This Tennessee Family Discovered Something Incredibly Shocking Living Inside Their Walls
As any new homeowner can attest to, owning a home has a variety of challenges that come with it. Discovering how all the fixtures work, finding all of the leaks in the home if they exist, and just basically figuring everything out for yourselves is a major challenged. Sometimes, however, something completely unexpected can be found by new homeowners — and it might not be a simple fix. It may, in fact, be a living thing!
Find out how this family in Tennessee dealt with a big problem when they discovered something had been dwelling deep within the walls of their home.
What It Looked Like At First
The family in the home pictured above started noticing noises emanating from within their walls one September day. They couldn't quite pinpoint what it was they were hearing, however. It sounded like scratching, so they assumed it was something alive.
Wisely, they decided to call a professional pest control expert in to examine it more thoroughly. The family had concerns that an animal of some kind could be trapped inside their walls — and they wanted to help get it out, safely if at all possible.
What Could It Be?
One of the family's first thoughts turned to the idea that a small rodent of some kind, perhaps a mouse, had entered into their home seeking shelter of some kind. It's not uncommon for small animals, like mice or squirrels, to try to find such dwellings for themselves when the weather starts to cool down a bit.
September, however, was a bit early for such creatures to make such attempts, and the noise had been persistent. What exactly was making the noise...and was it getting louder? The family was curious to find out.
It Could Be An Insect
Time went by, and the noise persisted. The family started to make more guesses about what could possibly be behind the walls of their home — including honing in on some clues that they found, chief among them, a distinct yet faint buzzing sound. They determined it was an insect infestation, so they began looking up on the internet how to get rid of it. The solution they chose? A bug bomb, which they thought would solve the problem once and for all.
But the bug bomb didn't work — the buzzing remained. Desperate to get to the bottom of things, they called in the experts. David Glover was well-known for solving bug infestations in the area, and soon came to the family's rescue.
Calling In A Professional For Backup
David Glover is an expert at pest control. He is particularly well-versed in getting rid of unwanted bugs in people's homes. His handiwork is so well-known, in fact, that he's known locally as the "bee whisperer." David was prepared, to say the least.
He'd thought he had seen it all, too, so he was ready to take on this family's problems. Suited up in his insect protection gear, he was ready to tackle this head-on...but even he wasn't prepared for what he was about to encounter within the walls of this family's home.
They Found The Supposed 'Entry Point'
Having performed similar feats of removing bug infestations in the past, David knew what he was up against. He started from the outside, determined to find the entry point of where the bugs got into (they had to enter in from somewhere, after all).
The picture above shows exactly where David pinpointed their entry. At the bottom of the picture is a black line — that's where the entry, called a "weep hole" was spotted. David then moved onto the next steps of his plan...
Infrared Cameras
Some insect specialists use special tools in order to help them find the infestations that they're trying to remove. David was no different: he used an infrared camera along the side of the wall on the outside to give him some semblance of an idea of what he was up against.
That's when things got interesting for him. David saw, firsthand and before ever removing an inch of the wall, that the infestation was larger than anyone could have imagined.
Using Smoke To Run The Pests Out
The infrared camera helped David Glover to find out where the insects were inside the Tennessee family's home. Now he had to use other tools of the trade in order to get the bugs out.
Smoke machines, like the one shown above, help limit the movements of bugs (especially those that might have stingers!) when pest control professionals are trying to work. For good measure, however, David also utilized bug repellent — you can never be too careful!
Removing The First Brick
The smoke was a chemical that stunned the bugs temporarily without doing much real harm to them permanently. David got right to work making the hole larger so he could see with his own eyes what he was dealing with, while the bugs were dozing off.
Removing the first brick from the outside of the wall, David's suspicions were confirmed. He had an inkling of an idea of what he was dealing with beforehand, but now he knew for sure that his initial thoughts were true...
He Had To See It To BEE-Lieve It
Upon removing the first brick, it was clear that David's suspicions were finally confirmed: he was dealing with honeybees. They had been building a honeycomb behind the wall, which means it wasn't just a few. How could it be?
With all the noise that the family had heard in the wall, it was obvious that there were more than one or two bugs behind it. But how many bees were there? This was going to be a big job, David knew, but he had no idea how big it was going to become.
Brick-By-Brick, More Bees Appear
Bee removal is delicate work, and David was prepared for the big job. Going brick-by-brick, the expert in pest control was able to remove two rows in a matter of a few minutes. But each brick removed only showed him how bad the problem really was.
After each brick was displaced from the outer wall, David only saw more of the hive that the bees had built — it didn't appear to have an end in sight! David began to wonder to himself...would he have to tear down the entire wall?
The Biggest Honeycomb Of His Career
Eventually, David removed five rows of bricks before he saw the edge of the massive behive. It was enormous, and he knew right then and there that this was going to be the biggest removal of a hive within a wall in his career!
The beehive was bigger than anyone could have imagined. No wonder the family heard it! David said it was the largest honeycomb he had ever seen, and it was clear the bees were planning to stay there for a long while.
The Hive Could Have Grown Larger
The hive itself showed signs of continued growth. David believed if it had been left alone, it could have doubled in size in just a matter of weeks!
Inside the hive, there were thirteen queen cells. Each cell contained a "virgin" queen bee" — which meant the behive wasn't just surviving, but was actively building up, more and more, which could have been very dangerous for the family inside the home. This family even had guests stay overnight while the hive had been built!
The DIY Bug Bomb Worked...A Little
David was transfixed by the size of the beehive, and the number of bees that were inside of it. He did notice, however, that there was a cluster of dead bees on the left side of the honeycomb. David surmised that these bees must have been hit by the bug bomb that the family had unleashed on the hive prior to calling him.
The bug bomb had worked, but it wasn't going to be enough to take care of the ginormous hive that was growing in the wall.
Finding The Bees A New Home
David Glover is an expert at removing bugs, insects, and especially bees from people's homes. It's a job that's earned him the nickname of the "bee whisperer." But David is also aware, as many people are, that there's an epidemic in the world's bee population right now.
Simply killing these bees would have helped the family, but a thriving colony like this shouldn't be exterminated. David developed a plan to find them a better home rather than killing them.
A Strange Building Pattern
David noticed something peculiar when he started removing pieces of the honeycomb from the family's wall. The pest control expert said that the methods of building seemed to twist and turn, as if the "construction crew in this part of the hive was dropping acid."
It was clear that the way these bees built their enormous hive was special. It was also thriving — could researchers study their traits to get a better idea of how to help bees elsewhere?
Helper Bees
Conventional wisdom tells us that if you're ever near a bee hive, you should stay far away from it — and you definitely shouldn't mess with it! So while David dismantled the hive, he was prepared for the worst reaction from the bees themselves.
It turned out, they were actually okay with him for the most part. Some bees were more observant than frantic, with a few even sitting on David's shoulder, seemingly watching him as he did his work. The most curious bees were the ones who saw their queen placed in a bee box — though even these bees didn't act aggressively!
Cleaning The Mess
Every big project requires a bit of cleanup time. You can imagine that a project the size of a few thousand honeybees also took some time to clean up as well! One of the biggest parts that needed tending to was the giant hole in the wall that was created when David tore it apart.
But, as messy as the job was, the results were exactly what everyone wanted — no more bees in the home, and the hive safely moved to a better area. Best of all, the noise in the wall that annoyed the family from the start was gone!
No Bee Left Behind
Of course, not all of the bees were in the hive when David took it apart. Some bees were probably out-and-about, collecting pollen from around the neighborhood. What would they do when they came back, and saw that there hive was completely demolished, gone?
David had a plan for that as well. He left a box in the hole for a short time, to safely capture the stragglers who weren't there when the other bees were removed. That way, they could be reunited later.
Bee Footprints
One of the more interesting aspects of the beehive incident that David found remarkable was the little specks that the bees left on the inside of the wall. These were actually little tiny footprints from the bees that he could see!
For David, it reminded him of his childhood. "Kind of cool when you think about all the times your Mom told you to wipe your feet before coming into the house," he later said.
Finding The Bees New Home(s)
It was now time to find the bees a new home. But where to start? David knew that a lot of beekeepers in the area needed more bees, as some colonies had been dying off. So he brought his bees to separate honey farms nearby.
The bees will help the populations to sustain their own hives, and become integrated into those colonies themselves. They'll also help with pollinating the flowers in the area, too. It's a much better place to live than inside the wall of a home, where they're not welcome!
The Importance Of Bees
Many people in this world don't like honeybees because they associate them as territorial or having a stinger. The truth about bees is that they're actually pretty friendly, if you stay out of their way. They just want to build their homes, get some pollen, and make honey. Nothing wrong about that!
Bees also serve as a valuable part of our ecosystem, pollinating flowers and other vegetation that we humans depend upon. If you have a swarm of bees nearby your home, you shouldn't try to kill them — there are plenty of experts, like David Glover, who would be happy to help you find them a new home!
Other Pests Are Bigger Problems
Bees aren't that big of a problem — they generally don't hurt people but they still don't belong in a person's home. David did a great service by removing them from the family's house. A bigger problem, however, is deadly reptiles, which can sometimes get into people's homes and cause true issues.
In one example, a family in Thailand probably wishes they just had a bee problem rather than the reptile issue they had to face...
A Snake Can Be A Nuisance, Too (Or Worse)
Snakes can be an issue for any family, if they find their ways into a home. It turns out, for the most part, they're not that dangerous to humans (although they can cause harm to pets or even infants). Most of the time, it's people who cause harm to snakes, rather than the other way around.
That being said, you don't want to mess with snakes if you DO find one in your house. Some snakes are venomous, and it's best to leave the job of removing them to the professionals who know what they're doing.
Snake Expert Vern Lovic
There are some people in this world who are snake experts, and Vern Lovic is one of the best. There isn't much that Vern doesn't know about these slithery creatures. He's incredibly fascinated by them, and has handled small to large, safe and dangerous snakes, in his career. If you have a snake problem, calling Vern to help you deal with it is a good choice! He also knows how to safely remove a snake from a person's home...
A Different Kind Of Problem
If David Glover is the best in the bee business, then Vern Lovic is his equivalent when it comes to snakes. There isn't much of a problem with snakes that Vern can't handle. So when someone called him up nearby his home in Thailand, Vern seized the opportunity to help with the snake situation.
But even for a snake expert like himself, this was a huge issue! Still, Vern didn't panic, and knew exactly what to do.
Vern's Tools
Vern had his own set of tools to complete the job of removing snakes from the home. But they weren't as sophisticated as David's infrared camera or smoke gun. They were rather simple, but still effective. Vern had a plastic bag that was reinforced to prevent tearing, and a set of metal tongs that would allow him to grab the snakes at a distance.
Even though he was armed with these tools, and had done this sort of job before, he was in no way prepared for the sight he was about to see.
Checking In The Bathroom
Vern knew where to check for the snakes. Typically, they like to burrow into small places, such as corners, shoes, vents, and drawers. And one place snakes absolutely love? The bathroom.
Snakes like to hide inside toilet bowls. It can definitely be a startling thing to sit down and discover a snake inside! So Vern went to the bathroom to investigate. What he saw is the stuff of nightmares, although the snake he was searching for was definitely not in the toilet bowl!
A Baby Cobra — A Bad Sign
The sight was truly a surprise, even for Vern. A baby cobra was sliding up the bathroom wall — a surefire sign that there were more babies around, and probably a mature, "mama" cobra too. Frighteningly, however, these snakes were "monocled cobras," which are known to be the most venomous snakes in the country of Thailand. A single bite could kill a person.
Vern caught a single snake, and safely transported it out. He knew he was in for a long day of removing snakes from this home, however.
A Dozen More In The Bathroom Alone!
Vern continued filling up his bag. In all, he found a DOZEN snakes in there alone! But if they were in the bathroom, he knew there were probably more snakes in the house as well. Still, he wanted to go room-by-room, so he finished his work first in the bathroom before moving on.
He was hoping to use just the one bag to transfer the creatures, but he was beginning to suspect there were going to be a lot more snakes in this house.
Searching The Rest Of The House
It's important, if you ever find yourself near a snake, not to act startled or make a sudden movement — such an action can startle it and cause it to act out. Vern knew this, and so took a slower approach to the search he conducted.
He checked behind furniture in the home, checking the corners, looking for any spots where snakes may choose to live. Unfortunately, snakes are great hiders, so a thorough search would last for a long while...
Finding More Snakes
Vern looked to the ground in some of the house's living spaces, and found more baby cobras near some glass bottles that were placed on the floor. Some of the cobras even made their way into tin cans that were there, too.
There seemed to be no end to his discoveries — everywhere he looked, it seemed a snake was going to be there. How many more was he going to find? Vern was determined to get every last one of them.
A Meticulous Effort
Vern made his way through a long room in the home — slowly. Each step he took, he seemed to be crossing paths with another snake. One wrong step could lead to a disastrous outcome — a bite from the most venomous snake in Thailand!
He eventually made his way to the back half of the room, doing so with one thought on his mind: making sure he found every snake so that people could live in this house again, without fear of being bit.
Finding More Snakes
Once he reached the back of the room, he found even more baby cobras. Some were wrapped around pipes, and others he found hiding inside garbage cans. Where were they all coming from? Vern was determined to help his friend out of this situation.
He wanted to ensure that they could live in this home, without the poisonous snake posing a threat to them. He continued his search into the bedroom...where he found even more snakes.
Searching The Bedroom
The bedroom is a necessary place for any snake expert to check when they're going through someone's home to root out a snake problem. Vern wanted to ensure that his friend wouldn't be harmed in the middle of the night by a baby cobra that happened to make its way into his bed.
At first glance inside the room, Vern thought things were OK at first. Upon closer inspection, he could see things were far from peachy...
Lifting The Covers
Vern's next move is the stuff of some people's nightmares. He approached the bed and removed the cover...to discover some of the baby cobras and tunneled their way under the bedsheets! He tried to grab one or two before they slithered away, but some tried to hide as he did so.
Vern had one piece of advice for his friend: get a hotel room and stay there for the night. This was going to be a big project...
A Snake Attempts To Sneak Out
After he thought he was done in the bedroom, Vern started heading toward the door to exit. There, he saw yet another baby cobra trying to leave, too, through the bottom of the door.
Acting quickly, Vern grabbed the snake with his tongs, and placed it in the bag with the rest of the snakes he had so far collected. The escape of even one snake into the home wasn't something Vern wanted to allow to happen!
Discovering A Pile Of Snakes
Vern went to another bathroom and found a remarkable sight: a pile of snakes in the corner, near the doorway to the room. Snakes just kept coming and coming for Vern. He was ready to deal with a big problem, but even he was surprised by the sheer enormity of how many snakes were in this home.
By the time he finished up in the bathroom, he had more than 20 snakes in his bag. Where were they coming from?!
Checking The Living Room
All of the snakes Vern had found so far were in auxiliary rooms to the main living space of the home. Now it was time for the snake expert to check the living room as well. He first looked around and behind the shelving unit, which was just chock-full of places for snakes to slither into.
Vern was fully prepared to handle at least another 20 snakes, if necessary, in his continued search, but he had to be careful.
Searching Using Smart Methods
Instead of just reaching into the shelving unit and removing items, Vern had to be strategic about his methods. He could have just grabbed the tall pair of boots sitting at the bottom, for example, but instead, he decided to knock it over at a distance, using his tongs.
It's a good thing he did: several snakes came out of the boots after he knocked them over! Was Vern going to need a bigger bag for this project?
How Many Snakes Did Vern Find?
The grand total was a staggering 56 snakes in his friend's home. Yikes! Vern was happy to help his friend, but even he wasn't prepared to find that many snakes. Finding dozens of snakes in one's home is a nightmare scenario, especially since the snakes Vern was dealing with were of the poisonous variety.
His full adventure, if you're willing to watch it, is available on the YouTube channel "Thailand Living." It's not for the faint of heart!
