5 Frustrating Christmas Tree Pests

5 Frustrating Christmas Tree Pests

If you celebrate Christmas, the event of picking out and decorating the Christmas tree is often the highlight of the decorating process. Between the kids fighting with their siblings over where the favorite ornament should go and fighting with the branches to get the string lights to hang just right, it is quite the worthwhile ordeal to decorate. But for those of us who get a real tree, there are some necessary steps to take before you can even think of decorating. It can be fun to hike through the forest or stroll around the tree lot in search of the perfect tree, but the thought is always there as to the presence of critters in these trees. Any pest can find themselves tangled in the branches, but there are definitely a few that seem to favor the Christmas tree varieties for one reason or another. 

Mantids

Mantids are not necessarily a threatening insect, but the size of their population is enough to make the average homeowner shudder at the thought of these pests living in the house. They commonly lay eggs in Christmas trees, which is not a huge deal until that tree is brought indoors. Mantids create a tan, walnut-sized mass of about 400 eggs in any kind of tree. This mass will hatch sooner in warm weather, so the confused eggs will develop and hatch more quickly in a warm house that makes them believe it’s springtime and therefore time to evacuate. 

Mantids are more concerned with finding food than with getting near us, but hundreds of tiny praying mantises is not a group that sounds very appealing to have over for the holidays. They eat all kinds of insects and other tiny critters, which is beneficial for us. The good news about the possibility of mantids invading your Christmas tree is that most of them will either die or just eat each other (talk about a family feud over the holidays!), so you likely won’t have the full 400 tiny mantids crawling around the house for long. Inspect the branches for any strange masses before bringing the tree inside, and cut off a branch if it happens to have a mantid egg mass.

Spiders

Spiders are another beneficial pest that live in Christmas trees for shelter and access to insects for food. The species that wait in or near their webs for insects to get trapped favor trees for the warmth and darkness they give. They eat insects, small lizards, and eggs, all of which could be found near the trees. Spiders typically want nothing to do with us and will not come near us if they happen to get inside. Spiders can invade Christmas trees whether they are in the forest or in the tree lot by the hardware store, as they can find shelter anywhere. Some spider webs may be more visible before bringing the tree inside, while others may be hidden in the tree throughout the holiday season. 

Fortunately for us, the spiders that set up shop in Christmas trees are not dangerous to us. The two most hazardous spiders in the U.S. to humans, the brown recluse and black widow, do not like to live in trees for various reasons. Brown recluses like to go out and hunt, and black widows like to be in the darkest, untouched corners and spaces that they can find. The spiders found in Christmas trees are usually the small spiders that are difficult to spot unless you are actively searching for them. These species are commonly found in gardens and areas of the yard with a lot of foliage, so a Christmas tree is the perfect spot for a lonely spider to camp out. It may be difficult to find a tiny spider before bringing the tree inside, but they will likely be shaken out during transport or carrying it inside. It is fortunately easy to squish a spider if it happens to escape the confines of the conifer. 

Aphids

As far as tree pests go, aphids are not a super surprising choice for the list. We know them best for invading our gardens and houseplants, but aphids can cause plenty of issues for our Christmas trees as well. When they invade, aphids can be found on the lower branches of the tree due to their weak flying skills. These tiny pests can be green, red, black, or brown in color, and need greenery in order to survive. This is why they will not spread to other areas of the house if they happen to get inside, so you can rest assured that any aphid issues will be contained to the tree. Some species have wings, but they want to avoid us in favor of the tree and its nutrients.

If aphids are left outside for the winter, they will go into hibernation until the warm weather wakes them up. But if they are unknowingly brought inside on a Christmas tree, the aphids can wake up prematurely and start feeding on the tree. They drink the sap or vital juices of plants, and can eventually kill plants of smaller varieties. But just because they live on the tree does not mean that they will never leave. Be careful not to squish them on the carpet or furniture, as they can leave stains! A vacuum is the most helpful defense against aphids, but a scan of the tree before bringing it inside should be productive in preventing this pest disaster from occurring. 

Bark Beetles

Bark beetles are the most obvious Christmas tree pest on this list, if only for their name. These beetles are completely harmless to us, but dangerous to trees of all kinds. They are black or brown with reddish tint, and are about the length of a grain of rice. But it is more common to see the effects of a bark beetle invasion than to see the insects themselves. Bark beetles get under the bark and tunnel into the tree in order to devour the wood tissue. They prefer moist, damaged, or freshly cut wood, which means that a Christmas tree found in the forest is more at risk of an invasion.

It may not seem like a group of tiny insects can cause much damage to the mighty Christmas tree, but huge families of these beetles can kill a tree in a surprisingly short amount of time. Once enough of them get under the bark and eat the wood tissue, the tree can no longer support itself. The beetles interrupt the intake of food and water, which leads the tree to eventually dry out. There are a couple of signs that a bark beetle invasion is taking place. One is the presence of sawdust around the tree from the beetles tunneling into the trunk. Another sign is small globs of sap on the outside of the trunk. The tree produces more pitch to drive the beetles out, but it can be for naught if there are too many beetles. Bark beetles won’t survive inside a warm house, so if they are accidentally brought inside, they will not last long.

Adelgids

These pests are very similar to aphids, particularly in their habits and how they interact with the tree. They will not leave the tree if possible, which allows the adelgids to fill up on the sap. Speaking of, they enjoy the sap of any common kind of Christmas tree, which means they can be found in more trees than some other tree pests. Adelgids can develop through their early life stages first, then move onto the Christmas tree to live out their adult lives enjoying sap and the comfort of a coniferous tree.

Adelgids have a major telltale sign as to their presence in a tree. They leave wax masses, or filaments, as they camp out on a tree. These masses look like stringy cotton capsules, and essentially help the adelgids to anchor to the branch. The cotton can be stuck to the wood and wrapped around the insect’s body for maximum security. Both the adelgids and their cottony wax masses are harmless to us, and they can really only cause damage to the Christmas tree if a huge number of them feed for a long time. Before taking the tree inside, scan the branches and needles for any tiny insects or random cotton patches. You can easily remove them outdoors and enjoy the same tree throughout the Christmas season without tiny adelgids making the tree their own cozy home.

Pointe Pest Control is the Best Gift Under the Tree

Even though the likelihood of your real tree being infested with pests is not very high, it is still helpful to take some steps to prevent them from setting up shop in there, if only for your peace of mind. When you are picking out your live tree, examine the trunk and the branches for any signs of nests, eggs, and insects. Once you bring it home, leave it in the garage for at least a couple hours to allow any hitchhiking pests to disperse. This can be the time where you assemble the indoor setup and move furniture to make room for the giant tree to come through. Shake the tree slightly before bringing it indoors, as this will be the last effective step to removing any pests. Whatever you do, do not use any kind of insecticide on the Christmas tree. It is harmful for anyone to breathe in those fumes indoors, and these sprays are highly flammable. If you do happen to find any of these tree insects, a vacuum is the most efficient tool against them. 

Whether you choose a real tree or an artificial tree, pest control services is a great way to keep your home pest-free for the holidays. This is the time of year when pests are desperately searching for shelter from the cold, and the delicious-smelling food does not ease the temptation to enter our homes uninvited. Our technicians know the habits of these common pests and stay one step ahead with our effective treatments. Since we use EPA-approved treatments, you can be sure that your pest problems will be solved without dangerous chemicals. Contact us for more information on how we can ensure that the only pests around your Christmas tree are your curious cats or dogs.

Citations

Childs, R. (2011, October). Adelgids. University of Massachusetts Amherst. Available at https://ag.umass.edu/landscape/fact-sheets/adelgids (Accessed on November 29, 2022).

Cocchi, F. (2020, December 3). Yes, Christmas tree bugs are real – Here’s how to get rid of them. Pioneer Woman. Available at https://www.thepioneerwoman.com/holidays-celebrations/a32094634/christmas-tree-bugs/ (Accessed November 29, 2022).

Erickson, A. (n.d.). Pests that might be lurking in your Christmas tree – And how to get rid of them. Bob Vila. Available at https://www.bobvila.com/slideshow/pests-that-might-be-lurking-in-your-christmas-tree-and-how-to-get-rid-of-them-578323 (Accessed November 22, 2022).

Frequently asked questions. (n.d.). Cal Fire: Forest Health. Retrieved November 29, 2022, from https://www.readyforwildfire.org/forest-health/bark-beetle-information/bark-beetle-faqs/ 

Garrity, A. (2019, October 30). Thousands of Christmas tree bugs may be living in your real tree – Here’s how to get rid of them. Good Housekeeping. Available at https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/holidays/christmas-ideas/news/a41633/christmas-tree-bugs/ (Accessed November 22, 2022).

Miller, K. (2016, December 13). Aphids are tiny bugs that happen to love living in Christmas trees. Self. Available at https://www.self.com/story/aphids-christmas-trees (Accessed November 29, 2022).

Miller, K. (2022, November 8). How to get rid of common Christmas tree bugs, according to a pest control expert. Prevention. Available at https://www.prevention.com/life/a29401955/christmas-tree-bugs/ (Accessed November 22, 2022).

Skvarla, M.J. (2018, December 14). Insects on real Christmas trees. PennState Extension. Available at https://extension.psu.edu/insects-on-real-christmas-trees (Accessed November 29, 2022).

Weymouth, M. (2022, November 7). 5 bugs that might be hiding in your Christmas tree – And how to check for pests before you bring it inside. Martha Stewart. Available at https://www.marthastewart.com/1532480/christmas-tree-bugs-how-to-get-rid-of-them (Accessed November 22, 2022).