Pregnant praying mantis’ may disguise their eggs sacs on Christmas trees (Image: Getty)
The Christmas countdown is on, and the ritual of erecting the festive tree marks the start of the season for many.
Sadly though, lurking amid the , there could be a host of uninvited critters.
While we all look forward to gifts under , it unfortunately may also serve as an nursery. For those concerned, keep an eye out for what looks like a benign pine-cone-like object as it could actually be a deceiving mass of 100-200 praying mantis eggs.
Real provide an excellent camouflage for these egg sacs at the branch tips. The cosy conditions inside our homes also present an ideal hatching ground.
This cautionary tale repeatedly crops up and unsettles the minds of festive decorators each year as they bring their real trees indoors. A popular video by Lexi Natoli warns: “If you see this on your tree, get rid of it immediately. It might not look like much but this is actually a praying mantis egg sac and they’re really commonly found on Christmas trees.
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“When you bring the tree inside, the warmth of your house will cause them to hatch and you will have hundreds of preying mantis’ running around your house. So, do yourself a favour and check .”
People were eager to voice their opinions beneath the video clip. One commenter expressed: “I’m so excited to raise a colony of praying mantis’,” while another shared their less than pleasant experience: “One hatched in my house once… it was terrible.”
A third made light of the situation: “This is why we get reusable plastic trees in the UK.”
If you see THIS on your christmas tree put it outside IMMEDIATELY
In humorous agreement, another person chimed in: “My family [has been] using the same plastic Christmas tree for 10 years LOL.”
Sharing an anecdote, a user recalled: “We found this and didn’t know what it was. My mum had it in her car from the Christmas tree, I don’t know why. And one day, thousands of babies were all in the car.”
Someone else mentioned: “Stuff like this (and stories from my firefighter grandfather) are the reasons why I will never get a real tree for Christmas.”
It’s important to note the caution is pertinent only to real Christmas trees, with the likelihood of stumbling upon such egg sacs being slim, particularly in the UK.