Ghost virus causes moths to explode

The outbreak of a zombie virus caused the caterpillars in Britain to explode after they crawled toward the sun.

Wildlife experts in the United Kingdom discovered the phenomenon of oak eggar worms that exploded on the tree due to the virus infection baculovirus , Telegraph on August 2 reported.

The caterpillar remains on the tree after exploding due to a virus infection.(Photo: Chris Miller).

Dr. Chris Miller, manager of the nature reserve in Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside, discovered the corpses of many treetops in West Pennine Moors."The spectacle is like a horror film , " Miller said of the moth-blown moths.

Dr. Miller said that crawling up high in the tree is an unusual behavior of caterpillars because they can be eaten by predators."Caterpillars of oak eggsar are often hidden in the ground, not on the tops of trees," Miller explained.

According to experts, the zombie virus has changed the instinct to hide from the sunlight of caterpillars, forcing them to crawl to the top of the tree. The body of the caterpillar liquefies here before exploding, infecting other insects with the virus.

The baculovirus virus has been reported to cause wilt in silkworms from the sixteenth century. Researchers use this virus as a pesticide because they only attack invertebrates and are highly specific.