4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[Yorkshire Pudding]

Our tree has only been up a week - it's a big, beautiful Nordmann fir.

 

This afternoon there was a sudden 'pitter patter' and seven or eight insects dropped onto the floor, lying on their backs wriggling and obviously dying. They all fell within a few seconds of one another.

 

They were round-ish, six-legged black bugs, about 5 mm long.

 

I've Googled furiously and all I can find is that Nordmann firs don't have many insect pests - except the odd aphid. They could have been very big aphids, I suppose.... but OH and I are both plant scientists and they didn't look aphid-shaped to either of us!

 

 

Anyone else had a sighting?

[Couperwife]

 

ooooh, I dont know, how weird

 

cathy

x

[Blackrocksrock]

Is it a weavel?

[Cooks]

now that is all the more reason for me not to have a real tree ! *shudder*

[Snowy]

Nothing has dropped out of my Nordmann yet! Could it have been something picked up from the garden centre?

[Egluntyne]

Goodness. Mine is propped up in the porch. No beasties that I am aware of.

 

Have you photographed them?

[Paola]

The thought *shudder*

[Yorkshire Pudding]

There were a couple more this morning.... I have had a closer look and on reflection they do look like big fat aphids. I'm going to call the garden centre where I bought the tree and see what they have to say!

 

At least if they are aphids they won't bite anyone. But I'm not keen on the idea of sticky honeydew all over my floor.

[aaronmusgrove123]

that sounds horrible ii would defo ring the garden center and complain

[Yorkshire Pudding]

I have done, and they are sending someone around to my house to have a look. This is a first for them, they had never heard of bugs falling out of Christmas trees before.

 

I think what I have is these:.

Cinara aphids, rare on firs but common on pine and spruce, at least in North America. I cannot find a website to tell me if they are often seen in the UK though.

 

Harmless but not pretty!

[Cooks]

not nice, I am glad they are coming round, I cant wait to hear what they say.

[Phonix]

yak!

 

harmless or not I wouldn't fancy having them as my christmas house guests!

 

x

[bluekarin]

eww they look like the aphids we get on our willow tunnel. They (willow aphids) are apparently the largest aphids in the world and wasps just love their sticky sweet secretions they leave all over the willow Not great for the kids to play in during the height of summer.

[KAZAROO]

Our tree has only been up a week - it's a big, beautiful Nordmann fir.

 

This afternoon there was a sudden 'pitter patter' and seven or eight insects dropped onto the floor, lying on their backs wriggling and obviously dying. They all fell within a few seconds of one another.

 

They were round-ish, six-legged black bugs, about 5 mm long.

 

I've Googled furiously and all I can find is that Nordmann firs don't have many insect pests - except the odd aphid. They could have been very big aphids, I suppose.... but OH and I are both plant scientists and they didn't look aphid-shaped to either of us!

 

 

Anyone else had a sighting?

 

 

http://www.springerlink.com/content/h7446150584l17tp/

 

Weevils???????

[craftyhunnypie]

So what have they said? They are not very nice guests to have at Xmas are they?

 

Emma.x

[KAZAROO]

Maybe they are an extra for your chooks????

[Paola]

Thats a good idea, bring the chooks in to eat them