Help! Christmas tree infested!

[PhilipTheLamb]

Got home yesterday to find our sitting room carpet crawling with insects, hundreds of them. They were off the tree, and on presents, tree skirt, decorations, the lot! There are various sizes, largest the size of a small pea, thankfully pretty slow moving.

We have removed everything, thrown lots away, cut the tree into pieces and bagged and removed it. But the carpet (10 months old) is fairly thick and the seemed to crawl into the pile. I think I have cleared all of them but some squashed underfoot and have left marks.

I am going back to the garden centre today to ask for a refund, any advice?

That’s horrifying!!! Take photos?

I have done, and also bagged some of the items to take along too, all of the presents need to be re wrapped, luckily only a couple of DD's gifts from friends were there.

I was thinking of just asking, nicely, to speak to the manager.

its a tree! living things live in it

nevertheless i am interested in what the manager says

@GaryBaldbiscuit hell no! 20 years of real trees here and never had any with any infestation, bugs spiders or otherwise. That’s just grim.

Thanks Gary, but we've always had real trees, as have all the family, the odd beetle spider or two is fine. But hundreds crawling over gifts etc is most certainly not.

Sounds awful, we usually get a few ladybirds in ours but that’s it
I would t worry about them in the carpets, they will die soon I’m sure and you can hoover them. I’m not sure I would be re wrapping presents either

Can you steam the carpet/get a company in to nuke the buggers? I would absolutely be re-wrapping presents and everything.

Completely fine with the odd lady bird and beetle/spider etc but this. Nope.

Just back from the garden centre, really excellent customer care, they gave me a full refund for the tree, and also gift vouchers for £50, which I think is fair.

Looking on line though, it seems that crawlies are a definite problem this year.

Sadly that was our last real tree, indoors anyway, just been online to Balsam Hill, and spent £££££, on a pre lit "most realistic" one! 🌲

Balsam hill are fab and if you keep it more that five years it's carbon neural.

That’s good, sounds like they’ve had other problems this year with other trees.

Will definitely be keeping the Balsam Hill tree for more than five years! £££££!

Carbon neutral is of course also important, I didn't realise that would be a soon as five years though, that's great to know.