Yes, You Probably Have Bugs Crawling All Over Your Real Christmas Tree

When I was a child, we always had a real Christmas tree. After I had my own family, I opted for a very real looking fake tree. I'm not a fan of having to keep a real tree watered and all of the needles falling off of the tree everywhere. Now, I find out that bugs are probably crawling all over a fake tree and, therefore, possibly all over your house. No, I will NEVER have a real tree.

My daughter, unlike me, loves real trees. She says she loves their imperfection, smell and girth. (She has 12 ft ceilings.) When I asked her if she knew how to get rid of the bugs on her real tree, she looked shocked. How dare I imply her tree has bugs.

Not sure why we thought a real tree would't have bugs. It IS a real tree, from the outdoors, in the woods. Yet another reason to be a on the fake tree team.

Here is a close up look at what the (insert shudder) bugs look like.

Now, I know it might be a little late to be giving you this information, unless you get a real tree this close to Christmas are are just now putting it up. But, if you have a real Christmas tree and you are afraid it might have bugs or you think you may have seen a bug or two, or twenty, you might have to take the decorations off, take it outside leave it for twenty four hours, and give it a good shake.  there are some things you should and shouldn't do when it comes to the creepy crawlies on your tree.

What are these bugs? The most common are Aphids, little black and brown bugs that have six legs and wings. You might also find Adelgids that are little red bugs that make little whiter sacks to get sap from the spruce needles. Also beware of Bark Beetles. They are brown bugs that burrow themselves into the trunk of the tree so you can't really see them. According to WYFF 4, there could be 25,000 bugs in just one Christmas tree.😳

What can you so to get rid of them? Nancy Troyano, a medical entomologist and director of technical education and training for pest control company Rentokil Steritech, told Realtor. If you get your tree from a tree farm,

A mechanical shaker will usually dislodge any potential intruders and eggs, in addition to getting rid of loose pine needles,

If you cut your own tree down or just want to make sure the there are no bugs, You can shake the tree yourself. Before you decorate, use a flashlight to inspect the branches and the trunk of the tree. Look for egg sacks or hatched bugs.

WYFF 4 says that if you find bugs, leave the tree in your garage before bringing it inside your house for at least 24hrs. And, once you bring the tree inside, make sure you vacuum around the tree regularly.

The one thing you don't want to do is spray your Christmas tree with any kind of bug spray. Hot lights and bug sprays do not make a good combo. #fire

Here is a little more visual info. Get ready to be creeped out.

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