Photo: from open sources
You should carefully inspect your holiday tree before you bring it home—what may appear to be a pine cone is not one at all.
The Christmas and New Year holidays are approaching, and with them the day of choosing and purchasing a New Year tree is approaching, which will delight us all the holidays. However, scientists have put a fly in the ointment in this seemingly joyful process of choosing a holiday tree and decorating it, writes IFLScience.
Before we bring the Christmas tree into the house, we should carefully inspect it. Scientists advise paying special attention to fir cones or what may be hidden behind them.
Sometimes on holiday trees you can notice growths that with the naked eye can be mistaken for an ordinary pine cone. Alas, something else may be hiding in this lump – according to scientists, such growths may well turn out to be sacs with praying mantis eggs.
A similar story already happened in 2018, when Andrea Coward brought home a Christmas tree. The family didn’t suspect anything until at some point it hatched “hundreds of friends.” Since then, the family has preferred only an artificial Christmas tree.
According to scientists, depending on the type of mantis, one such sac can contain from several to hundreds of eggs. When the praying mantises hatch from this sac, it’s quite an amazing sight, but it’s hardly “celebratory.”
Researchers note that if such a growth is found on a tree, the branch should be immediately cut off and placed in a garden or park. Let us note that at the moment we are not talking about a threat to human life, since in essence mantises are harmless to everyone except their prey, which people, fortunately, are not.
Scientists note that the problem is that hatching mantises indoors poses a danger to insects. According to University of Illinois researcher Chris Enroth, once in a warm home, baby praying mantises are likely to hatch and then simply die of starvation.
