Scientists might have found a cure for Christmas trees dropping needles

For most of us, a living room carpeted with Christmas tree needles – and getting worse and worse as the festive season wears on – is just part of the fun.

But there might be a cure for trees dropping needles, according to science (although it has one major drawback).

The Telegraph this week highlighted a study published in the Australian Journal of Botany, which tested four popular home treatments for trees – beer, sugary energy drinks, water and hairspray.

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Scientist Angela Moles conducted the experiment in 2014 with schoolgirls in Australia, saying, ‘I was thinking of all the myths. I wanted to know what works best.’

Moles found that, of the treatments, beer was the worst, energy drink wasn’t much better, boiled water did nothing – but hairspray genuinely works.

The downside, of course, is that it’s highly flammable and thus makes your festive tree a bit of a danger zone.

Moles believes the spray might block the plants’ pores or prevent the plants detecting a chemical called ethylene, which may be involved in dropping needles.