We all love buy one, get one free deals. But what about buy one, get a critter free? This was the unfortunate reality of one Reddit user when, within their Amazon hanger, they found an unwanted surprise.
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As retold by TikToker Heather (@cosmicdealheather), “Picture this: It’s night time; it’s quiet; it’s dark, and you can hear a munch, munch, munch, munch, munch coming from your closet. Maybe it’s a mouse in the walls. Maybe it’s some sort of other rodent, but the original poster tracks it to a hanger in their closet.”
“They can hear the sound coming from this hanger, so they break it open and find that the hanger is hollow, and not just hollow, but also full of this sawdust, so it wasn’t originally supposed to be hollow. Upon breaking it open, they find this grub right here.”
An unwelcome surprise
The TikToker then pointed to a screenshot from the Reddit post, which depicted a long, chunky, beige beetle surrounded by sawdust. As Heather points out, the creature is likely a longhorn beetle larvae. She notes that this type of beetle typically lives in wooden tree branches, and claims that, given most (70 percent) Amazon stuff is from Asia, it’s likely an Asian longhorn beetle (ALB).
She adds, “Of course, the commenters are rightfully freaking out because you need to report these kind of things. This is how invasive species take hold in this country.”
Heather is right that Asian longhorn beetles are a highly destructive invasive species, but in fairness to Amazon, she claims that “this could probably happen to any untreated wood product from Amazon or another country importing into your country.”
“I don’t know what the guidelines are for wood products, if they should be treated or if this is just a typical thing that could happen, but I don’t know about you, I’m gonna think twice about bringing untreated wood home decor and other wood items from Amazon into my home because I don’t want to deal with none of that,” she concludes.
The TikTok amassed 747,900 views. Heather didn’t immediately respond to the Daily Dot’s request for comment via TikTok comment. Nor did the original Redditor, who the Daily Dot contacted via Reddit direct message.
Amazon didn’t immediately respond to the Daily Dot’s request for comment via email.
Should I worry about finding an ALB in my wood products from Amazon?
According to the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, “ALB most likely came to the United States hidden inside wood packaging material from Asia long before wood packaging material regulations were enacted.”
Though it’s technically possible, you’re unlikely to find ALB in your packages now that laws have been enacted to require wood treatment. Per the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, “Regulations now require that wood packing materials be free of bark and treated to kill any insects in the wood. Cargo and shipping materials can be inspected in their country of origin and upon arrival in North America so that the pest is not reintroduced.”
@cosmicdealheather Nasty #wtf #hellno #hellnotothenonono #weird #explained #explainedin60seconds #mildlyinteresting #mildlyinfuriating #redditstories #horror #insect #amazonfinds #amazonmusthaves #newfearunlocked #interesting ♬ original sound – Cosmic Heather 🛸 Viral Yapper
Unsurprisingly, commenters were horrified by the situation. “As an entomologist I am appalled,” one wrote. “This can absolutely be scanned for.”
“Velvet hangers would NEVER do this,” another wrote.
While a former Amazon worker added, “As someone who used to work QA at Amazon, hangers aren’t checked at all. If you tape it up and send it back. They’ll just check the condition of the box and put it back on the shelf to resale.”
This isn’t the first time this type of bug has made an unwelcome appearance. TikToker Rabo (@domesticdiva5) previously went viral after showing viewers his friend’s Wayfair desk, in which he found a longhorn beetle larvae burrowing in a hole on the desk.
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