ROANOKE, Va. – It’s not the holiday surprise you want to find: Praying mantis egg sacs could be lurking in your real Christmas tree or wreath.
Sweet Providence tree lot worker Robby Lisenby said he is noticing even more sacs this year.
“2020 was bad for everyone else, but not bad for the praying mantis,” he said.
Praying mantis eggs live in evergreens and if they enter your home, you could gain an unwanted family, Townside Gardens owner Casey Broughton said.
“The warm temperature in your house will actually cause them to think that it’s spring time and time for them to hatch,” she said.
If they hatch, it’s a sight Lisenby said you don’t need to be afraid of but may not enjoy getting out.
“They look like little spiders or something. You’ll see hundreds of spiders,” he said. “But don’t worry; they’re harmless. They’re annoying to have in your house. But don’t flip out; they won’t bite you.”
Though Lisenby and Broughton may see them often, Whitney Justice has never spotted one.
“I am going to act like you never told me that. So no, we have never had that,” Justice, a long-time Christmas tree buyer, said.
Some buyers think the tree shaker will force them out.
But don’t rely on the tree shaker because tree harvesters said praying mantis eggs are sticky and love to cling on to the tree branches inside.
Instead, carefully cut the branch out and gently lay them in a new home.
“Stick it in a shrub or tree so it will be safe from other predators that might want to eat it as a snack as well,” Broughton said.
This way the mantises can snack on other unwanted visitors living in your yard.