Man That Assumes He Has A Bee Infestation Uncovers A Much Worse Problem
When things go bump in the night, it's hard not to imagine the worst-case scenario. Could it be a robber? A cold-blooded murderer on the loose? A ghost or a demon? When Adam van der Herchen of Englewood, Florida, heard strange noises, he was thoroughly creeped out. The noise came from the attic above his bedroom. He had theories on what he'd find up there, but none were remotely close to the sinister source lurking in the shadows...
Just The House Settling...
At first, married couple Bob and Linda van der Herchen weren't bothered by the curious sounds they occasionally heard coming from their attic. Believe it or not, the sounds went on for years.
Bob Is Different
Now, upon hearing a bizarre noise coming from the vacant space just above your head, you'd think you'd be racing to get the house checked out. But Bob van der Herchen isn't like most people.
Pestered By Pests
Considering Bob is in the removal business, he's not skeeved out to get down and dirty with nature's little pests. He just wasn't motivated to get down and dirty with the one not paying rent in his attic. He usually works with bees, but Bob's no exterminator.
Important Role
Bob owns the Bob van der Herchen Bee Removal & Rescue company, which aims to humanely remove honey bees from people's properties and relocate them to a safer space. It's an important job since bees play a vital role in our ecosystem.
No Bees Here
In fact, Bob cares so deeply about respecting bees that he's visited schools to share the story of his company and the importance of bees with eager children. Bob knows bees, and he knew there weren't any queens or trusty drone bees infesting his attic.
Curious Family
"I didn't think much of it. I thought maybe it was rats," the bee expert said when asked about why he never thought to go up into the attic and see for himself. Luckily, there was someone else who was a bit more curious.
All Creeped Out
Bob and Linda's son, Adam, was a real worrywart. While his parents leisurely ignored the rustling above their noggins, Adam himself couldn't take it anymore, especially since his bedroom was directly underneath the attic.
Into The Utility Room
Tired of letting his own imagination run away with him, Adam knew it was time to get to work on solving this problem. He went to investigate the repetitive commotion, which led him to the utility room. Dun, dun, dun!
Their Little Guest
While in the utility room, Adam looked above him, having witnessed blurred movement through the old slats of the ceiling. He got a quick peek at the dreaded infiltrator and was shocked. He sure wasn't expecting a guest of this caliber.
Not Home Alone
Adam rushed to tell his mother what he saw in the attic, which led her to take the frightening matter to Facebook. Linda posted a status that exclaimed “Home alone? Maybe, maybe not!”
Spooky Crawl Space
When Bob finally decided to involve himself in this game of Clue, he witnessed the squatter as well, but this time on camera. Needless to say, the footage would've given John Carpenter a run for his money.
It's Inside The House
The van der Herchen family eventually resorted to calling animal control, but by the time an officer arrived to their home, the creature had already ventured far away from the ceiling opening, making the officer's attempts to retrieve the invader a failure.
Slithering In The Ceiling
Despite the failed capture mission, the Sarasota Animal Control officer saw enough to relay to the van der Herchens that their uninvited guest was, in fact, a giant, potentially dangerous snake. Gasp!
"That guy will kill you"
The officer identified the slithering serpent as a diamondback rattlesnake, whose venom packs an often fatal punch. In the eloquent words of this animal control officer, "That’s a big old boy right there; that guy will kill you.” We couldn't have said it better ourselves.
One Last Resort
If animal control couldn't snatch the deadly snake, then who could? The van der Herchens even contacted their fearless, daredevil nephew to put him up to the challenge, but his attempts led to defeat as well. That's when the family had one last idea.
In Need Of A Daredevil
They contacted Mark Lampart, a friend of a friend, via Facebook. Mark is no stranger to fearsome predators, as he's posed with some of the world's most dangerous specimens on multiple occasions, making him the right guy for this job!
Roommates!
He took on the mission with full force, dedicating several hours to finding the pesky viper. When he discovered a large piece of dry, shed skin lying around the attic, Mark concluded that the snake was living with the van der Herchens for quite some time.
Grabbing The Snake!
After what felt like a never-ending battle of Mammalia versus Reptilia, Mark, the snake whisperer, nabbed the snake's tail and yanked it from the ceiling's insulation. It turns out that the animal control officer wrongfully identified the culprit.
No Big Deal...
It was just a Colombian red-tailed boa constrictor. While the reptile is still considered dangerous, it's not venomous. Boas have sharp fangs, but it's their bodies that pose a danger. They use their muscles to restrict oxygen intake and blood circulation of other animals.
Watch Out For Boas!
So how did this big boy get in the van der Herchen attic? Well, younger boas are semi-arboreal, meaning they can climb trees. “Animal control said it got on the roof from tree branches,” Linda disclosed to her Facebook friends.
Bold Floridian Snakes
Thankfully, no one was wounded by the likely-escaped exotic pet. If we have anything to say, it's that the van der Herchens should demand that boa hand over years' worth of rent! Snakes all over Florida are getting bolder.
Mysterious Creatures
In the Sunshine State, they've made their homes where they shouldn't, and none more so than the Burmese Python. They will eat anything from mice to adult deer, and as of a couple of decades ago, nobody in Florida even knew about them.
Running Wild
As their name suggests, the reptiles are native to Asia's tropics, but they were now running wild all over the Everglades. Scientists theorize that following the destruction of Hurricane Andrew, pythons escaped from a zoo and bred like wildfire.
They're Everywhere
Frank Mazzotti didn't know quite where the snakes came from, but he was determined to stop them from spreading into densely populated areas, like Miami. The biologist swore to throw everything and the kitchen sink at them. But would that be enough?
"Judas Snake"
Everglades locals tried all kinds of tricks to root out the serpents. They put snake-sniffing dogs out in the marshes and even set loose radio-equipped "Judas snakes" to hopefully reveal their home base. The pythons only continued to grow.
Reptiles Are Taking Over
Word got around that the reptiles took over an abandoned Nike missile site. While that in and of itself didn't threaten anyone, Floridians feared that if left unchecked, the pythons would breed at an incredible rate.
Surprise!
Who knew — it could've only been a matter of time until the snakes expanded beyond the missile base and started showing up in places that were more...personal. The stakes were dire, but Frank learned of one group that could help.
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The Art Of Snake Catching
Deep in the forests of southern India, the Irula people have mastered snake catching. They see it as an art and take the practice incredibly seriously, even after India has slapped strict regulations on snake trading.
The Other Side Of The World
In recent years, the Irulas have captured poisonous reptiles for the purpose of producing antivenoms. Clearly, there was nobody on Earth more qualified. But how could Floridians convince this tribe to help a community on the other side of the world?
The Irulas
Frank and his herpetologist pals managed to make contact with the Irulas, and to their surprise, the snake-catchers showed interest in helping them. Granted, the Floridians would have to shell out thousands of dollars and agree to some unusual methods.
Grab That Tire Iron
Hard as it was to believe, the Irulas didn't use any state-of-the-art tools for finding and capturing snakes. Instead, their weapon of choice was something found in any garage: a tire iron.
Snake Whisperers
Contrary to what you might think, they didn't intend these tire irons for a Simpsons-style Whacking Day. The Irula used them to clear a path through the brush and pick up snakes, but ultimately they tried to capture the reptiles alive when possible.
Hunters
So, Frank welcomed the best Irula hunters, Masi Sadaiyan and Vadivel Gopal, to the Everglades. While both men were in their 50s, they were at the top of their game. But the Floridians got nervous when the Irulas said they'd never before hunted snakes so large.
Eager For The Challenge
However, Masi and Vadivel smiled when they shared this fact. They were eager for the challenge, the chance to put their skills to the ultimate test. Granted, their brand of animal control was not without its risks.
Full Of Risks
From the start, the Irula's tactics puzzled Frank and his friends. They insisted on marching blindly through the thickest part of the swamp. When a snake's trail ended, Masi and Vadivel made everyone sit down, pray, and smoke a cigarette.
Terrifying Catch
Frank's hopes began to wane until one of the Irula's pointed to a shimmer in the mud. Brandishing their trusty tire irons, Masi and Vadivel scooped up a fully-grown python! That was only the beginning.
Snake Wrestling
With a few more captures under their belts, the Irulas fearlessly plunged into an old missile shaft where herpetologists spotted a nest. The sharp-eyed hunters grasped a muscled python tail and spent hours wrestling it out of tree roots.
Monster Hunting
In that one afternoon, the hunters pulled out four monstrous pythons from the overgrown missile shaft. They soon brought their total up to 14 over their first two weeks. While the Irulas couldn't stay in the Everglades forever, they did the next best thing.
Sharing Their Knowledge
Masi and Vadivel shared their wisdom with the local wildlife management team, which never could've located these pythons with conventional techniques. The Irula knowledge could stem the invasion, so the Floridians wanted to give them something in return.
Large Sums Of Money
Besides paying the Irulas over $4,000 per python, the Floridians wanted to give them the real American experience. In between expeditions, they watched NFL games and ate hot dogs at Arbetter's, their favorite greasy spoon.
Back To India
After a month, the Irulas returned to India feeling invigorated by the hunt of their lives. The Floridians knew they were quite fortunate to find experts to turn back the snake invasion...and that next time, it would be up to them to vanquish the snakes from their town.
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