Holiday Greenery & Decorations: a Possible Pathway for Plant Pests

An NDA Extomology Inspector checking cut Christmas trees for Gypsy moth egg massess

During the holidays, fresh cut greenery and artificial greens and florals are widely used to decorate homes and businesses across the state. While very beautiful, both live and artificial plant material can be a pathway by which plant pests can be spread.

In recent years, a number of incidents involving holiday decorations harboring plant pests have occurred nationwide. These have included decorative pine cones and the trunks of artificial Christmas trees infested with beetle larva, fresh cut boxwood greens infected with boxwood blight, and fresh cut Christmas trees infested with Gypsy moth. Most recently, artificial decorative berry wreaths were found infested with an unknown beetle larva. Other pests that can potentially move in holiday decorations include spotted lanternfly, pine shoot beetle, and elongated hemlock scale.

As holiday greens and decorations are received by retailers and homeowners, NDA encourages people to inspect the materials carefully for evidence of insect or disease. Signs such as sawdust, borer holes, or egg masses may indicate the presence of an insect infestation. Leaf spots, discolorations or yellowing could indicate presence of an infectious disease. Inspecting material and reporting suspicious material is one way to help protect the state from injurious plant pests.

Purchasing locally-harvested greens and Christmas trees is also a great way to prevent the introduction of plant pests to the state.

If you are concerned that you’ve received holiday greens or decorations that may be infested with plant pests, please report those concerns to the Nebraska Department of Agriculture at 402-471-2351 or agr.plant@nebraska.gov.