See the more than 700 pounds of acorns that Woodpeckers hoarded in walls of California home
The woodpeckers drilled holes in the home's exterior and dropped 700 pounds of acorns in the wall of a wine country home. The pile was stacked 20 feet high.
Watch: Exterminator clears 700 pounds of acorns out of wall in California home
A California exterminator was surprised to find a 20 foot tall stack of acorns stashed behind the wall of a wine country home. He had to cut holes in the drywall to remove the 700 pounds. The hoarders turned out to be woodpeckers storing winter meals. They poked holes in the homes siding and deposited each nut.
GLEN ELLEN, Calif. - Exterminators in California were recently met with a nutty surprise during a call to a home in the wine country community of Glen Ellen in Sonoma County: more than 700 pounds of acorns in the walls stacked up about 20 feet from floor to attic.
On Facebook, Nick’s Extreme Pest Control, in Santa Rosa, shared photos of massive piles of acorns pouring out of the walls of a home.
"Came across this on a job," Nick’s wrote in the caption of the post on Jan. 25, adding, "Bird was a bit of a hoarder."
More than 700 pounds of acorns were stacked some 20 feet from floor to attic of a home in Glen Ellen, where exterminators were called to in December 2022.
(Nick’s Extreme Pest Control / KTVU FOX 2)
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To be specific, it wasn't just any bird, the company credited the impressive collection as the work of woodpeckers, based on holes that were found on the exterior of the home, especially around the chimney stack. And to be even more specific, they were suspected to be the aptly named acorn woodpeckers.
Company owner Nick Castro told KTVU FOX 2 that back in December, his crew was called to the property because the homeowners reported seeing little maggot-like worms coming out of the wall.
"We all thought there was a dead animal," Castro said, explaining why his team cut into the wall.
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Workers with Nick’s Extreme Pest Control were called to a home in Glen Ellen in December 2022, after homeowners thought they had maggots in the walls.
(Nick’s Extreme Pest Control / KTVU FOX 2)
Stockpile of acorns
Upon inspection, they found out it was actually mealworms that the owners had seen, which have been associated with acorns, and that the real issue was that the property had been doubling as a personal granary for a group of winged vandals.
"Clear woodpecker holes all over the house. Acorns stored all over siding and trim. Completely destroyed exterior of house with all the holes everywhere," Nick shared in a comment to the Facebook post.
Workers actually got a glimpse of the suspects at work while on the job site. Castro said several woodpeckers came by to continue their stockpiling work by creating more holes to the home's chimney area.
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Workers with Nick’s Extreme Pest Control found more than 700 pounds of acorns in the walls of a Glen Ellen home in December 2022.
(Nick’s Extreme Pest Control / KTVU FOX 2)
Ultimate hoarders
Acorn woodpeckers, which are found in California, are drawn to wooded areas. The birds live in small colonies and are famously known for being the ultimate hoarders.
On the website, All About Birds, experts noted that while the practice of stocking up on food for the winter was typical behavior among many types of birds, "no bird gets into hoarding on such a grand scale as the Acorn Woodpecker."
And it seemed the birds that decided to make use of that Glen Ellen home for storage purposes also got pretty creative in finding ways to stash their loot.
"The bird put acorns through chimney stack after making 100s of holes in wood siding surrounding it," the pest control company noted, adding that they also used attic ventilation portholes to carry out their hoarding efforts.
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Nick’s Extreme Pest Control said that the acorns in the walls were mixed with fiberglass and rat droppings.
(Nick’s Extreme Pest Control / KTVU FOX 2)
Castro and his team spent the whole day hauling out eight large garbage bags full of the woodpecker's stockpile. They also covered up the holes and closed up areas that the birds were using to fly into the home's attic.
And as for the recovered loot? The acorns were not salvageable because they were mixed in with insulation fiberglass and rat droppings, according to the company owner.
It took 8 bags to haul out the 700 pounds of acorns.
(Nick’s Extreme Pest Control / KTVU FOX 2)
Castro, who has been in the pest control business since 2008, said, "We see strange things all the time." But even for seasoned exterminators, who have observed first-hand what mother nature’s creatures were capable of, this was next level.
"Unreal," he said, "never came across something like this."