Why you should remove your old Christmas tree if you see 'walnut' cluster
Experts have advised Australians remove old Christmas trees from their home if they notice an inconspicuous walnut shaped clump among the branches.
Earlier this month, Daniel Reed, from Pennsylvania in the US, shared a photo of the brown cluster on his pine tree to Facebook and it quickly went viral after he explained what was inside.
"If you happen to see this on your Christmas tree clip the branch and put it in your garden. These are 100-200 praying mantis eggs!" he wrote.
A local expert told Yahoo7 that Mr Reed's case is not exclusive to the US and the egg sacks could exist in homes across Australia during the summer months.
"Having their egg cases laid upon household objects is, and always has been very common in Australia, but typically they are objects that are outdoors such as garden furniture and fences," Wildlife Manager Alan Henderson from Queensland's Minibeast Wildlife said.
"Many people are familiar with the sight of the egg cases but don't know what they belong to.
"It is possible for one to be laid on a Christmas tree - but not really likely as none of our Australian mantis species live on the pine trees that we use at Christmas."
If residents find an egg case inside their house, Mr Henderson said to take it outside and place in a sheltered spot in the garden. Alternatively, residents could keep the cluster in a container until it hatches and then release the young.
Not only can hundreds of tiny praying mantis' be a hassle, but the young often eat each out of starvation if they aren't outdoors.
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"One of my earliest childhood memories of praying mantises was when an egg case of Garden Mantids hatched in early summer on our kitchen curtains," Mr Henderson recalled.
"There were hundreds of babies all over the curtains and windows and we spent a while catching them all and putting them outside.
"I kept a few in my bug catcher but soon found out the hard way that they eat each other!"
Mr Henderson said the praying mantis is a popular pet in Queensland and Minibeast Wildlife have a waiting list for people waiting for more to be bred.
"We sold out of all those we bred before Christmas this year," he said.
