Christmas tree insect stowaways find kind-hearted hostess

SPRINGFIELD, Va. – A northern Virginia woman was surprised to find out one ornament on her live Christmas tree decided to deck the halls by unleashing dozens of tiny insects.

WJLA-TV reports more than 100 praying mantises popped out of a brown egg-case under the branches of Molly Kreuze’s tree. She says the insects were crawling on her walls and ceilings.

In some homes, the creatures might have met with a shoe or a rolled-up magazine. But Kreuze, who is a veterinarian, captured the praying mantises using a box and an envelope, and she’s feeding them fruit flies.

Kreuze says she learned some people, including organic garners, really like praying mantises, which eat other bugs, so she hopes to find them a new home.

Next Christmas, Kreuze says she wants a fake tree.