This woman, who’s nine months pregnant, was just craving some Papa John’s pizza. But when she excitedly went to dig into the cheesy treat, her excitement quickly turned into disgust.
In the box was a thoroughly unwelcome surprise roommate that hitched a ride in the pizza box. But this expert says there’s no need to worry about being in the same predicament.
Pregnant Woman Discovers Bed Bug In Papa John’s Delivery
In a viral video with more than 2.8 million views, content creator Britney Carter (@bbyjbrit) shared the moment she spotted something crawling in her pizza box.
“9 months pregnant & my DoorDash got delivered with a bed bug,” the text overlay read.
The footage shows Carter inside her home opening the pizza box and almost immediately noticing the bug and asking her partner to open the front door so she can get it out of the house.
Both visibly upset, they work to contain the situation.
“I’m genuinely f—— trembling, and I’m gonna take this to the dumpster right now. And I’m gonna stay recording this. And I’m gonna find the f—— bug that was in this, and I’m not opening it by my house,” she says in the video while holding the pizza boxes as far away from herself as possible.
As she walks to throw out the boxes, she’s trembling—not just because it’s cold out, but “because this is sick.”
When she eventually throws the box on the ground and opens it, there’s clearly a bug lying on its back, feet up, just an inch from the pizza.
In her caption, Carter explains they ordered through Papa John’s by phone. The store told them they didn’t have their own drivers available due to the late hour, so a DoorDasher would pick up the order instead.
“I don’t wanna expose this man ’cause I know he’s just working, but this isn’t okay!!” she said about the DoorDasher. “What if we didn’t see it!”
Carter says they called to report the incident, and Papa John’s told them they don’t know which specific driver handled the order since they work with various drivers.
Bug Expert Weighs
The video caught the attention of a bed bug expert who posted his own response. In a video with more than 12,700 views, @dailylifeofabugguy explains why the situation isn’t a huge cause for panic.
“While that’s scary and it’s definitely not normal, the reason that I’m not, like, totally surprised, DoorDashers, a lot of them also do Uber driving, so they run a risk of having other people in the back seat that could have a problem at home and bring something with them,” he explains.
But he offers some reassurance. The expert says that catching a single bug immediately (like Carter did) means the odds of developing an infestation at home are almost zero. He notes that even if they hadn’t caught it, the bug likely would have stayed in the box since bed bugs are “lazy” and don’t like to move much.
He acknowledges the situation is scary and not fun, especially for someone nine months pregnant, but maintains that Carter would have been fine. The expert encourages people not to panic about bed bugs as much as they typically do.
“I know that everybody freaks out when they hear the word ‘bed bug.’ They’re not as scary as you think. And if you are, like, just terrified of them, you need to watch the rest of my videos because they are not as scary as you’ve been made to believe,” he concludes.
Understanding Bed Bug Risks
The bug expert in the video was right about one thing: Bed bugs can definitely hitch rides in delivery and rideshare vehicles.
WebMD confirms that bed bugs can appear in cars when someone carries them in from an infested place since they cling to clothing, bags, or luggage and can hide in seat seams, floor mats, or upholstery.
But here’s some reassurance for anyone in Carter’s position: Active Pest Control explains that bed bugs eat one thing and one thing only—blood. That means they don’t infest or consume food items, and they won’t invade your pantry. The bug in Carter’s pizza box wasn’t there for the pizza. It was just hitching a ride.
WebMD notes that bed bugs can survive for months without feeding. They can live anywhere from 20 to 400 days without a blood meal. Female bed bugs lay hundreds of tiny eggs, and in good conditions, they can have several generations a year.
Contrary to popular belief, bed bugs aren’t a sign of dirtiness. They’re found in spotless homes just as often as messy ones because what attracts them is people, specifically, warmth and the carbon dioxide we breathe out.
If you suspect bed bugs made it into your home, WebMD recommends taking these steps:
- Wash bedding, curtains, and clothing in hot water and dry on the highest setting.
- Use a stiff brush to scrub mattress seams before vacuuming.
- Vacuum your bed and surrounding area daily, disposing of the bag outside immediately.
- Put a tightly woven, zippered cover on your mattress and box springs for at least a year.
- Repair cracks in plaster and glue down peeling wallpaper to eliminate hiding spots.
- Get rid of clutter around your bed.
For complete elimination, chemical treatments are usually necessary. WebMD emphasizes it’s best to hire a professional exterminator experienced with bed bugs rather than attempting DIY pesticide application.
Active Pest Control notes you very rarely have to throw out items during bed bug infestations, and you definitely don’t need to throw out food.
@bbyjbrit I’m sick! We ordered through Papa John’s on the phone. They told us on the phone when ordering our food that the store did not have their own drivers due to it being late so therefore a door dasher would be picking the order up. Well the dasher delivered more than food. We called to report it and papa John’s stated they don’t know who the dasher is etc they just get random ones…. I don’t wanna expose this man cause I know he’s just working but this isn’t okay!!😭😭 what if we didn’t see it! I’m 9 months pregnant too. @Papa Johns #fyp #papajohns #doordash
Commenters React
“This never ever crossed my mind when getting things delivered,” a top comment read.
“Paramedic here; that’s 100% a bed bug. We deal with them constantly. Absolutely report this to whomever. They are an absolute nightmare to the people affected by them, and become a massive ordeal,” a person said.
“I have really bad bed bug anxiety and when we travel I drive my husband crazy but your videos really help me understand that it’s a lot harder to get them and it’s a lot harder for them to become and infestation than I thought,” another wrote.
“You honestly are healing my fear of them,” a commenter added.
BroBible reached out to Britney Carter for comment via TikTok direct message and comment, to @dailylifeofabugguy via email and Instagram direct message, and to Papa John’s and DoorDash via email.