Warning as Woman's Real Christmas Tree Hatched 'a Million Friends'

As people dust off the festive decorations and holiday cheer, one woman's Christmas tree has brought her an unexpected surprise.

Andrea Coward, who posted five days ago on TikTok, shared how the real tree she picked up for the season suddenly hatched thousands of praying mantis bugs. "That time our tree hatched a million friends," Andrea, from Ohio, wrote in the text overlay, before adding: "Beware of the real trees."

The incident happened to Coward and her family in 2018: "We saw one of the nests when we first brought the tree in," Coward told Newsweek. "We cut the branch off and put it outside. About two and a half weeks later we saw all of the babies from the second nest we hadn't seen."

"I would say there were at least a few hundred," she recalled. "My husband started using the vacuum on them. They were scattering all over the floor."

Praying mantis egg sacs in real Christmas trees aren't uncommon, and the insects are known to lay their eggs on many types of plant.

The warmth of a home is the perfect place for them to hatch, resulting in an infestation. The sacs, called oothecae, can contain as many as 200 eggs—leaving you with a serious problem if they make their way into your home.

On TikTok, thousands of commenters shared their reactions to the images and shared their thoughts about the unexpected visitors. The clip now has more than 4.3 million views.

"12 drummers drumming, 11 pipers piping, 1,133 prayers praying," posted one commenter, while another wrote: "This happened to an old neighbor of mine, they chucked the tree right off the second story deck."

A third viewer commented: "The fresh pine smell ain't worth this."

But how can you prevent your Christmas decorations becoming a new home for a family of bugs?

It starts before you even pick out your tree. It is recommended to inspect the item before bringing it inside. You must remove any egg masses, including those of praying mantises, gypsy moths, and bagworms. Shaking the trees can also help to dislodge any unwanted hitchhikers before they reach your living room.

If you find an egg sac, you should cut off the branch it is attached to and place it outside, but chemical sprays should be avoided as they can be flammable.

If you would rather take the risk, though, you wouldn't be alone. Data from Nielsen Research shows that around 21.6 million real trees and 12.9 million artificial trees will be purchased by U.S. households this Christmas season.

The American Christmas Tree Association (ACTA), in collaboration with Nielsen, conducted a survey of nearly 30,000 households, asking them about their tree preference.

The data further shows that households will collectively spend $984 million on real Christmas trees, with an even more substantial $1.01 billion on artificial ones. Notably, 11 percent of U.S. households plan to display both real and artificial trees, reflecting a rising trend toward multiple Christmas trees in celebrations.

When it comes to picking up an artificial tree, 39 percent of households said they got theirs from large outlets like Wal-Mart or Target; while 29 percent of households who opted for a real tree purchased theirs from a tree lot.

In the end, the ordeal was enough to swear the family off real Christmas trees for good. "We got a fake tree the following year," said Coward, who hasn't had a real Christmas tree since.