What's Infesting Your Christmas Tree?

When it comes to American Christmas traditions, there may be none more beloved than choosing a live tree to bring into your home. From choosing the perfect tree and chopping it down (or buying it from the store – shhh, we won’t tell), to decorating the branches, nothing brings as much charm to a room as a living tree wrapped in brilliant lights and shining ornaments -especially if there’s a big pile of presents underneath!

However, what most people don’t know is that charm can quickly be lost if you find that your tree came with unexpected hitchhikers! Here at Black Diamond, we’ve put together a list of some of the pests you need to keep an eye out for on your real tree.

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Of course, spiders top our list, but there are so many more unfamiliar pests that could be infesting your holiday decoration – such as aphids. You will typically see aphids on the lower boughs of the tree, and there can be anywhere from a few dozen to several hundred of these tiny pests hidden away within its branches. Their small size may cause you to mistake them for ticks.

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Other pests include mites and adelgids. The former resembles tiny specks that leave stains whenever they are crushed, and the latter appear as white fluffy flecks of dust that crawl about the tree’s needles. Both are incredibly annoying to deal with due to their impossibly tiny size, but mites will also make the tree drop needles early, potentially leaving you with a naked, dying tree before Christmas even arrives!

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A slightly larger and more destructive pest is the bark beetle, which often hitches a ride in cocoon form and then hatches to feast on your new decoration. You can track them by spotting the holes they bore into the wood of their chosen homes, which will usually have sawdust trails leading across the trunk to mark their path.

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A more unexpected bug you may happen upon in your tree is the praying mantis, and while they are not typically regarded as a pest, they will take advantage of the warmth in your home to reproduce. A single adult can leave behind a clutch of over four hundred babies, which will emerge in your home and scatter about if left to incubate in the warmth. While these bugs are hunters of pests themselves, you certainly don’t want a swarm of them in your living room while you try to enjoy your presents!

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All together, these pests can create quite a headache for those simply seeking a cozy Christmas with their families. Thankfully, Black Diamond is here to help! Don’t let the fear of humbug stowaways keep you from having the tree of your dreams. Just give us a call at 877-DEAD-BUG today, and we’ll help you have a pest-free Christmas and New Year!

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