Feasibility of reintroducing the forest caterpillar hunter for oak processionary moth control in the UK
Author(s): Kyle Miller, Max Blake
Kyle Miller
BSc, MSc, PhD
Kyle Miller
BSc, MSc, PhDMolecular Scientist
Tree health
Forest Research, Northern Research Station, Roslin, Midlothian, EH25 9SY
About Kyle Miller
Kyle has a background in Molecular Ecology. Before joining Forest Research his work focussed on the dynamics between OPM and its parasitoids in GB. He obtained his PhD from the University of Newcastle in 2024.
What Kyle does
Kyle joined Forest Research in 2023 to work on the management of oak processionary moth (OPM, Thaumetopoea processionea) primarily through analysing the population genetics of OPM to establish invasion pathways and compare the population structure of OPM within GB and Europe. He is currently also working on a project that is scoping the feasibility of reintroducing forest caterpillar hunter (FCH, Calosoma sycophanta) to GB as an additional biocontrol option for OPM.
Kyle’s research interests span the use of molecular techniques in ecology, and biomonitoring and biological control of all forestry pests.
Affiliations
Member of the British Ecological Society
Member of the Royal Entomological Society
Research
Other Publications
Miller, K.A., Boonham, N., Evans, D.M., Hoppit, A., Morris, J., Kitson, J.J.N. (2025). Development of a LAMP protocol to identify the parasitoid Carcelia iliaca from oak processionary moth (Thaumetopoea processionae) larval tissue to understand and enhance biocontrol management plans. Agricultural and Forest Entomology. DOI: 10.1111/afe.12670
Cuff, J.P., Suresh, M.D., Dopson, M.E.G., Hawthorne, B.S.J., Howells, T., Kitson, J.J.N., Miller, K.A., Xin, T., and Evans, D. (2023). Chapter One – A roadmap for biomonitoring in the 21st century: Merging methods into metrics via ecological networks. Advances in Ecological Research. DOI: 10.1016/bs.aecr.2023.09.002