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Pennsylvania home is the entrance to a cave that’s been closed for 70 years

You can only access the cave from the basement of the home and it’s open for business.

By

Jacalyn Wetzel

By

Upworthy Staff

Black-Coffey Caverns; cave house; basement cave; Baker Cavern
Photo credit: Brian Marble/Facebook – This Pennsylvania home is the entrance to a cave.


Have you ever seen something in a movie or online and thought, “That’s totally fake,” only to find out it’s absolutely a real thing? That’s sort of how this house in Pennsylvania comes across. It just seems too fantastical to be real, and yet somehow it actually exists.

The home sits between Greencastle and Mercersburg, Pennsylvania, and houses a pretty unique public secret. There’s a cave in the basement. Not a man cave or a basement that makes you feel like you’re in a cave, but an actual cave that you can’t get to unless you go through the house.

Turns out the cave was discovered in the 1830s on the land of John Coffey, according to Uncovering PA, but the story of how it was found is unclear. People would climb down into the cave to explore occasionally until the land was leased about 100 years later and a small structure was built over the cave opening.



The idea was to make it accessible to visitors and use the cave as a tourist attraction, and the small structure was eventually built into a two-story house. But it was closed to the public in 1954 after the land was purchased for limestone mining and it remained closed for nearly 70 years. (In the words of Stephanie Tanner, “How rude.”) Sometime during that 70-year closure, the home that contains the cave was purchased by Dara Black, and in 2021, it reopened to the public.

Currently, the home is occupied by Black, but to gain access to the cave you can simply book a tour. The best part about booking a tour is that you only have to make a donation to enter. It’s a pay-what-you-can sort of setup, but since someone actually lives in the home, you can’t just pop in and ask for a tour. You have to go during the “open house” times available.

According to the Black-Coffey Caverns Facebook page, they treat the tours truly as an open house, complete with snacks and drinks. There’s a waiting room area where people can chat and eat their snacks while they wait for the tour to start. They also offer cave yoga once a month. According to Uncovering PA, the tour takes about 45 minutes to complete and there are about 3,000 feet worth of passageways.

Imagine living on top of a cave and just taking strangers on a waltz under your floorboards essentially. It makes me wonder if the house is quiet at night or if you can hear echoes of the cave sounds while you’re trying to sleep. From the Facebook page, it appears that the cave doesn’t have any lights, but there were pictures with some Christmas lights mounted to the cave walls. Otherwise, you have to use flashlights.

Hopefully, no mischievous children decide to play hide and seek or you just might have to call in a rescue crew. Literally. But what an unbelievable “pics or it didn’t happen” kind of story to tell. It’s not every day you run into someone that has a door that leads you to an underground cave.

If you want to see what a cave tour looks like starting from the outside of the house, check out the video below:

This article originally appeared on 1.30.23

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  • Gramma and Grampa’s photobook after spending 2 weeks watching Ricky the kitten is everything
    Gramma and Grampa made a keepsake of their time with Ricky.
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    Gramma and Grampa’s photobook after spending 2 weeks watching Ricky the kitten is everything

    It reads like a children’s book.

    Annie Reneau

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    There are kitten lovers…and then there are Ricky’s grandparents. When Izzie Grass left her kitten, Ricky, with her parents for two weeks, she had no idea what was in store for her after she got him back. Not only had Ricky been well taken care of, but his adventures with his human grandparents were fully documented in a photobook created by Grass’ mother, which she titled “Ricky Goes to Gramma’s and Grampa’s.”

    “The photo album that reads like a children’s book first went viral when Grass shared it on TikTok in 2020. Now, it has resurfaced again and people are clamoring for more riveting Ricky content after reading about how the kitten “helped Gramma do the dishes” and how “Cousin Jasper and Charlie ate most of” the pancakes Gramma made for him.

    Check out how adorably extra Gramma is:

    The comments speak for themselves

    Has any kitten ever been more loved?

    “I would die for Ricky, Gramma, and Grampa,” wrote one commenter.

    “This is GOLD. I want to see ‘Ricky Learns to Drive.’” wrote another.

    “My parents didn’t even put this much effort into making scrapbooks for ME,” shared another.

    And apparently Grass isn’t the only one with pet grandparents who are a little extra. “My mom made a full year calendar of my dog after only watching her for two days,” a commenter wrote.

    Grass told Newsweek that her mom told her she made the book because “that’s what she does,” adding, “She is known for creating very sentimental gifts.”

    But Ricky almost didn’t make it at all

    Grass also shared that the book almost didn’t get made because Ricky almost didn’t make it as a kitten. He was brought to the veterinary clinic where Grass worked when he was 9 weeks old to be euthanized.

    The individuals who dropped him off reported that they found a kitten with broken legs and that was throwing up everything they tried to feed him,” she said. “I came back from my lunch early to care for this kitten and in the kennel was Ricky.”

    As it turned out, Ricky had some birth defects and health problems that required specialized care, but he didn’t need to be euthanized. Grass took him home but needed a little time to prepare to give him the care he needed.

    “My mom stepped up and offered to watch him for a couple weeks while I got a handle of my schedule,” Grass told Newsweek. “It was during this time that she created the book.”

    The fact that Ricky had specialized care needs at the time makes Gramma’s photobook all the more endearing.

    “He has made so much progress,” Grass told Newsweek. “His esophagus works significantly better, he has learned how to walk, climb and run, and he continues to help me raise other foster kittens. Ricky is very loved and lives the life he deserved to have.”

    With a mom and grandparents like he has, it’s not a surprise.

    About those unusual paws in the photos

    Of course, the internet’s going to internet, and some people apparently looked at Ricky’s photobook a couple of years after the fact and complained that it was AI generated because of the way Ricky’s paws looked. However, as Grass shared in a video in 2024, those paws aren’t due to AI. They’re just Ricky’s real-life deformities that, ironically, make him appear AI-generated in the photobook. (It’s also worth mentioning that the photobook video came out well before AI-generated technology became available to the masses.)

    “Ricky’s legs are actually shaped like candy canes,” Grass explains. “That’s not AI. That’s inbreeding. Spay and neuter your cats.”

    You can find more videos of Ricky and the animals Grass fosters on her TikTok channel here.

    This article originally appeared three years ago and has been updated.

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  • Man ordering steak for dog’s last meal is stunned by restaurant staff’s kind response
    A dog owner picked up a steak from Cheddar's for his dog's last meal.
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    Man ordering steak for dog’s last meal is stunned by restaurant staff’s kind response

    Dogs are the perfect family members.

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    There are a few things that are harder than saying goodbye to a pet; it can be as difficult as losing a close friend or family member. But for some reason, many people feel that they are not supposed to grieve as deeply for the loss of a pet as they do for a human. That’s why the kindness shown by the staff at Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen in Saint Joseph, Missouri, is so extraordinary.

    CousinHomer, a country musician in Missouri, faced the terrible decision to put down his 13-year-old dog, Bella, back in 2023, Bella, so he wanted her last meal to be something truly special: a “big, juicy steak.” The staff at the restaurant asked him what he wanted for sides, and CousinHomer said he just wanted the steak. “They told me it would be the same price with or without them, so I might as well get them. I explained to them that I was having my dog, Bella, put to sleep later that day, and I wanted her last meal to be a nice, juicy steak,” CousinHomer said in his video.

    It’s worth noting that Bella actually passed away in 2023, but it took Homer nearly two years before he felt ready to share the story publicly.

    An incredible act of kindness

    “When I showed up at the restaurant about 30 minutes later to pick up her food, the manager handed me the bag of food and said, ‘We are so sorry about your dog. This meal is on us.’ I really couldn’t believe it. It was so nice of them,” CousinHomer said. However, when he got home, he saw that they had done something even more special: the entire staff had signed a card that read: “Our deepest sympathy in the loss of your best friend. She’ll be waiting for you over the Rainbow Bridge.”

    “So I just want to publicly say, thank you, Cheddar’s, for being so kind and thoughtful. It really meant the world to me,” CousinHomer concluded his video. But that wasn’t the end of the story. CousinHomer asked people to tag Cheddar’s in the post, so they know how many saw their act of kindness. Cheddar’s followed up with another act of kindness, which CousinHomer documented in a follow-up video.

    After Cheddar’s was flooded with people tagging them in the story, they sent CousinHomer a branded fleece that he can wear like a snuggie. “May comfort wrap around you like a warm Honey Butter Croissant. Your Cheddar’s family is here for you, Cousin,” the company wrote in the comments.

    Why the loss of a pet hurts so much

    Losing a pet can be just as hard as losing a human loved one, but there is one thing that’s uniquely painful about putting down a pet. No matter how much we know we made the right decision, it still won’t stop us from ruminating over it.

    “You do that because emotional pain hurts just like physical pain. And we are hard-wired to recognize pain as a teacher,” Sarah Hoggan, DVM, a veterinarian and pet loss grief advocate, said in a TED Talk. “Our body has reflexes that will pull our hand off a hot stove. We have pulled ourselves to safety even before we know the burn has occurred. Unfortunately, no such instant rescue mechanism exists for emotional pain. That means we need to study the events that led to the pain, to try to learn something from it and avoid it in the future.”

    Ultimately, CousinHomer is going to be in a period of grief for quite a while, but it’s nice to know that there are a whole lot of people who recognized his pain and let him know that it was completely warranted to need some love after the death of a pet. At a moment when you have to make an incredibly difficult decision, having people understand your pain can make all the difference.

    This article originally appeared last year. It has been updated.

     

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  • Astronaut shares the profound ‘big lie’ he realized after seeing the Earth from space
    Photo credit: via Rubén Moreno Montolíu/Flickr – Our home, from space.
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    Astronaut shares the profound ‘big lie’ he realized after seeing the Earth from space

    This change in perspective could change humanity.

    Tod Perry

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    Sixty-five years ago, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human to make it into space and the first to experience what scientists now call the “overview effect.” This change occurs when people see the world from far above and notice that it’s a place where “borders are invisible, where racial, religious and economic strife are nowhere to be seen.”

    The overview effect makes man’s squabbles with one another seem incredibly petty and presents the planet as it truly is, one interconnected organism.

    In a compelling interview with Big Think, former NASA astronaut, author, humanitarian and CEO of ispace-U.S. Ron Garan explains how, if more of us developed this planetary perspective, we could fix much of what ails humanity and the planet.

    Garan has spent 178 days in space and traveled more than 71 million miles in 2,842 orbits. From high above, he realized that the planet is a lot more fragile than he thought.

    What Garan saw from up there changed everything

    “When I looked out the window of the International Space Station, I saw the paparazzi-like flashes of lightning storms, I saw dancing curtains of auroras that seemed so close it was as if we could reach out and touch them. And I saw the unbelievable thinness of our planet’s atmosphere. In that moment, I was hit with the sobering realization that that paper-thin layer keeps every living thing on our planet alive,” Garan said in the video.

    “I saw an iridescent biosphere teeming with life,” he continues. “I didn’t see the economy. But since our human-made systems treat everything, including the very life-support systems of our planet, as the wholly owned subsidiary of the global economy, it’s obvious from the vantage point of space that we’re living a lie.”

    It was at that moment he realized that humanity needs to reevaluate its priorities.

    “We need to move from thinking ‘economy, society, planet’ to ‘planet, society, economy.’ That’s when we’re going to continue our evolutionary process,” he added.

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    The earth is in our hands. Canva Photos.

    Garan says that we are paying a very “high price” as a civilization for our inability to develop a more planetary perspective and that it’s a big reason why we’re failing to solve many of our problems. Even though our economic activity may improve quality of life on one end, it’s also disastrous for the planet that sustains our lives.

    It’s like cutting off our nose to spite our face.

    He wasn’t the only one moved by the view

    Actor William Shatner, who spent years playing the iconic Captain James T. Kirk on the original Star Trek series, had a similar experience to Garan’s when he went to space for real in October 2021:

    “It was among the strongest feelings of grief I have ever encountered,” Shatner wrote. “The contrast between the vicious coldness of space and the warm nurturing of Earth below filled me with overwhelming sadness. Every day, we are confronted with the knowledge of further destruction of Earth at our hands: the extinction of animal species, of flora and fauna … things that took five billion years to evolve, and suddenly we will never see them again because of the interference of mankind.”

    “We’re not going to have peace on Earth until we recognize the basic fact of the interrelated structure of all reality,” Garan said.

    And yet Garan still has hope for us

    However dire the situation looks from the surface of Earth, the astronaut has hope that we can collectively evolve in consciousness and wake up and embrace a larger reality. “And when we can evolve beyond a two-dimensional ‘us versus them’ mindset, and embrace the true multi-dimensional reality of the universe that we live in, that’s when we’re going to no longer be floating in darkness … and it’s a future that we would all want to be a part of. That’s our true calling.”

    This article originally appeared four years ago. It has been updated.

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  • Family stages an intervention for pit bull that only misbehaves when Grandma is around
    Photo credit: Photo by Michael G on Unsplash – Family stages intervention for their misbehaving dog
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    Family stages an intervention for pit bull that only misbehaves when Grandma is around

    “I’m noticing that when your mom is at work, your behavior is getting worse.”

    Jacalyn Wetzel

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    Dogs are toddlers in little furry bodies, or at least that’s how they behave sometimes. They constantly get into things they shouldn’t and act like they’re hyped up on a batch of Pixy Stix when they are excited about something. Their uncontrollable zoomies can have dogs crashing into walls, furniture, and people without a care in their tiny dog world.

    Just like toddlers, pit bulls’ behavior can change depending on who supervises them. In one family, a pit bull named Bishop Ace keeps giving Grandma a run for her money any time she’s charged with babysitting him. Jayla doesn’t have any human grandchildren, and Bishop Ace is her only granddog, so you’d think he would be nicer to his grandma, especially since he knows how to behave.

    Bishop has two very different personalities

    Turns out that the pittie has exquisite manners with his mother, Shauna. He loves cuddling with her and listens the first time he’s asked to do something, but as soon as mom goes to work, Bishop runs amock.

    But Shauna doesn’t believe her sweet little dog could ever do anything as wild as grandma reports, which is exactly why grandma started recording Bishop’s hijinks. This is what seems to have led to an intervention with the hyperactive pit bull.

    “We want to have a conversation with you,” Jayla says. “Because I’m noticing when mom is at work, your behavior is getting worse. You don’t listen when grandma says ‘drop it,’ you run.”

    The intervention did not go as planned

    Bishop Ace refused to make eye contact for much of the intervention, and when Grandma was done speaking, Shauna gave the obviously guilty dog scratches and denied that it was him causing the problem. Even with the video evidence, Bishop Ace is still his mama’s baby and can do no wrong in her eyes, so all of Grandma’s intervention efforts never work. But if you want to see some adorably hilarious “bad dog” shenanigans, you can check out the video from The Dodo below.

    The comments are absolutely sending people

    The commenters loved how Bishop interacts with his family, even if he is mischievous.

    “I love this! The look on his face during the intervention is priceless! He looks over at his mama like, ‘I don’t know what this woman is talking about!’ When mama was holding him like a baby he was looking up at grandma like, ‘Just wait until she leaves!’” Andi wrote.

    “I love how he acted like that wasn’t him in the video when Mom was looking at the phone and showing him how he was acting. This was just too hilarious, and it was so sweet how grandma was holding him and singing Amazing Grace, and he was so peaceful and relaxed,” KWeaver added.

    “Love this video, especially the mock intervention. Grandma is awesome. Bishop just knows which play buttons to push,” Jenny wrote in the comments.

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    A sweet pit bull. Photo credit: Canva

    At the end of the day, Bishop Ace isn’t a bad dog, just a smart one. He knows exactly who he can push the limits with and who will hold the line, which, honestly, is more self-awareness than a lot of humans have. Grandma Jayla may never win the battle, but she’s clearly not giving up the fight. And as long as Bishop Ace keeps getting away with it, this family is going to keep the rest of us very entertained.

     

    This article originally appeared three years ago. It has been updated.

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    Mr. Kitters’ point of view is incredibly entertaining.

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    The TikTok channel Mr. Kitters the Cat (@mr.kitters.the.cat) gives us a cat’s-eye view of the world with a camera attached to Mr. Kitters’ collar. The result is an utterly delightful POV experience that takes us through the daily adventuring of the frisky feline as he wanders the yard.

    In a video titled “Spicy cats,” which has accumulated tens of millions of views on TikTok, we begin with the cutest cat sneeze ever. Then we hear Mr. Kitters’ meow as we walk with him through the grass before the scene switches to a thrilling, yowling cat chase he witnesses across the yard (while tucking himself even more securely under the bush he’s in).

    The best is seeing his kitty paws as he walks and then digs in the mulch. And there’s apparently something very exciting that needs to be pounced on right along a chain link fence.

    The comments are as good as the video

    The commenters made their delight known.

    “I love how he saw the cat fight and was like that’s not my business today,” wrote one person.

    “WHEN HE DIGS WITH HIS LIL PAWS,” declared another.

    “People: Cats only meow at humans.” Mr Kitters -Meows at everything-” wrote another.

    And of course, countless people responded simply to the sneeze with “Bless you.”

    Mr. Kitters has other POV videos as well. This one demonstrates how chatty he is and shows his black cat buddy as well.

    It really sounds like he says, “Let me in,” doesn’t it?

    And this “extreme sports” video is riveting.

    For those who can’t get enough, here is WAY more Mr. Kitters:

    Why does this captivate so many of us?

    It’s funny how something as simple as putting a camera around the neck of a cat can draw in tens of millions of people. We’re all so curious about the lives of the creatures we see every day, and the adorable quirkiness of cat behavior is a big part of why we keep them as companions in the first place. Seeing the world through their point of view is just one more way we can enjoy and learn about our pet friends.

    This article originally appeared three years ago. It has been updated.

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  • Firefighters broke out their hoses to save 25 million bees from an overheating truck

    Photo credit: Canva Photos

    A firefighter using a hose, left, and bees, right.
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    Firefighters broke out their hoses to save 25 million bees from an overheating truck

    480 hives were minutes away from dying in the hot sun.

    Evan Porter

    Bees can fly, but that doesn’t mean they don’t sometimes need a ride. In fact, massive colonies of bees and their beehives are often shipped around the country by truck to help pollinate crops. They’re a crucial cog in our food supply chain, and these commutes are critically important.

    The rides, however, don’t come without their risks.

    Truck carrying 480 beehives breaks down and begins to overheat

    One such shipment was on its way through Utah, navigating a mountain pass near Salt Lake City, when the truck carrying hundreds of hives broke down.

    The weather was hot, and without a running engine or airflow from the movement of the vehicle, the inside of the trailer was rapidly heating up.

    Twenty-five million bees—tens of thousands per hive—were inside and were minutes away from dying.

    A mechanic arrived to work on the truck, but there was no telling how long it would take to get things moving again. Luckily, the Millcreek Fire Department and the Unified Fire Authority also happened to arrive. While they weren’t going to be much help getting the engine going again, they had a brilliant idea to help keep the bees safe in the meantime.

    Firefighters drench the trailer with hoses to keep the bees inside cool

    Quick-thinking fire authorities used their equipment to mist and spray the truck, keeping it cool in the hot sun.

    One neat cooperative detail: no firefighters were stung during the operation. In the photos and footage provided by Unified Fire Authority, bees are clearly seen flying around outside the trailer. That’s because the breathable mesh keeps the hives and most of the colony inside, but the bees need airflow while the truck is moving, so many of them slip in and out during the journey.

    In the end, the truck got moving again, and not a single bee—nor firefighter—was harmed.

    Heartwarming story was almost a devastating loss

    Pesticides and habitat loss have wreaked havoc on wild bee populations. Fair Planet notes that about 80% of flowering plants, including many fruits and vegetables, depend on pollinators like bees to reproduce. So while bees can sometimes be viewed as a nuisance or pest by humans, their presence is critical to the natural world around us—and our food supply.

    Managed honeybee populations are doing better than wild ones, but the death of 25 million bees would still have been a significant loss. Not only would it represent a six-figure cost and be tragic in its own right, it would put the crops they were on their way to pollinate at risk.

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  • Adopted puppy takes first walk with new family and digs up treasure worth nearly $8,000
    Lagotto romagnolo puppy.
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    Adopted puppy takes first walk with new family and digs up treasure worth nearly $8,000

    He’s a regular gold retriever.

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    Many a canine lover would agree that all dogs add value to our lives. But let’s face it, Ollie takes it to a whole new level. In 2022, Adam Clark and Kim McGuire of Blackpool, England, originally bought little Ollie as a surprise for their daughter Alicia. However, it would turn out they were in store for a lovely surprise as well.

    Meet Ollie, the world’s luckiest puppy

    Ollie is much more than an adorable face. His breed, the Lagotto Romagnolo, once used its keen sense of smell to hunt waterfowl in the wet marshlands of Italy, according to Dog Time. Here’s an example of what a Lagotto Romagnolo looks like:

    Pretty much a teddy bear on four legs.

    These pups are also natural diggers, and nowadays the only dogs bred specifically to hunt for truffles. These talents came into play rather quickly when after only 10 minutes into his first family walk in the park, Ollie began to frantically dig into the soil.

    Much to everyone’s surprise, Ollie dug up what appeared to be 15 sovereign coins, meaning pieces of gold thought to date back to the 19th century. The gold sovereign was first minted under King Henry VII in 1489 and has been produced across multiple eras since.

    gold, sovereign, coin, treasure, sovereign coins, dog
    A gold sovereign. Photo credit: www.publicdomainpictures.net

    So how much were the coins actually worth?

    Clark took the coins to be examined by a reputable gold dealer, who not only deemed the coins legitimate, but valued them to be £5,943.96, equivalent to $7,564. It’s not clear how much the family paid for Ollie, but it seems safe to say that they got their money back …and then some.

    Though Ollie’s find is remarkable, Clark still finds his presence to be the ultimate gift. “The treasure is one thing, but the fact is, I’ve bought myself my very own gold hunter, and I cannot wait to take him out again,” he told The U.S. Sun. “He is obviously a very special pup, and I’m thrilled with what he brings to the table, quite literally!”

    And apparently they make great pets too

    While Lagotto Romagnolos work really well for finding truffles (and potentially 500+ year old gold coins), they also make for great companions. Dog Time adds that they are easily trainable, good with children, and their hypoallergenic coats keep allergies at bay, though they do require dedicated grooming. It’s a pretty even trade-off for their undying affection and easy-going attitudes. Especially if they happen upon a small fortune!

    There’s no real telling what other trinkets Ollie might dig up. But one thing’s for sure, he’s making his family very happy, and that is priceless.

    This article originally appeared four years ago. It has been updated.

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  • Shocked woman learns bookworms are real insects. Now everyone is horrified.
    Photo credit: Domonic Mason/Wikimedia Commons – A woman reading a book, left, and a bookworm on a book, right.
    ,

    Shocked woman learns bookworms are real insects. Now everyone is horrified.

    “I’m equal parts grateful and HORRIFIED”

    Jacalyn Wetzel

    “Bookworm” is a phrase often used to describe someone who enjoys reading books. While the term is endearing, people may not realize that a bookworm is also an actual insect. No, not the cute cartoon inchworm wearing glasses and a bow tie. A literal bug that is anything but cute—and one woman is horrified by the discovery.

    Taryn Delanie Smith took to social media to share that she recently discovered that “bookworm” was more than a term of endearment. The shocked woman explained that after showing off her antique book collection online, comments poured in. People were telling her to be careful and look out for bookworms.

    bookworms, books, reading, real bookworms, bookworm insects
    Bookworm and bookworm damage. Photo credit: Dominic Mason/Wikimedia Commons

    This warning prompted Smith to look into what people were saying, since she was unaware that an insect by that name existed. What she discovered in her research scarred both her and unsuspecting viewers alike.

    “I love collecting old, dusty, smelly books, and I just think it’s really cool. It’s like a random, stupid, niche thing about me,” Smith says in an Instagram Reel while resting her hand on a stack of old books. That’s when she reveals that someone told her to check her thrifted books for bookworms, before adding, “because I thought that was just a term of endearment for people that liked books.”

    bookworms, books, reading, real bookworms, bookworm insects
    Old books. Photo credit: Canva

    Smith grows animated, loudly saying, “You mean to tell me there’s an actual insect called a bookworm?” She covers her mouth with her hand as she looks on in horror at pictures of the small, yellowish, clear bugs eating holes through a book’s pages. The now-grossed-out woman looks at her dusty books with disgust as she wonders aloud whether they’re harboring the small insects.

    She demands to know if she was the only person unaware that bookworms are actual insects. She was not. Bookworms are not common knowledge, according to commenters:

    “Literally have a degree in literature and this is news to me”

    “You know what sometimes I think we have enough information”

    “nah because what do you mean i now have to go through the hundreds of books i own?”

    “OMG TARYN NO 😭 I could have gone my whole life without knowing this but now that I know, I’m equal parts grateful and HORRIFIED 😭😭😭”

    “Say what now?!?! How big/ small are these buggers?? Is a magnified glass needed or can the naked eye spot them?!?! Ay dios mío 📚 🔍👀 💭 🐛 😬”

    “Omg omg omg i must burn all of my books with fire I fear 😭”

    bookworms, books, reading, real bookworms, bookworm insects
    Old book with bookworm damage. Photo credit: Ragesoss/Wikimedia Commons

    Bookworms don’t actually refer to just one insect, though. According to The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the term “bookworm” is used to describe hundreds of different insects that feed on books:

    “[The insects include] booklouse, silverfish, powderpost beetle, spider beetle, common furniture beetle, Mexican book beetle, paper worm (larvae of the paper beetle or moth), and larder beetle. These insects are not necessarily interested in eating paper, but they can damage paper in their attempts to reach other materials. They actively feed on leather and cloth bindings, starch paste, animal glues, paper, and cardboard, creating tunnels and holes through these materials.”

    bookworms, books, reading, real bookworms, bookworm insects
    A woman reading an old book. Photo credit: Canva

    One librarian who viewed Smith’s Reel offered advice for buying old books:

    “Librarian here. We have a whole machine we ‘cook’ the books for days if any sign of a bug is found. I would not trust freezing them. Actually I would call your local Library and ask for advice! Hopefully you are all good though. The first step is to flip through and if you see any bugs or little bits of flecks all over that kind of look like dirt, put that book outside in the garage.”

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