It happens every year. I get at least one email from a concerned reader asking what this weird walnut-like thing is that they found in their Christmas tree.
If you don’t already know what it is, you’ll probably never guess. Let’s just say you don’t want to bring it into your house if you’re hoping for a Christmas where all is calm and all is bright.
Okay, We’re Just Ripping This Band-Aid
No elaborate setup, here it is: it’s a praying mantis egg sack. Yup. That weird thing that feels a bit like spray foam and looks like a walnut (or, ahem, other things, if you ask my teenage son) is an egg sack filled with future praying mantis.
(Keep reading to see how horrifying it is when these things hatch.)
I used to think that the finding of these on Christmas trees was nothing more than social media bunk. Clickbait meant to get people to look at crazy videos, but in reality, it’s rare and basically unheard of.
But it would appear that this is more common than you would think.
In fact, we found one on our Christmas tree last year. Then, I found another one, this past weekend, on a tree, as we were taking our Christmas tree through the field and back to the parking lot to pay for it.
Naturally, whether or not this is a common occurrence in your area has a lot to do with what part of the country you live in. (Pennsylvania checking in!)
However, it’s better to be forewarned and to never come across one than it is to be blissfully unaware until you have a house full of baby praying mantises!
How to Spot Them When Choosing a Real Christmas Tree
I know I’m making a pretty good case for a fake tree, but we are still Team Real Tree in this house, and you should be, too. (The Christmas tree, not the camo brand.)
It’s easy to ensure you have a praying mantis-free Christmas.
When choosing a Christmas tree, either pre-cut or cut-your-own, check it over well and look for egg sacks. The mere fact that you now know that this is a thing is enough to make them easier to spot.
Rarely are they deep within the tree; they are almost always on the outer branches. If you find that your tree is “pre-decorated,” you can snip off the branch with the egg sack. Leave it in a sheltered place outdoors.
If you want to end up on the Naughty List, you can snip off the egg sack while you’re still at the Christmas tree farm and tuck it into the nearest Christmas tree. (I’m pretty sure I’m going to be on the Naughty List merely for making this suggestion.)
So, What Happens If They Hatch?
For a laugh, let’s say you didn’t notice you had a praying mantis emergency waiting to happen, hidden in your Christmas tree. This is the stuff of viral video nightmares—tiny praying mantises all over your house on Christmas morning. People running around screaming. Tiny Tim smashing them with his crutch.
Ahem, okay, maybe not that.
If you have the unfortunate luck to have a praying mantis egg hatching in your house, the best thing you can do is to vacuum them up and release them outside. Yes, it’s a rough way to enter the world, but you don’t want to cohabitate with them any more than they want to cohabitate with you.
If you live somewhere cold, they likely won’t survive outside anyway. It’s, unfortunately, a lose-lose situation for all involved.
Bug haters will probably be happy to evict these tiny babies ASAP.
If you’re a bug lover, and the thought of releasing them out into the cold makes you feel like you’ll end up with coal in your stocking, take a moment to consider how many of these little guys would be eaten by birds anyway and not make it.
Praying mantises are not endangered, nor are they protected. The Praying Mantis Police will not come knocking on your door if you dispose of them.
There are plenty more egg sacks out there, tucked away in less dangerous places than a Christmas tree farm, that will replenish the population next spring. Christmas is stressful enough without a side helping of entomological guilt.
And now that you know what to look for, you can warn friends and family who prefer a real Christmas tree as well. Or not, I hear there’s plenty of room on the naughty list still.
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