Giant wasp net discovered in spare bed

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MANILA — Pest controller John Brikett received the shock of his life when he saw a giant net of wasps covering a single bed.

Brikett, who works for Longwood Services Pest Control, said he found the wasps’ net inside a house in Winchester, Hampshire. The huge colony contained around 5,000 wasps, thousands more grubs, and about 500 young queens.

“When I went upstairs and went into the room, it was the most amazing sight I had ever seen. There was a nice quilt on the bed and the woman wanted me to save it but when I pulled it, the nest split in half. Inside, there were layers and layers of grubs being produced. The pattern was wonderful,” said Brikett.

He added, “The wasps were attacking me as I pulled at it. They were covering my veil. All I could do was keep spraying. In some ways it was good fun but I also felt a bit guilty about it. All these little souls had worked their guts out to produce this. I feel for everything I kill. But they can be quite dangerous, so I had to carry on until there was one left.”

Brikett spent several hours disinfecting the room with the help of a bee suit. By the time he finished, the floor was about an inch deep in dead wasps. It took him several more hours to clean up the place.

In his 40 year career as a pest controller, Brikett said that this is the fourth time that he saw a big net of wasps.

The homeowner, who wants to remain anonymous, said that she never saw the colony because she rarely goes up to the spare room. Aside from that, the house is made of wood, so it is possible for the wasps to enter the house through the roof eaves.