‘Our tree is infested’: 3 most common Christmas tree bugs and how to prevent them
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — There’s something so special about a real Christmas tree. They look great. They smell great. But if you plan on bringing one into your home, just know, you could be in for a nightmare before Christmas.
“It’s so full, it’s perfectly shaped, like it’s the best tree we’ve ever gotten,” said Tina Tolbert.
It was the perfect tree until five days ago, when Nashville mom Tina Tolbert spotted a little bug.
She tossed it, came back to the tree, and found a whole pile!
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“I was just in shock like oh my gosh, our tree is infested,” said Tina. “They’re little black bugs, they look almost like a cross between a spider and a tick.”
“Like everytime we kind of bumped the tree, more would fall out.”
After contacting the tree farm, Tina sprayed the tree outside. Twenty-four hours later, she brought it back in.
Pest control expert Doug Akers says this is rare, and a simple tree inspection and shake can prevent it.
“The transport, being refrigerated, helps with the bug issue. Plus, most bugs that live in Christmas trees don’t survive indoors,” said Doug.
But it happened to Investigator Mahsa Saeidi. Two days after she bought a tree in Tampa, she found critters crawling all over her home.
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“It’s hard to really tell what type of larvae that is,” said Doug. “Not dangerous, but it will evolve and it will turn into something so it’s a good thing that you were a little more proactive than most and got it taken care of.”
Alison Cushman found baby praying mantises on her branches.
The mom of four made the best of it. The family watched them hatch.
“They were in different spots in the tree but I think they were trying to make their way up to that warm air vent that was coming out,” she said.
Three Christmases later, she is still getting real trees.
“We still take the risk, and now we know what to look for, we’ve learned from this experience,” said Alison.
Doug says three types of bugs are typically found in Christmas trees.
“That’s going to be the scale, the little white fuzzy, you’ll see it on the branches,” he said.
“The second one is going to be a bark beetle, they actually burrow into the tree itself you’ll see these little holes there and then the third is going to be the mites and those guys get there with the birds nesting in the Christmas tree.
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