Christmas day is just about a week away. With the festive cheer almost upon us, it is time to bring out the decorations and give the final touches. For a lot of families, Christmas cannot be complete without a Christmas tree.
Getting a real Christmas tree can be quite troublesome and expensive. That’s why there are fake alternatives available, which are usually made of plastic. However, for those that prefer the real ones, you may want to give it a thorough inspection before it is too late! A nasty surprise may be hiding on it this year.
The Warning About Christmas Trees
This year, customers who have purchased real Christmas trees may want to stay on the alert for brown lumps that are as big as a walnut. If you don’t take a closer look at them, you might think they are pinecones hiding under the leaves.
In reality, these lumps can be a praying mantis egg sac containing anywhere between 100 and 200 individual eggs! It is understandable if that made a shiver run down your spine.
Experts have also further warned that the warmer temperature in our house can accelerate the hatching process of these eggs. This means that you can have a severe insect infestation in your living room unless you manage to find the sac [1].
In 2017 a Facebook post on this topic went viral. The man in the post located not one but two egg sacs hidden inside his tree. He also has good advice for others on how to approach the insect problem.
Daniel Reed also left this piece of valuable advice:
“If you happen to see a walnut-sized/shaped egg mass, on your Christmas tree, don’t fret, clip the branch and put it in your garden. These are 100-200 preying mantis eggs!
We had two egg masses on our tree this year. Don’t bring them inside they will hatch and starve!”
This Has Happened Before
In 2019, Molly Kreuze of Springfield, Virginia had a similar problem, but this time, it wasn’t just praying mantis egg. It was a praying mantis egg that hatched! According to WSBT, hundreds of praying mantis went everywhere from her bedroom to her bathroom. She had to call in professional services to get her house free of the infestation [3].
“They are crawling on the ceiling, crawling on the windows…” @ABC7News at 6pm… pic.twitter.com/AqjlG12JbU
— Tim Barber (@TimBarberUSCP) January 4, 2019
Regardless, be careful of the real tree that you have, or you might have a lot of unwanted guests on Christmas Eve. According to experts, insects like spiders, moths, mites, and lice take shelter inside Christmas trees as they go into hibernation for the winter. However, the warmer temperature of our homes makes them think summer is here and wakes them up[4]. This can catch a lot of people by surprise.
So, if you have a real Christmas tree, then once more: carefully look through it. Otherwise, it will be a big mess to clean up later. In general, things like this are rare, but they can and do happen. Happy Holidays everyone (except for insects)!
Keep Reading: Did You Know That It’s Actually Tradition To Leave Your Christmas Tree Up Until January 6? Here’s Why.
Sources
- “Bin your Christmas tree immediately if you spot brown walnut-sized clump.” Mirror. Amber Hicks. December 14, 2019.
- Facebook. Daniel Reed.
- “Christmas tree smuggles hundreds of praying mantises into Virginia home.” WSBT. January 4th, 2019.
- “Christmas Trees ‘Harbour Thousands of Bugs’.” IB Time. Aaron Akinyemi. December 21, 2013.
Correction Notice (12/17/2021): A previous version of this article erroneously stated that Molly Kreuze had an issue with insects, but not praying mantises. This has since been corrected.