A man smells a strong smell in his house, when he finds out that he opens the wall he finds… See more
It Began With Some Suspicious Holes
From outside, the first signs of the problem didn’t look particularly dramatic.
There were holes in the home’s siding, apparently created by a woodpecker that had taken an interest in the property.
Woodpeckers peck at wooden surfaces for several reasons. Depending on the species and situation, they may be searching for insects, communicating, creating nesting cavities, or storing food.
In this case, food storage was the key.
The bird had been collecting acorns and pushing them into holes in the home’s exterior.
An acorn here or there would hardly have been remarkable. Even several dozen might have seemed like little more than an unusual inconvenience.
But the design of the house created an unexpected problem.
The holes didn’t function like shallow storage spaces.
Instead, they provided access to the hollow cavities behind the siding and inside the walls.
When the woodpecker inserted an acorn, gravity could pull it farther down into the structure.
The bird could then return with another acorn.
And another.
And another.
From the outside, all anyone could see were relatively small openings.
Inside the walls, however, a hidden collection had quietly been growing.
