California man buys cutting board from Ross. Then he finds something living in it: ‘I knew I wasn’t crazy’

‘My plastic cutting board from the dollar tree would never.’

From Ross to T.J. Maxx, discount stores offer name-brand products for low prices. One of the most popular product categories for many consumers is kitchenware, with customers going to the discount retailers for simple products: bowls, stainless steel pans, cutting boards, and kitchen gadgets.

But one man has gone viral for posting a horrifying discovery he made after two years of owning a Ross kitchenware product. He discovered that an insect had been living inside the wooden and marble cutting board he grabbed from the discount chain. Worst of all, he recalled hearing a strange sound emitting from the board throughout his time owning it.

Rafael Fernández (@rafaelfernndez) posted a full story about the bug in a three-part series on TikTok. As of this writing, his first post has 5.2 million views. His second post has more than 11.8 million views.

What Did the Ross Customer Notice at First?

Fernández initially noticed something was off with his cutting board when he first purchased it. He mentioned strange sounds coming from the board in text messages dating back to 2024.

In one text, he wrote, “Have this cutting board, and it keeps making this sound.. I’m not sure why?”

In another, he wrote, “I have this cutting board, and it keeps making this sound… I moved it to another part of the counter and it still makes that sound so I know it’s the board for sure. Not sure what it could be?”

Despite this, Fernández kept the board. He explained that he stored the product for around “a year and a half” and then took it out again. That’s when he noticed bore holes in the wooden section of the board. He subsequently discovered a larva.

“At first it made a sound, but I thought it was due to moisture and change in temperature affecting the wood, the way hardwood floors make sounds,” Fernández said. “I put it away and completely forgot about it … and then discovered it. When I first bought it, there were no holes or anything. I also didn’t use it as a cutting board, only as a trivet.”

He posted a video of the white larva wiggling inside his cutting board. “That’s crazy,” he said.

What Is the Bug, Really?

While Fernández guessed that a worm had made its way through his cutting board, commenters had other theories.

“That is the larvae of a powder post beetle. Congratulations I guess,” one viewer said.

“I don’t think that’s a worm homie I think that’s a larvae.. it’s going to grow into something even spookier I feel,” another commenter added.

There are many different types of wood-boring insects that can wreak havoc upon kitchen tools and modern-day homes, including a number of wood-boring beetles. Powderpost beetles are considered among the most destructive. The insects can drill through wood products and walls.

There are also woodworms, which dig inside wood and nest in it. In general, wood-boring insects are attracted to moisture. An infestation may result in bore holes, powdery dust, crumbly wood, and dead larvae.

Have Other Consumers Experienced the Same Thing?

Viewers mentioned other videos they saw about creatures living inside off-price retailer kitchen products. Mary (@thetraveling_griffin), another content creator, discovered a “powderpost beetle” inside a T.J. Maxx bowl, for instance. She said she heard a “ticking” sound emitting from her bowl before she noticed it.

Mary mentioned that her bowl was originally from India. India has a large craftwork industry; many products from the country, however, use raw materials that are not treated prior to shipping, which makes them vulnerable to “powderpost beetle damage.”

Online, consumers have had similar experiences with Amazon products from India. One customer asked r/bugidentification to help them discover what bug was eating through a wooden ornament they purchased from the country. 

“After a week we started noticing small piles of what we thought was some kind of powder or little sawdust piles around the ornament,” they said. “We thought it was just something spilled. Cleaned it up and it happened again, and again. Upon closer inspection you can actually see little tunnels and holes in the wood. Clearly, is some type of wood eating bug.”

For Mary, viewers mentioned that the bugs could pose a genuine problem. “Certain species can do more damage and be a bigger problem than termites,” one viewer said. “Also, the fact that it was in that bowl for years, left that hole, and left that big pile of dust means that it was in it’s larvae stage for all those years and has most likely escaped now bc it hit it’s adult stage.”

AllHipHop reached out to Fernández via TikTok direct message, as well as Mary and Ross via email for more information. This article will be updated if they respond.

@julieannsurratt #psa #heb #medicine #fy @H-E-B ♬ original sound – Julie Ann Douglas

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