A HAIRY little problem has wriggled its way into Tamworth backyards in epic proportions as pest control companies struggle to keep up with demand.
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The picky white cedar moth only eats the white cedar and closely-related cape lilac tree until about the end of April.
While the caterpillars aren't poisonous, they can cause health problems and skin reactions if touched.
The ultimate solution is to remove the food source, 4 Seasons Pest Control owner Tony Perks said.
"You can spray them but it's not a long term solution to it," he said.
"My recommendation nine times out of 10 is a chain saw at ground level, if a neighbour of mine planted a cedar tree I would go back at midnight and pull it out because if you have one within 50 to 100m - you're going to have issues.
"We've had that prolonged drought and then we had all that rain, the mice had all the feed around and it went to plague levels overnight.
"When nature does well, so does the animal kingdom."
The NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) recommends that for suburban trees, residents can loosely roll up hessian or shade cloth and tie it around the trunk of the tree.
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When the caterpillars move down the trunk looking for shade they will accumulate under the hessian, it can then be removed, thrown in a plastic bag and into the garbage.
"The best approach is to use a black plastic bag and leave it in the sun for the day, it will heat up and this will kill the caterpillars before they go in the bin," DPI principal research scientist Mark Stevens said.
"Insecticidal dusts can be applied to the bands as well, but we generally don't find this to be necessary.
"Some people recommend insecticidal dusts applied to the base of the trunk, but usually the untreated hessian bands are enough to drastically reduce the population and damage to the trees."
The caterpillar eventually turns into a grey moth with a 3.5 to 4cm wingspan.
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