Nudaurelia cytherea, also called the pine tree emperor moth or Christmas caterpillar due to its festive colouration, is a southern African member of the family Saturniidae.

Other exotic species included Acacia mollissima, Cupressus macrocarpa, Eucalyptus cladocalyx, E. diversicolor, E. globulus, E. ovata, E. paniculata, E. pilularis, Liriodendron tulipifera, apple, guava and quince.

[2] Insect viruses have long been valued as biological control agents, since they have few negative effects on ecosystems compared with chemical pesticides.

Pigs were introduced to Western Cape pine plantations by the Forestry Department in the 1930s, and proved to be a cheap and effective control measure, their acute sense of smell enabling them to easily detect pupae under the soil surface.

After hatching the shells are consumed over a period of two to three days by the young larvae, a process that triggers their plant-feeding response and so plays an important role in their development.

The mature larvae or caterpillars crawl to the ground and search for a patch of soft soil, burrowing to a depth of about 50 mm.