If you opted for a fresh tree this year, you could have let in hundreds of baby insects into your home.
Not the gift you were expecting this Christmas, eh?
The next time you are around your tree, be sure to look for any brown, hard lumps that resemble pine cones…..because they are not pine cones, but praying mantis eggs.
If you’ve got anyone of these lumps, they’ll usually be at the end of the branches, but you’ll need to get rid of them quick because if you don’t, the warmth of your living room will provide the perfect warm conditions for them to hatch.
This is exactly what happened to Molly Kreuze, from Springfield, Virginia.
She came into her house to discover critters crawling up the walls, across the ceiling, and in the various rooms of her house.
She said:
“They’re fast. They jump.”
Thankfully, praying mantises are great for killing flies. But they are not the ideal house guest.
A man by the name of Daniel took to Facebook to warn others about the dangers of a live tree with the above photo.
He said:
“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 praying mantis eggs! We had two egg masses on our tree this year. Don’t bring them inside they will hatch and starve!”
This applies if you have purchased a Norway Spruce, a Scots Pine or a Fraser Fir.
And on that note, Happy Holiday’s everyone! ***shudder, shudder***