Over the past decade North Macedonia has faced one of the biggest insect invasions in its recent history: the box tree moth, which quickly destroyed thousands of boxwood shrubs across the country, writes Kristina Todorova, a master’s student at Ss. Cyril and Methodius University.
Today there is hardly a town, village, park, monastery or yard without dried-out box hedges. Green hedges that decorated public spaces for decades vanished in just a few seasons.
The moth comes from China, Japan and Korea, where natural enemies such as wasps, insects and birds keep it in check. It reached Europe by accident through the ornamental plant trade, showing why it matters to know invasive species.
