(WAND) – Christmas trees should be checked for praying mantis eggs before they’re brought home, officials said.
According to leaders in Erie County, Ohio, masses sized and shaped like walnuts – shown in a picture attached to this story – can have 100 to 200 praying mantis eggs in them. They’re warning tree buyers everywhere to not bring them inside because the eggs will hatch and starve.
Instead, people are asked to clip the branches and put them outdoors in a garden.
University of Illinois Extension educator Chris Ernoth said a female praying mantis will often lay eggs in a Fraser fir Christmas tree during the fall season.
NBC Chicago looked into how common these eggs might be and referenced U of I data, which classified post-harvest pests as “rare” and “occurring in 1 out of 100,000 cut trees”. Even though finding something isn't very likely, Ernoth said trees should be inspected before entering a home to take out “egg masses, including those of praying mantis, gypsy moth and bagworms”.
He said chemical sprays, including aerosol insect sprays, should be avoided because they’re flammable.
The National Christmas Tree Association wrote insects and spiders have been found in Christmas trees after families have set them up. More questions and answers about how to handle trees can be found on the organization’s website.
