Invasive hedge-eating caterpillar tops UK garden pest poll

East Asian box tree caterpillar, that feeds on box plants, has beaten slugs and snails to become gardeners' top foe, says Royal Horticultural Society

Slugs and snails are traditionally the gardener's worst foe but they have been knocked off the top spot for pests by an invasive hedge-eating caterpillar.

Last year was the first time in nearly a decade that slugs and snails were not top of the UK's list of most troublesome pests, based on the number of enquiries received by the gardening advice team at the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS).