Your Living Christmas Tree Is Most Likely Crawling With Over 25,000 Bugs
By Timfly
Many people don’t think bugs are an issue in the winter, but they definitely can be. After all, it’s cold out, and so bugs are looking for a nice, warm place to camp.
What’s more, tree-dwelling insects will go dormant in the cold, kind of like hibernating. However, once they’re inside your warm living room, they’ll come back to life.
There are seven common insects that make their homes in Christmas trees, and the list includes aphids, spiders and mites, adelgids, pine needle scale, sawfly, praying mantises, and bark beetles. Besides the fact that it is disgusting to have all these creepy crawlies in your house, aphids will also leave a purple or red stain if you squash them, bark beetles will eat away at the trunk of the tree, and—the kicker—praying mantises can bring up to 400 eggs with them that will hatch several weeks after being indoors.
The types of bugs inhabiting your jolly Christmas tree are mostly harmless and won’t destroy your home (though, don’t squash the bugs as it may leave marks on furniture and walls). Don’t see any bugs? Keep an eye out for other signs of their presence, like feeding trails, eggs, or burrows.
Aphids, which are small black or brown bugs, are some of the most common offenders.
White blobs like these are a clear indication of adelgids. The tiny bugs create them when they suck the sap out of spruce needles.
And if you find a tan, walnut-sized mass like this on one of the limbs, get rid of it. It’s a praying-mantis egg mass — and it’ll hatch!
Before buying a tree examine it for bugs. Check the under sides of branches and the trunk.
The best thing you can do after purchasing a tree is to shake it. This will dislodge any stowaways.
Some places even have tree-shakers on site that will do the work for you.
Leave it in the garage for at least 24 hours before bringing it inside to decorate.
Once you have the tree, be sure to vacuum regularly around its base.
This will keep pine needles off your floor, and will also snatch up any bugs that have decided to climb off the tree and go exploring.
If you wind up seeing bugs on your tree while it's already in your house try using neem oil. It's non toxic for humans and will get rid of these pests.
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