A New Year's tree as a source of parasites: myth or reality? (8 photos)

So, you've brought home a Christmas tree. A beautiful, young tree, smelling of pine needles and frost. Your wife is pleased, the kids are happy, and the cat is already taking aim, ready to commit the greatest act of vandalism of his life. And then, a troop of aliens starts descending from the tree. Dozens, even hundreds, of multi-legged creatures scatter in all directions, delighting the cat, frightening the kids, and driving your wife hysterical. Wait, are those ticks?!





Hello, we're coming to visit!

Unfortunately, this situation is far from hypothetical. Infestations of bright red Trojan mites riding on Christmas trees are occurring across the country. As if that weren't enough, the invading mites are themselves a kind of Trojan horse. Each one is a female, carrying several dozen fertilized eggs in its womb. It seems like your apartment just became a hotbed of parasite infestation…



Let's get out of here before we get frozen again!

But, strange as it may sound, that's where the bad news ends. After all, although these Christmas tree parasites may look disgusting, they're not the vicious bloodsuckers that pose a real danger to you and your pets. In the worst-case scenario, you've brought home common spider mites. They're completely harmless to humans!





Feel the difference: on the left is a spider mite, on the right is an Ixodid mite.

But that doesn't mean your new neighbors are cute. Common spider mites feed on hundreds of plant species from all over the world, so chances are good that they'll enjoy some of your houseplants. The female will then reach the plant and attach herself to it with her small but very sharp proboscis, beginning to suck the plant's juices. After a few days, she'll begin to reproduce at a rapid pace. Under ideal conditions, the mite population can increase several dozen times every 10 days!



Females often lay eggs directly on the webs. But other options are also possible.

At this rate, they'll suck your favorite flower dry in just a month, simultaneously weaving it with webbing up to the roots. After all, each tiny mite sheds several strands of silk during its lifetime. On their own, they're meaningless and harmless, but a large colony forms a veritable blanket, protecting it from predatory mites and insects. It also creates a microclimate ideal for mites.



If you give spider mites free rein, they'll decorate your plants in festive colors!

Of course, you'll quickly notice the web with dozens of red dots. Of course, you'll try to get rid of it. But it's not so easy, because at any disturbance, the mites will scatter throughout the apartment, hiding their eggs in corners and in the soil of other flowers, even those they don't like. You'll have to impose a strict quarantine and use acaricides—specialized anti-mite agents.



This isn't a colony, it's a whole spider-web metropolis!

But, again, this is the worst-case scenario. Common spider mites prefer to overwinter in the ground and under fallen leaves; they're very rare to find on spruce trees. Therefore, you'll most likely bring home spruce spider mites along with your tree, and you certainly shouldn't be afraid of them. Unless you keep a juniper bush or two at home, of course!



This scenario with the Ixodid tick is almost impossible on a Christmas tree, because these dangerous parasites overwinter in the soil, not on trees.



Spruce ticks and their prey.

So all the panic some media outlets have whipped up is a huge exaggeration. Christmas trees appear in our homes every year, and nothing terrible happens.