Berlin.
A Christmas tree decorates many living rooms at Christmas. But in addition to the scent of fir trees, he could also bring a whole lot of animals with him.
The classic Christmas tree is still one of the most popular Christmas traditions in Germany. But anyone who brings such a tree into the house leaves it at the same time thousands of insects to move in. We explain to you what you can do against the little animals.
Researchers from the Norwegian University of Bergen have found that up to 250,000 crawling animals can live in a single Christmas tree. These include lice, mites, moths, spiders and even ticks.
Why do animals live in trees?
The animals hibernate in the branches of fir trees. That also makes the problem clear. Because when the Christmas trees are brought into the living room from outside, the ambient temperature and the insects wake up again. Also read: Recipe for the classic – The best butter cookies
The idea of the animals roaming through your home is not a very pleasant one. But the fear does not have to be too great. They crawl down from the fir trees and look for them in the area Food, but since they usually find nothing, they starve to death very quickly.
This is why ticks are found on Christmas trees
Also the fear of ticksthat get into the house through the Christmas trees doesn’t have to be that big. Although the animals also become more active when they are in a warm room, this only lasts for a few days. In addition, the dry room air in winter, for example when heating is used, means that the ticks die quickly. Ticks can mainly be found in trees that have just been felled in the forest. Also interesting: Tick in Germany – These species are spreading
There are a few tips, to get rid of the insects before the tree moves in:
- Temporarily store the tree in a place such as the garage before erecting it. The place must already be warmer for the insects to crawl down from the branches here.
- Shake the tree vigorously before bringing it into the apartment. For example, hit the ground hard with the trunk a few times to make the animals fall down.
- First put a white bed sheet under the Christmas tree. If the fir is placed in the tree stand with force, the animals will fall onto the sheet in a clearly visible manner.
- Look for alternatives: choose a tree made of plastic, indoor firs in pots or homemade Christmas trees instead of the classic fir.
In addition, you should regularly vacuum around the Christmas tree to remove any dead animals.
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