Woman finds 3ft wasp nest on bed

------ · ‎03-10-2010

What the… ${#emotions_dlg.blink}$

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-hampshire-28949601?ocid=socialflow_facebook

The wasps had chewed through the pillows and the mattress of the bed in order to make their nest larger

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A Hampshire pest controller said he took on "the biggest job of his career", after being called to deal with a nest of more than 5,000 wasps.

John Birkett, of Longwood Services Pest Control, said removing the 3ft (91cm) nest from a bed in Winchester was his most unusual job in 45 years.

He said it would have been "extremely dangerous" if the homeowner had tried to remove it herself.

He added: "I just stood back in amazement."

The nest was discovered by a woman at her house in St Cross, in an unused spare room, where a small window had been left open.

'Wonderful job'

Mr Birkett believes it may have taken about three months to build.

He said: "I did think what a wonderful job they had done."

The wasps had chewed through the pillows and the mattress of the bed in order to make their nest larger.

However Mr Birkett did manage to save the owner's crocheted blanket.

He said: "The nest split in two and I have never seen so many wasps and I have been doing this for 45 years.

"I had to go in to the room and close the door, otherwise the house would have been filled."

It took him about two hours to spray the insects and dismantle the nest.

minkbunny · ‎03-09-2010

She hadn't been in the room in that length of time? ${#emotions_dlg.scared}$ We have a guest cabin on our property and I am in and out of it every single day. I cannot imagine what would happen if it was just "abandoned" for months. Geez, glad everything worked out okay and she didn't have late night guests who just staggered into the room and flopped down on the bed ${#emotions_dlg.ohmy}$

------ · ‎03-10-2010

On 8/27/2014 minkbunny said:
She hadn't been in the room in that length of time? ${#emotions_dlg.scared}$ We have a guest cabin on our property and I am in and out of it every single day. I cannot imagine what would happen if it was just "abandoned" for months. Geez, glad everything worked out okay and she didn't have late night guests who just staggered into the room and flopped down on the bed ${#emotions_dlg.ohmy}$

That was my first thought! Three months??? Eww.

beckyb1012 · ‎03-09-2010

Oh my I have the creepy crawlies now. Nightmares tonight.

"Live frugally, but love extravagantly."

Topaz Gem · ‎03-10-2010

Those wasps must have thought they had it made in the shade, LOL. I also can't imagine that she had no occasion to go into that room in 3 months, but one never knows what someone else's life is like. She must have been shocked beyond words when she first saw it.

"Summer afternoon-summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language." ~Henry James

JustJazzmom · ‎03-09-2010

Wouldn't she have heard noise coming from that room?? EEK is right!!

☼The best place to seek God is in a garden. You can dig for him there. GBShaw☼

------ · ‎03-10-2010

Looks like her son didn't hear the wasps either because he was the one who went into the spare bedroom to look for something and found the nest (from another article).

It was estimated that 5,000+ wasps were living in the nest. Must have sounded like a B-52 landed in the room.

chickenbutt · ‎03-09-2010

I think I lost one of my chicken lives, just reading this. GACK! Bees are the one thing that absolutely terrify me - any kind of bee.

I probably would have dropped dead right then and there. ha!

------ · ‎03-10-2010

The question is,

would you have used that rescued crocheted blanket after wasps had lived on it for three months?

${#emotions_dlg.scared}$

RedTop · ‎09-01-2010

This story reminds me of something that happened nearly 35 years ago when I was working at a local college. All spring and summer I kept noticing a large number of bees going in and out of the roof vents at our office. I kept mentioning it to my boss because as the summer went on, there just seemed to be more and more bees, and we had to be so careful coming into the office in the morning, and anytime we left the office during the day. After my boss literally got stung between the eyes, he finally started paying more attention to the situation, and reported the bees to the maintenance department. After surveying the situation, two workers suited up in protective gear and threw cans of fog producing bug killer into the attic space. After several days of seeing no more bees, maintenance went into that space and removed a HUGE nest filled with eggs. I still have the newspaper picture that was taken of my work-study student holding the nest. If I remember correctly, the nest was about 2 ft wide and more than 3 ft long, and everyone was astonished to see such a huge nest. A remark was made about the nest being a sign of a bad winter ahead, and sure enough, that was the winter I would go to work dressed entirely for warmth, and never take off my hat, coat or gloves all day long! The office was so cold the water actually froze in the toilet bowl, and the last person to leave at the end of the day had to pour antifreeze in the toilet so it didn't freeze again and crack the porcelain. This happened during the energy crisis in the late 70's.