The season to be jolly is finally upon us, and with that comes Christmas trees. There are two types of Christmas trees—synthetic ones, which you can get out every year, and real ones. If you have opted for the latter, you should definitely check it for ‘clumps’.
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Check for ‘clumps’
If you have bought yourself a real Christmas tree this year, be sure to check it either when buying or once you’re home for any unusual ‘clumps’. The clump in question looks like typical pinecones but as reported by Mirror they could actually be a sac of 100 to 200 praying mantis eggs.
If you find one of these sacs, you should dispose of it before it hatches as it will be hard to deal with if you have over a hundred baby praying mantises.
How to get rid of the sacs
Thankfully a Facebook user posted on social media when he found one of these sacs and shared his experience. He explained the best way to get rid of the sac and it is surprisingly easy.
Simply snip the branch where the sac is located and place it in your garden.
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 (sic) mantis eggs! We had two egg masses on our tree this year. Don’t bring them inside they will hatch and starve!
Others then shared their own experience:
We had a tree with one in and we didn’t know until they hatched. They were everywhere
That s*** happened to me a few years ago it was crazy, went to my in laws house came back to a bunch of little bugs, found out they were praying mantises.
Sources used:
Mirror: Warning to check Christmas trees for clumps that must be removed immediately