Radioactive Wasp Nest Discovered in South Carolina

In an unexpected find, a radioactive wasp nest was spotted at a former nuclear weapons facility in South Carolina. This discovery occurred at the Savannah River Site (SRS), as reported by the U.S. Department of Energy.

On July 3, staff members at the decommissioned plant came across a wasp nest that exceeded legal size limits by more than ten times, as per federal guidelines. The wasps had established their home near storage tanks for liquid nuclear waste.

According to reports from the DOE, the nest was treated with insecticide and disposed of using proper radioactive waste protocols. Thankfully, the report also noted that there were no leaks from the nuclear waste tanks. Authorities stated, “The delay in reporting was to allow time to review previous wildlife contamination to ensure consistency in reporting standards.” They further emphasized that no further actions were necessary, declaring there was no impact on ongoing activities.

The DOE clarified that the radioactive nature of the nests stems from “onsite legacy radioactive contamination” that existed while the site was operational, rather than indicating a failure in contamination control. The agency reassured that both the ground and surrounding areas remain free from contamination.

Officials managing the site from the Savannah River Mission (SRMC) confirmed that no contamination had been detected in the vicinity and stated that both the workforce and the environment were unaffected. They suggested that the levels of contamination from the wasps were relatively low, should any radioactive material have escaped.

The idea that radioactive wasps might be buzzing around certainly raises eyebrows. It’s, uh, a bit unsettling, to say the least.