Staggeringly huge yellowjacket nest discovered
Could contain over a million yellowjackets
Yellowjackets, a small species of predatory wasp, typically live in nests containing between 1,000 and 5,000 individual wasps. Imagine the surprise, then, when entomologist Jonathan Simkins was called in to deal with an unusually large yellowjacket nest in central Florida, and found a colossal nest that might have contained over a million yellowjackets.
The nest was over six and a half feet tall and eight feet wide. About big enough to fit two full-size sofas inside, if you stand them on end. Even Simkins - who has been dealing with Africanized honeybees, wasps, yellowjackets, and other stinging insects for over 20 years - got freaked out a few times and had to step away for a breather.
Image courtesy NBC-2