Why you should remove your old Christmas tree if you see a walnut cluster

Experts advise Australians to remove old Christmas trees from their homes if they notice an inconspicuous, walnut-shaped lump among the branches.

Earlier this month, Daniel Reed of Pennsylvania in the US posted a photo of the brown flower cluster on his pine tree on Facebook and the photo quickly went viral after he explained what was inside.

“If you happen to see this on your Christmas tree, cut the branch off and put it in your yard. That's 100-200 praying mantis eggs!” he wrote.

A local expert told Yahoo7 that Mr Reed's case is not unique to the US and that the egg sacs could be found in homes across Australia during the summer months.

“Egg laying on household items is and always has been very common in Australia, but usually it is outdoor items such as garden furniture and fences,” said Wildlife Manager Alan Henderson of Queensland's Minibeast Wildlife.

“Many people are familiar with the sight of egg capsules, but do not know what they are for.

“It's possible that one of these will be placed on a Christmas tree – but not very likely, as none of our Australian praying mantis species live on the pine trees we use for Christmas.”

If residents find an egg case in their home, Henderson said they should take it outside and place it in a protected spot in the yard. Alternatively, residents could keep the egg case in a container until it hatches and then release the young.

Not only can hundreds of small praying mantises be a nuisance, but the young often eat each other because they starve if they are not outdoors.

“One of my earliest childhood memories of praying mantises is when a garden mantis egg hatched on our kitchen curtains in early summer,” recalls Mr. Henderson.

“There were hundreds of babies all over the curtains and windows and we spent a while catching them all and getting 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 was a popular pet in Queensland and Minibeast Wildlife had a waiting list for people waiting to breed more specimens.

“All of our offspring were sold out before Christmas this year,” he said.