Christmas Chaos: A Million Baby Critters Turn Family Tree into a Yuletide Nursery!

Quick Smiles:

• A family found out their Christmas tree was a cozy home for a praying mantis egg sac.
• The warm indoor temperatures caused the egg sac to hatch into a million tiny mantises.
• Christmas tree farms actually watch out for these egg sacs to prevent such surprises.

Picture this: You’re cozied up with your family, enjoying the holiday season with your beautifully decorated Christmas tree. Suddenly, you realize you’re not the only ones admiring the tree. A gazillion baby praying mantises have decided to join the party!

Unbeknownst to the family, their Christmas tree had been the chosen nursery for a praying mantis egg sac. The cozy warmth of their home had coaxed the eggs to hatch, releasing a million tiny mantises. Who knew praying mantises were such Christmas enthusiasts? They particularly enjoy laying their eggs in fir trees, which is why many Christmas tree farms are always on the lookout for them.

Alan Binger, owner of Hidden Pines Christmas Tree Farm in Ohio, shared his strategy with The Dodo:

“We train our workers to look for them as we process the trees our customers cut from our fields. We put each tree on a shaker after being cut, which will sometimes detach the sac from the tree, but sometimes we will manually pull the sac from the tree. We save any sacs we find and place them back in smaller trees in the field so that they can hatch in the spring and do their great work.”

@andeekitty

Beware of the real trees. 🤣 #realtree #christmastree #prayingmantis #prayingmantisoftiktok #christmastreefail #faketreenextyear

♬ It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year – Andy Williams

So, if you’re planning to bring home a Christmas tree, maybe give it a quick mantis check. But don’t freak out if you find a praying mantis egg sac.

As Binger suggests, “If someone notices a sac in their tree before it hatches, simply pull it out and place it in your outside landscaping so that they can hatch in the spring and do their wonderful work.”

While the chances of finding praying mantis babies in your tree are slim, it does happen. It might not be the Christmas surprise most families are expecting, but hey, it certainly adds a dash of excitement to the holidays!

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