For the past few weeks the hairy, brown-black caterpillars of the white cedar moth have been invading our house in Milton. We tried to play nice for a few weeks by escorting the little crawlers outside. But, enough is enough.

The house has been inundated. They've found a home in clothing, bed sheets, curtains, couches and wetsuits outside - anywhere that's shady.

We'll be sitting on our couches, or at the kitchen bench, and notice the caterpillars crawling along architraves and skirting boards. We've also become conscious of where we step to avoid any unfortunate deaths underfoot.

My housemate filled two 100-gram coffee jars of caterpillars collected from around the house and outside in the entertaining area. She then pulled 60 off her bedroom's curtains on Anzac Day morning.

Another issue is they have very few natural predators. Our three chickens avoid them like the plague and no other bird life seems to want to feast.

And boy, can they move. According the Western Australia Department of Primary Industries they can cover 60 to 80 metres or more in a short time.

"Many will return to the tree at dusk or just after, crawling up the trunk to feed on the leaves. This daily movement up and down the tree can continue for a week or more."

A colleague from the South Coast Register has also been swamped by the critters, but pest control businesses haven't fielded many calls.

Cockroaches have been the main pest around homes in the Shoalhaven. Some suggested the increased pest presence is due to the dry weather.

The caterpillars have an incredible appetite. Leaves of the two white cedar trees in our front yard, also known as Cape Lilac trees, have been stripped from the top down.

My housemates' research led them to wrapping a rag, that was soaked in sump oil, around the trunk of the remaining tree with leaves. We've chosen to avoid using pesticides, and collecting them in a vacuum cleaner is just too cruel.

While we think the end of the plague is nigh - they're running out of food - we'll certainly remember nip the pesky problem in the bud next year.