Sir Robbie Gibb, former director of communications for Theresa May, has revealed his nightly battle against an invasive pest threatening Britain's beloved box hedges. The box tree moth caterpillar, accidentally imported from Brussels on Belgian box hedges, is devastating gardens across the UK.
Gibb, who spent his days managing Brexit communications, would return home each evening to hunt the bright green caterpillars with distinctive black stripes. The pest has already destroyed thousands of hedges in London and the South-East, with sightings now reported in Wales, Northern Ireland and the Midlands.
The National Trust has reported damage at historic gardens including Ham House in London and Cliveden in Berkshire. The female moth lays hundreds of eggs on the underside of leaves, making early detection difficult. Once hatched, caterpillars consume leaves from the core, leaving sticky webs and reducing hedges to withered skeletons within days.
Gibb initially mistook the damage for box blight, a common fungal infection. After a chance conversation with a local gardener, he identified the true culprit. He now spends his evenings employing various methods to combat the pest, including hand-picking caterpillars and researching control techniques.
He warns that by the time a hedge shows signs of distress, it is often too late to save it. The infestation has prompted a range of responses from gardeners, from manual removal to pesticide use and encouraging natural predators like jackdaws.
