What It Means If You Find a Dryer Sheet in Your Mailbox

You walk down to the curb, pull the front door of your mailbox open, and there it is, staring right at you: what appears to be a dryer sheet.

Let me tell you right now. It is a dryer sheet.

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It's an honest to goodness sheet usually designed to reduce static cling in your dryer, and add some fresh scents and other junk to make your clothes feel softer and smell nicer.

So, what's it doing in your mailbox?

It's there to get rid of "dastardly devils."

Specifically, bees and wasps.

A mail carrier has posted an interesting story on Reddit how he and his fellow letter carriers use dryer sheets to help prevent pests from building nests in your mailbox.

(So why did you think it was there? Some sort of mail/laundry mix-up?)

Here's the story from Reddit member u/istrx13:

"I’m sure you’ve noticed. But just in case you haven’t, this time of the year wasps and Yellowjackets (especially Yellowjackets) like to make nests inside of mailboxes. In a lot of places this time of the year, it’s just beginning to warm up outside, but it’s still fairly cold at night. So mailboxes provide nice, easy shelter for them.

I can’t tell you how many times, especially during this part of the year, where I’ve opened up a box to see a little nest with 3-5 Yellowjackets just chillin. If I’m really unlucky, they will have made their nest at the very back of the box so I wind up sticking my hand in not knowing they are there. We all know how temperamental these little douchebags are and merely existing in their presence is enough to piss them off. Last year alone I was stung 10 times on 10 separate occasions.

Getting to my point. We’ve found that they hate scented dryer sheets. If we encounter a box that is a problem for nests, we’ll often put one in there and it does the trick."

So, there  you have it! Our letter carries are looking out for us! (Well, and for their hands, too....)

Rest easy, world, we'll get those pests yet! (I'm talking about the bees and wasps, not the letter carriers....)

SOURCE:  Reddit