People have been warned to check their Christmas trees for unwanted presents, especially ones that come in the shape of walnuts and live on the branches. If you wants to avoid your house being swarmed by creepy crawlies it's worth doing a quick check.
Daniel Reed, from the USA, shared a photo of the lumps on is tree in 2018 to warn people but the image has recently resurfaced as people across the UK get their decorations ready. The little brown lumps, which could easily be mistaken for a pinecone, may contain hundreds of preying mantis eggs.
The species - which is believed to be on the rise in the UK - is known for its cannibalistic tendencies and ferocious appetite. In a post on Facebook 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,' he advised. 'These are 100-200 preying mantis eggs!"
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He added: 'We had two egg masses on our tree this year. Don't bring them inside they will hatch and starve!' The viral post has racked up more than 8,000 comments, with around 16,000 likes and 185,000 shares.
Last year experts suspected that European praying mantis were becoming more prominent in the UK when a sample of the predator was caught in Stratford-upon-Avon, Metro reported. They also said that another one was found in Warwickshire just months earlier - a sighting seen as unusual given that the insects aren't thought to favour Britain's climate.
But if you have a real tree, there are a few other creatures you should keep an eye out for. A number of bugs could be secretly tucked into the branches including spiders and mites, aphids, adelgids, scale insects, bark beetles and sawflies. Shaking your tree, using pesticide sprays, and keeping a hoover on hand were all advised as methods to keep the creepy crawlies at bay.
It turns out not many people were familiar with the pinecone shaped lumps, with some people admitting they had noticed them before. One person commented on the post: "Petty sure I've seen these and mistaken them for pinecones", and another said: "Missed one on a tree one year..... left town for four days....returned to babies all over...took hours to get them out."
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