Exterminator Finds Over 700 Pounds of Acorns Inside Walls of a Client’s Home
An exterminator named Nick Castro got more than he bargained for after discovering more than 700 pounds of acorns stashed by two woodpeckers. Castro, who owns and operates Nick’s Extreme Pest Control, was doing a routine sweep when he made his discovery.
A routine call becomes a once-in-a-lifetime discovery
Initially, Castro’s clients called him to investigate a worm infestation inside their home. Upon arrival, Castro discovered thousands upon thousands of acorns stashed inside the walls of the client’s home.
He eventually deduced that a pair of woodpeckers found an opening through the home’s chimney that allowed them to store their goods. Normally, he said, woodpeckers store their food in gutters or, at the very least, outside of the homes.
But, in this particular case, the woodpeckers found a way to store the acorns inside the home with a separate entrance, allowing them to access their findings. The exterminator thinks that, in addition to the chimney, the woodpeckers discovered an opening in the attic where they were able to come and go as they pleased.
Castro knew something was different about this particular job
In an interview with CNN, Castro said he was already a little confused by the call. “I had never really seen worms with acorns before,” he said. However, after locating the source of the acorns, he saw something beyond anything he experienced in the past. The worms were mealworms feasting on hundreds of pounds of acorns.
“It was pretty incredible to see the amount,” he said. “On a scale from 1 to 10, this is a 10. It’s a one-in-a-million chance to find something this significant.” He added, “I expected to find a few handfuls, nothing like this.” Initially, Castro carved out a square in the wall measuring 4 inches.
After the acorns started pouring out, his crew had to create three additional holes. All in all, the acorns measured about 20 feet high. Castro and his team spent the entire day fishing out the acorns.
According to Castro, the acorns weighed hundreds of pounds
“We filled eight big black garbage bags. They were so heavy we could barely pick them up,” he said. “They had to have weighed at least a hundred pounds each.” According to NPR, the exterminator said the woodpeckers began stashing the acorns anywhere from two to five years ago.
Footage posted by NPR reveals the scope of Castro’s discovery:
“Every day there can be weird stuff, with the creative ways critters can get into homes,” he said to CNN. “They still can fool us once in a while.” Unfortunately for the clever scavengers, the acorns were later disposed of.
