Massive wasps’ nest in nature reserve office dismantled

Rothney said that when she first saw the size of the nest in June it was about the size of a paperback book.

She added: “There was just like constant [wasps] coming and going, probably 10s, 20s in and out all the time.”

Rothney started dismantling the nest on Tuesday and said that she knew in the autumn, it would be time for them to leave.

When she hadn’t seen any wasps for a number of weeks she decided to explore by cutting away at the nest.

She said that she was “amazed” to peel back a number of layers before reaching the shelves. She added that it was not until she got closer to the ring binders that she could see “hexagonal cells where the larvae would have been”.

Rothney said she’ll miss her office colleagues, but she knows they’ll be back and added: “I think if they do come back in here next summer they will be welcome”.