Nature Reserve Manager Dismantles Office Wasps' Nest After Four Months
Eilish Rothney found the insects had built a large nest that enveloped office supplies.
A nature reserve manager has dismantled a large wasps' nest that had occupied her office for four months. Eilish Rothney, manager for the Trinity Broads at the Norfolk Wildlife Trust, discovered the nest in June when she returned from conducting surveys.
The wasps had constructed their nest on the shelves of the Ormesby St Michael office, intertwining with binders and other documents. The insects vacated the nest a few weeks prior to its dismantling.
Rothney noted, "It's kind of a fitting tribute that we've welcomed what many, many people see as a pest...and we've helped them survive, which will help this whole ecosystem that we rely on."
When Rothney first encountered the nest in June, it was approximately the size of a paperback book. "There was just like constant [wasps] coming and going, probably 10s, 20s in and out all the time," she recalled.
She began dismantling the nest after noticing an absence of wasp activity for several weeks. Upon carefully cutting away layers of the nest, Rothney discovered hexagonal cells where larvae would have been. "I think if they do come back in here next summer they will be welcome," she added.
Rothney emphasized the importance of making space for nature and highlighted the role of wasps. "Although people don't like them [wasps] are part of nature," she said. "They have a really, really important role to play, as do all the insects, even mosquitoes, which are not my favourite."
She speculated that the warm summer likely aided the wasps' survival, and the office's proximity to a pond and meadow provided them with necessary food and water resources.