Public warned to throw away Christmas trees if they spot 'walnut-sized' lumps

23 September 2022, 07:43 | Updated: 1 December 2022, 06:39

The mysterious lumps popping up on some trees could mean you end up with some uninvited guests this Christmas.

People are being warned against mysterious walnut sized lumps that were spotted on some Christmas trees last year.

The seemingly-innocent masses are actually insect eggs, meaning it might be worth checking your tree (if you opted for a real one) before bringing it into your home.

The lumps can contain up to hundreds of praying mantis eggs.

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The revelation came to light when a post by Facebook user Daniel Reed - from Pennsylvania - went viral after he raised the alarm last year.

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 preying mantis eggs!"

"We had two egg masses on our tree this year. Don’t bring them inside they will hatch and starve!"

Comments flooded the Facebook post with many tagging their other halves asking them to look out for the suspicious lumps and others claiming this is one of the reasons they decided to get a plastic tree.

One person wrote: “If only I knew this last year before they hatched and were all over my walls.”

Another added: “I had one of these hatch. Tiny tiny praying mantis up my wall.”

A number of people shared horror stories of their own experiences, with one writing: "Been there done that! 1996 - my 9ft tree hatched.

"I had just filled the water trough when I realised.

"Had to drag that thing out to the deck and throw it off myself. I’ve never had a live tree since."

Make sure you check your tree ASAP!

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