An abandoned house in Healesville, 50km north of Melbourne, was found to have a massive wasp nest inside it. The pictures of the nest, which was hanging over a toilet, have gone viral on social media. Dale Armel from DAP Pest Control, who was called to deal with the pest problem, shared the images online. One expert has described it as the biggest wasp nest ever discovered in Australia.
A huge nest of carnivorous wasps was discovered in a dilapidated home in Healesville, located 50km north of Melbourne. The discovery was made by pest expert Mr. Armel, who claimed it to be the largest he has ever come across in his career. The nest measured one by 1.5 meters and was suspended from a bathroom ceiling with thousands of dead wasps found on the floor. Mr. Armel said that this was a very dangerous situation as if anyone came across the nest, they could have been repeatedly stung. The seasoned pest controller was attacked by the pests while taking three days to remove the nest, and despite his experience eradicating vermin, this job scared him.
The veteran pest exterminator admitted that even with his years of expertise in eliminating pests, he still had a frightful encounter with the current task at hand (as seen in the picture).
According to the pest control expert, there were ‘thousands upon thousands’ of wasps living in the abandoned house’s nest for several months. The reason why wasps are attracted to humans is because they sense the carbon dioxide we exhale and perceive it as a threat which causes them to attack. The nest has been growing since last September and has now reached the size of a basketball. The warmer location of the nest inside the house has allowed it to harbor a continuous population expansion across multiple seasons with hibernating queens laying new eggs that will hatch in spring. This could lead to an enormous population growth without any interruptions.
In a rundown house, a picture revealed the presence of a toilet buried beneath a heap of dead wasps on the ground and in the bathroom sink. Although these wasps feed on other insects, they can be hostile to humans as they scavenge for food near their dwellings. In Australia, they are regarded as a destructive and invading pest but are protected in the northern hemisphere. The individual who captured the image on social media described it as a once-in-a-lifetime chance since this species usually builds its nest underground. The video was taken at close quarters by Mr. Armel, who had destroyed the majority of the wasps the previous week. However, the extermination procedure had a few stages that left some stray bugs whizzing around in the footage. He cautioned that it is not advised for anyone to approach a nest of any size unless they have been trained.
