This article is from the source 'independent' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/wasp-nest-filled-with-5000-insects-worst-case-pest-controller-had-seen-in-45-years-9695178.html
The article has changed 5 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Woman discovers wasp nest filled with 5,000 insects, in 'most unusual' case pest controller has ever seen | |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| A pest controller had to tackle the most unusual job of his 45-year career, when he was called to deal with a 5,000-insect-strong wasp nest covering a bed. | A pest controller had to tackle the most unusual job of his 45-year career, when he was called to deal with a 5,000-insect-strong wasp nest covering a bed. |
| John Birkett of Longwood Services exterminators believes the wasps were able to take over the bed in a box room of a 5-bedroom home in Winchester, Hampshire, after they entered through a small window and were undetected by the home's owner. | John Birkett of Longwood Services exterminators believes the wasps were able to take over the bed in a box room of a 5-bedroom home in Winchester, Hampshire, after they entered through a small window and were undetected by the home's owner. |
| Over a course of months, the wasps built a huge nest measuring almost a metre (3ft) wide, and 30cm (1ft) deep. | Over a course of months, the wasps built a huge nest measuring almost a metre (3ft) wide, and 30cm (1ft) deep. |
| Mr Birkett described to The Independent how the owner had asked him to salvage a knitted quilt of sentimental value that the wasps had built their home over. | Mr Birkett described to The Independent how the owner had asked him to salvage a knitted quilt of sentimental value that the wasps had built their home over. |
| As he tried to pull the quilt out from under the packed nest, “an explosion of wasps came out.” | As he tried to pull the quilt out from under the packed nest, “an explosion of wasps came out.” |
| Having dealt with rats in restaurants, hoards of bed bugs and “homes you wouldn’t want to live in”, Mr Birkitt said the incident in St Cross was one of the most unusual he had encountered. | Having dealt with rats in restaurants, hoards of bed bugs and “homes you wouldn’t want to live in”, Mr Birkitt said the incident in St Cross was one of the most unusual he had encountered. |
| He said he “couldn’t believe it” when he saw the nest, and that his client was “terrified.” | He said he “couldn’t believe it” when he saw the nest, and that his client was “terrified.” |
| “I had to think how to deal with this, and I couldn’t leave the door open very much or the wasps would escape into the rest of the house.” | “I had to think how to deal with this, and I couldn’t leave the door open very much or the wasps would escape into the rest of the house.” |
| Dressed in protective clothing and armed with insect spray, he was able to control the nest within an hour. | |
| He then broke the nest up into pieces, to discover that the insects had chewed through the mattress and the bed pillars, before helping the owner clean up her home. |