A shocking discovery was made in a rarely used spare room in a Winchester, Hampshire home. A woman entered the room to find a massive wasp nest, measuring 3ft wide and 1.5ft deep, had taken over the bed.
The nest was still expanding, with the insects having chewed through the mattress and pillows to build their home. Pest controller John Birkett was called to the scene and estimated that the nest had been growing for several months.
The homeowner, who lives alone in the five-bedroom house, had not entered the spare bedroom for months. Her son discovered the nest when he opened the door, revealing a window that had been left open the entire time.
Birkett was stunned by the sheer size of the nest, containing approximately 5,000 wasps. “In 45 years, I’ve never seen anything like it,” he said. “It’s amazing the woman didn’t realize she was living with them.” The nest was so large that it housed up to 700 queen wasps.
To clear the area, Birkett used a specialized spray to kill the wasps. He even managed to rescue a beloved blanket from the bed. Despite his success, Birkett couldn’t help but admire the wasps’ handiwork. “It was a work of art,” he said. “They had worked so hard.”
The incident serves as a reminder to regularly inspect rarely used spaces in our homes. Who knows what unexpected surprises might be lurking?
