can be implemented across the country.