Caterpillars Invade Australia Town

In a scene straight from a science fiction horror movie, a tiny Queensland town is under siege by a massive infestation of caterpillars that cause skin rashes.

The plague has even forced one resident to put on a full body suit every time she leaves the house.

Homes and backyards in Yandaran, near Bundaberg have been covered with millions of caterpillars for 18 months.

Resident Karon Carr told the ABC that backyards look like a scene from a horror movie.

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

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.

Residents will meet with an entomologist to discuss how to rid the town of the menace.

The species is a processionary caterpillar, which is a sub-species of the bag-shelter moth.

Caterpillar hairs cause skin irritations, can make dogs sick and have been linked to horse miscarriages.

Local resident Dallas Boothey says she has a dangerous allergy to the species that requires her to put on a full body suit every time she leaves the house.

"It's more than a plague, it's like living in a real life nightmare," Ms Boothey said.

"I have to put this stupid white suit on, disposable overalls on, and be fully covered head to toe so I can walk the dogs.

"Otherwise I swell up in lumps, hives and get really itchy eyes and it gives me respiratory problems as well."

To combat the plague and help grab the attention of environmental authorities, Ms Boothey said the town had set up the Itty Bitty Grub Committee.

"The most frustrating part is that it's been so hard just to get somebody to come out here," she said.

"They are very easy to kill, just warm soapy water, but we can't do it by ourselves, because there is so much state forest and crown land."

Boothey said it was in the authorities' best interest to act on the issue as the caterpillars were now only 28km away from the city of Bundaberg.

"And each time they outbreak, they move 8km further, we've measured it," she said.

Itty Bitty Grub Committee spokeswoman Karen Carr said she no longer lets her dogs outside, after one pet died earlier this year.

Carr has set up a town meeting on Tuesday night at the Darren Hotel, where an insect expert and state MP Rob Messenger are expected to attend.

"It's like a horror movie, they're just hanging from trees, like the The Creature from the Black Lagoon, but just with caterpillars," Boothey said.