While big-box stores like Home Depot make plant shopping more accessible than ever, there's often a trade-off in the difference in care and attention to detail between specialized nurseries and large retail chains.
One customer's recent Home Depot orchid purchase demonstrates exactly why that difference matters. TikTok user Sierra (@sierrakamel) shared footage of her Home Depot orchid purchase on Jan. 7, with the video quickly accumulating over 1.5 million views.
The clip shows Sierra attempting to wash away scores of tiny insects crawling throughout the plant in her sink—a decision that backfired when the ants began scattering across her bathroom.
"When you buy a plant from Home Depot," the video’s on-screen caption reads.
Other TikTok users quickly turned the comments section into an impromptu pest identification forum.
"If those are fungus gnats, which they appear to be, mentally prepare yourself to be fighting them for the next 6+ months if they make it into your other plants," one viewer warned.
Others disagreed, with comments ranging from "those r definitely ants" to speculation about termites.
Why were the insects initially dormant?
Sierra later confirmed through close-up footage that she was indeed dealing with an ant infestation. In a follow-up "storytime" video, she shared the full context, revealing that the insects weren't visible during her initial inspection because they were “hibernating” due to Florida's chilly weather.
"I start cutting the netting and, like, moving this, and it was like an explosion of ants came out," Sierra recounts. "I'm holding it, cutting it. They just start crawling all over me. I freeze and panic."
Sierra says that a Home Depot employee explained to her that the cooler temperatures caused the ants to “hibernate,” only becoming active once they warmed up inside her house.
"So keep in mind now, if your area is chilly, there could be hibernating bugs in your plants that you will not see until they warm up in your house," she warns viewers.
According to pest control company Merlin Environmental, "Ants do not hibernate in winter, but they often go into a state called diapause when the temperature drops below 10 degrees Celsius."
The Daily Dot has reached out to Home Depot via its press email and to TikTok user Sierra (@sierrakamel) via TikTok comment.
Internet culture is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here. You’ll get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.
