scramble to get their hands on the last few remaining.

Close to 11,000 are thought to have been imported from Canada and the United States but almost all have been snapped up by festive shoppers.

Importer Richard Powell said last night he had a few remaining at Lines Food and Liquor in Ord Road, Warwick, but other stores called by The Royal Gazette said they had sold out.

"The people I supply have sold out their trees. Everyone is pretty much out,'' said Mr. Powell, who estimates he supplies around 20 percent of the trees on the Island.

Supply was hit when two containers with around 500 trees were destroyed at Hamilton Docks at the beginning of December because they were infected with Pine Needle Scale, the Ministry of Agriculture and Fish confirmed.

The tiny sap-sucking bug could prove a threat to Bermuda's fragile cedar population if it entered the Island.

Lindo's Stores in Warwick and Devonshire sold out last week of their Quebec Balsam trees, as did the Esso gas station in Hamilton and Miles Market.

Fabrizio Alvera, the manager of Lindo's Warwick, said: "The demand has been really good because they are really good trees. Customers from last year came back again.'' Giorgio Zanol, the managing director of Lindo's Devonshire, said: "The price is the same as last year ($65 for a six-foot tree) and the demand has been the same because the trees were excellent.'' Mr. Powell said: "It's been steady right from the beginning. We have people who buy from us on a regular basis who come back every year.

"The majority of people who brought in trees have sold the majority of their trees. There are very few trees lying around just now.'' He said the Vermont pines he sells at $10 a foot have a 65 percent density, which he believes makes for a prettier tree than the 85 percent density Canadian trees.

"These trees are a perfect shape and you can decorate them on the inside and the outside,'' he said. "You can put lights inside as well and see them whereas if the tree is 20 percent thicker you won't see the lights inside. The 65 percent density makes for a prettier tree.'' Mr. Powell said demand for real Christmas trees in Bermuda has fallen from around 12,500 15 years ago to between 9,500 and 11,000 today.

"A few people have artificial trees and they want to use them and now there are many more people going away for Christmas,'' said Mr. Powell.

"When they are paying $60 for a tree they won't see at Christmas they are saying they would rather take the $60 away with them.

"Also more people are joining religious organisations like Jehovah's Witnesses which don't celebrate Christmas.'' Almost sold out: Richard Powell