Woman Urges People to Get Rid of Their Christmas Tree if Weird Clump Looking Like a Pine Cone Grows on It

Unless it’s part of the ornament decoration, finding a pine cone-like clump on your Christmas tree is not a good sign. You might be in for a rough experience as TikTok user Lexi Natoli (@yolkfather) revealed what that could possibly be. Showing the picture of an irregularly shaped woody mass, the content creator warned that trees with these clumps should be discarded right away. "If you find this in your Christmas tree, you need to get rid of it immediately,” Natoli said. These woody clumps are usually found in “real” Christmas trees that are freshly picked from the forests. 

Natoli alerted that the strange clump was “actually a praying mantis egg sac.” According to her claims, the insects like to lay their eggs in Christmas trees, which are generally firs, spruces, or pines, during the fall season. However, the eggs do not hatch until the spring season but the warmer conditions at home may lead to premature hatching of the mantis egg sac. “If you bring them in your house where it’s nice and warm, they might hatch early,” she added. Interestingly, a single egg sac bears countless eggs hatching several praying mantis offsprings– a risk for indoor hygiene. “Just a single egg sac can hatch between 100 and 400 praying mantis babies, which you’re not gonna want to lose in your house,” Natoli added. 

At the end of the video, the TikToker reiterated her warning alert about the odd clumps hanging from the Christmas trees and reminded her viewers to bring the affected tree out of the house if found. The video went viral on the platform and garnered attention from several netizens. “And this is why we always do fake trees,” one person (@kd6_3.7_2049) commented under the post while another user (@maddie_c1) joked, “I want a pray mantis pet.” Natoli left a quirky note under this comment stating, “But do you want 400 of them?” complete with a laughing emoji. 

An adult female praying mantis lays eggs before she dies with the first frosts, per a report by Gardening Know How. The sacs are described to be 1 inch long and rectangular in shape with rounded edges. The egg sacs appear tan to white and the eggs inside are surrounded by a frothy foam called ootheca, which eventually hardens into the sac. The report suggested that the sac be placed in a glass jar with some air holes for safe hatching. Out of the 300 eggs, only one-fifth of the nymphs reportedly survive to adulthood. The egg sac hatches within four to six weeks and releases miniature adults with appetites during warmer temperatures to ensure the nymphs’ survival.

Christmas decorations range from homes bringing in freshly cut trees to others going for an environment-friendly option and making it work with a fake one. But experts suggest, fake or not, all Christmas trees should be washed at least twice a year. "Artificial trees are often stored in humid and dusty conditions with little disruption for a significant portion of the year,” Gareth Nye, a program lead for medical science told Wayfair UK. The accumulated dust can lead to allergies and asthma issues as well due to the growth of mold including harmful microbes like Aspergillus and Penicillium.

You can follow @yolkfather on TikTok for more interesting content.