Insects on Christmas Trees Are Rare and Not Harmful
The only thing we know real Christmas trees consistently bring into people’s homes is joy.
Dr. Jill Sidebottom, retired extension specialist at North Carolina State University, who has been studying reports of bugs on Christmas trees for 30 years tells us that the odds of an insect coming in with your tree is about one in 100,000.
The beauty of real Christmas trees is that they come from nature, so like with any plant you bring into your home, the odds will never be zero, but you can do a few things to keep out unwelcome visitors:
- Simply ask the retailer to shake your tree using one of their mechanical shakers.
- Shake your tree outside at home before setting it up.
- Vacuum the area around your tree after setting it up.