A confirmed oak processionary moth has been caught in a light trap in Skåne in southern Sweden. It is the first recorded find of the insect in the country in around 12 years.
Avisen Danmark reports, citing the Swedish newspaper Sydsvenskan, that the moth was captured on Thursday at Bingsmarken along Skåne’s south coast. The finder is Jonas Waldeck, who works in software development and has been interested in butterflies since childhood.
Waldeck had set up a light trap at his parents’ summer house. Lars Petterson, a bio-researcher at Lund University, reviewed a photograph taken by Waldeck. Based on the image, Petterson confirmed to Sydsvenskan that the insect is an oak processionary moth.
According to Petterson, the specimen is a male, and males typically spread more easily. Females are often larger and less inclined to disperse. He said it is not yet known whether one or more females are also present in Sweden.
Petterson told Sydsvenskan that it was impossible to stop the species from spreading to Sweden. Only next spring, when the moth is in its larval stage, will it be possible to determine whether eggs have been laid. He added that the risk, or chance, of establishment in Skåne is markedly greater after the establishment in Denmark.
Göteborgs-Posten credits Sydsvenskan with the discovery and notes that the species, nicknamed the larva from hell, is considered dangerous to humans. The paper reports that this is the first Swedish find in about 12 years. TV4 reported the same discovery along Skåne’s south coast, citing HD-Sydsvenskan.
Danish outbreaks this summer
The larva has featured repeatedly in Danish media over the summer. So far it has been found in Odense, Kerteminde, Nyborg, Morsø, Herning, Nordfyn and on Amager. The municipalities of Odense and Copenhagen have both launched control efforts against the insect.
Contact with the larva’s toxic hairs can cause itching, swelling and burning pain on skin, in eyes and on mucous membranes. Most people who come into contact with the hairs experience only mild symptoms, according to the Danish Patient Safety Authority.
TV4 links the Skåne find to this summer’s problems in Denmark, including the infestation in Odense in July. In June 2026, TV4 and Omni reported warnings that warm westerly winds could carry adult moths across the Öresund from Denmark to Skåne.
Guidance from the University of Copenhagen’s Videntjenesten, updated in August 2026, states that adult moths are typically detected in Danish light traps in early August under suitable wind conditions. The same guidance notes that the species is not yet established in Danish forests.
