A recent Facebook post left many baffled when a woman shared an image of a mysterious “crust” on her bed, but no one could identify it. Little did she know, a similar surprise awaited another woman in her mother’s spare room.
Upon entering the rarely used room, she was horrified to discover a massive wasp nest, measuring 3ft wide and 1.5ft deep, in the single bed. The insects had chewed through the mattress and pillows to build their home.
Pest controller John Birkett was called to the scene and was astonished by the sheer scale of the nest. “I opened the door and couldn’t believe it,” he recalled. “The pillow was covered in this 3ft wasps’ nest, and the workers were still busy building.”
With 45 years of experience, Birkett had never seen anything like it. He estimated that the nest contained around 5,000 wasps, including up to 700 queen wasps. The nest had been growing for months, undetected by the homeowner, who lived alone in the five-bedroom house.
Birkett donned protective gear and carefully cleared the area using a specialized spray to kill the wasps. He even managed to rescue a beloved blanket from the bed.
Despite his professional duty, Birkett couldn’t help but admire the wasps’ handiwork. “It was a work of art,” he said. “They had worked so hard, but unfortunately, it had to go.” The nest’s sheer size and complexity were a testament to the wasps’ industrious nature.
This unexpected discovery serves as a reminder to regularly check our homes, especially unused areas, for unwanted inhabitants. Who knows what surprises might be lurking in the shadows?
