Woodpeckers stash 700 pounds of acorns in wall of California home

A pest control technician investigating an insect problem at a California home made a startling discovery: About 700 pounds of acorns had been stashed inside the house's wall by woodpeckers.

Nick Castro of Nick's Extreme Pest Control said he expected to find a dead animal inside the wall of a Glen Ellen home where residents reported seeing maggots and mealworms emerging from a wall.

Castro cut a small hole in the wall of the second-floor bedroom and was shocked when acorns started pouring from the opening.

Castro and his colleagues discovered the acorns were piled about 20 feet high inside the wall. He estimated about 700 pounds of acorns were removed.

The technician said he investigated outside the home and discovered woodpeckers had been poking holes in the chimney stack and had been stashing acorns in the openings for the past two to five years. He said the acorns eventually fell through into the wall cavity.

Castro said it took about eight hours to remove the acorns. He said he repaired the damage to the home's exterior and added screens to protect the wood from the birds.