Britains conker trees under attack

Britain’s conker trees are facing two threats to their existence, it has been reported.

According to the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), the nation’s horse chestnut trees face a threat from the Pseudomonas syringae pv aesculi bacterium.

The disease causes bleeding cankers and was first discovered in the 1970s, but died out, before resurfacing four years ago.

Meanwhile, a pest called Aesculus hippocastaneum has been spreading throughout the UK since 2002 at a rate of 40 miles per year.

This means that it has now reached Wales and Scotland after it was first discovered in London’s Wimbledon area eight years ago.

The moth buries its larvae in the leaf structure, causing it to turn brown and weakening the tree due to its inability to store food.

When both of these problems combine, affected trees can quickly perish.

Meanwhile, the RHS has asked its members to get involved in the Open Air Laboratories Project, which is seeking information on Britain’s hedgerows.