Caterpillar Plague

From the ABC:

Caterpillar plague 'a scene from a horror movie'

Residents of Yandaran, north of Bundaberg in south-east Queensland, will meet tonight to discuss a caterpillar infestation which they say is destroying their lives.

Homes and backyards in the town and surrounding region have been covered with millions of caterpillars for the past 18 months.

Resident Karon Carr says backyards look like a scene from a horror movie.

"Fence posts, wires, clothes lines, clothes - they're just everywhere," she said.

Ms Carr says the caterpillars cause skin irritations and one local was taken to hospital after an allergic reaction, while another has resorted to wearing a protective suit to walk her dog.

"Rashes, dermatitis to people who suffer from severe allergies and going into anaphylactic shock," she said.

An entomologist will attend tonight's meeting to try to shed some light on the infestation and whether there are measures to get rid of the creatures.

"If nothing is done to try to put a halt to these caterpillars, the detrimental effect to the environment, people's health, businesses is only going to continue to get worse," Ms Carr said.

"I'm calling on all residents in the affected areas, and those that even aren't that want to know more about them, to come to the meeting."

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