Live Christmas trees They look great and smell amazing, bringing a characteristic Christmas atmosphere to your home. However, whoever decides to buy a real one must take into account that it may already be inhabited.
The Institute of Nature Conservation of the Polish Academy of Sciences issued a special “wanted notice” on social media for the Cinara curvipes aphid, which poses a threat to conifers. It is not the only one that can live on our Christmas tree.
Cinara curvipes is an invasive alien species – a large, dark aphid that forms numerous colonies on tree trunks and branches. She especially likes the Caucasian and Korean fir. The aphid is quite large – in its adult form it reaches from 4 to 6 mm in length. It has a black, shiny head and body and a matte abdomen with shiny edges. The insect’s legs are brown and black, and their third pair is distinguished by its arched shape.
The aphid is found in North America, and in Europe it is an invasive species that poses a threat to local conifers. Pests feed mainly on lower branches and trunks, feeding on plant sap and leading to their weakening and the death of individual branches.
Christmas trees must be carefully inspected before bringing them home. Together with Christmas trees, a dangerous aphid may be introduced into interiors, which is dangerous for plantations and forest stands, weakening coniferous trees.
If we find it, absolutely do not throw it away. It should be placed in a container with small holes and then reported to the Institute of Nature Conservation of the Polish Academy of Sciences. If released into the environment, it could threaten Polish forests. The collected data will allow us to determine the route of the invasion and stop its spread.
By looking for representatives of the Cinara curvipes species, we can also find other inhabitants of our Christmas tree. Christmas trees can be inhabited by, among others, woodworms, spiders, bark beetles, bugs, ants and even hibernating ticks. So it’s worth being careful when choosing one for your home a living tree for Christmas.
