Eilish Rothney returned to her office in June and heard a buzzing that shouldn’t have been there.
She works as manager of the Trinity Broads nature reserve, run by the Norfolk Wildlife Trust, in Ormesby St Michael. The wasps had made their nest on the shelves, winding around folders and other objects. At first, it was the size of a paperback book. Between 10 and 20 insects came and went at all hours. Rothney didn’t drive them away. She let them stay for four months.
After several weeks without seeing a single wasp, she realized autumn had done its work and decided to open the nest. She had to remove several layers before reaching the shelves. Only when she got close to the ring binders did she find what she was looking for: the hexagonal cells where the larvae would have been. Rothney believes the wasps are struggling because of the summer heat, and that her office, beside a pond and a meadow, provided them with food and water. She says that if they return next summer, they’ll be welcome.
