Many households are putting up their Christmas trees this week as the start of December approaches but they are being issued a warning.
People are being warned to check their trees for small walnut-sized lumps - and to remove any found immediately.
The clumps, which look like pine cones, could be home to hundreds of praying mantis eggs. If you don't find the sacs before they hatch then your home could become covered in the insects and you could have yourself a nasty infestation for Christmas, reported The Mirror.
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Social media users have been sharing the signs to look out for after several unlucky homeowners had to learn their lesson the hard way. Tree lovers swapped tips after a man who found two clumps on his tree took to Facebook, where he advised on the best way to deal with the problem.
The helpful post from a Christmas past recirculates most years, as people share the post, keen to help others avoid the nasty problem. In his viral post, Daniel Reed wrote: "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 (sic) mantis eggs! We had two egg masses on our tree this year. Don’t bring them inside they will hatch and starve!"
To date, the warning has been shared more than 185,000 times, with several people claiming they have found similar clumps on their trees in the comments. One reply said: "We had a tree with one in and we didn’t know until they hatched. They were everywhere."
A second person wrote: "That s*** happened to me a few years ago it was crazy, went to my in laws house came back to a bunch of little bugs, found out they were praying mantises." Another added: "I think I have PTSD from when it happened to us."
So if you have opted for a real Christmas tree this year, it is well worth taking the time to check. Otherwise, you might find yourself catering for a much larger party than expected this festive season.
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