‘Scariest thing I’ve ever seen’ - Schoolboy finds giant wasp nest in attic
A schoolboy from Stroud was terrified when he discovered a wasp nest in the corner of his attic.
Milo Gerstheimer was in the attic on Saturday 15 May to measure the space directly above his bedroom as part of a home renovation DIY project.
The nine-year-old was planning to connect the attic to his bedroom via a ladder but was stunned to see a wasp nest the size of his torso in the corner of the room.
He said: "I was up in the attic measuring some stuff for renovation up there to connect to my room and I just saw it in the corner of the attic. I just ran downstairs.
"My parents didn't know about it because it was just under where we store loads of stuff, where the roof is really low.
"When my dad saw it he said it was the second scariest thing he's seen in his life - he was on a quad bike between a mother bear and her cub once.
Wasps are known to build nests in attics given the warm, dark, and undisturbed environment.
The insects chew wood into a pulp and stick it together to using saliva but the Minchinhampton pupil has been researching wasps since his discovery on the weekend.
He said: "I'm basically counting how many wasps are inside it.
"I think two years ago, when it was active, I had a collection of wasps in there and a queen."
The wasp nest was hollow which came as a relief to Milo’s mum, Kari, as she’s allergic to the insects.
She said: "We were just pleased there were no buzzing sounds from the wasps.
"I'm allergic to wasps and I was just relieved it was an old nest.
"Bless him, he was just up there trying to do his renovations."
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