Radioactive Wasp’s Nest Found

Radioactive Wasp Nest Discovered at Former U.S. Nuclear Bomb Facility

A wasp nest found at the Savannah River Site—a former U.S. nuclear bomb production facility in South Carolina—has tested positive for elevated radiation levels, according to a recent report by the U.S. Department of Energy. Officials stress that there is no threat to public safety.

On July 3, radiation monitoring personnel discovered the nest on a post near storage tanks holding liquid nuclear waste. Testing revealed radiation levels approximately 10 times higher than the federal safety limit. The nest was treated with insecticide, removed, and disposed of as radioactive waste. No live wasps were present at the time of removal.

Authorities stated there is no indication of a leak from the nearby waste tanks. Instead, they attributed the contamination to “legacy radioactive material” from earlier decades when the facility was fully operational and actively producing nuclear components.

However, watchdog group Savannah River Site Watch raised concerns about the limited details in the government report. Executive Director Tom Clements questioned the source of the contamination, how the wasps may have been exposed, and whether other nests might exist, especially if an undetected leak is present.

Clements also emphasized the importance of identifying the type of wasp involved, as different species build nests from different materials—potentially offering clues to the contamination’s origin.

“I’m as mad as a hornet that SRS didn’t explain where the radioactive waste came from or if there’s a leak that the public needs to know about,” Clements said via text.

Savannah River Mission Completion, the contractor currently overseeing the site, issued a statement noting that wasps typically remain within a few hundred yards of their nests. Since the contaminated nest was located deep within the facility, the agency maintains there is no risk to surrounding communities. The statement also noted that any wasps themselves would likely carry significantly lower radiation levels than their nest.

The Savannah River Site, located near Aiken, was established in the early 1950s to produce plutonium pits for nuclear weapons during the Cold War. Today, its mission has shifted to nuclear fuel production and environmental cleanup.

Over its operational lifetime, the site produced more than 165 million gallons (625 million liters) of liquid radioactive waste. Evaporation and treatment have since reduced that volume to roughly 34 million gallons (129 million liters). Currently, 43 underground storage tanks remain in use, while eight have been permanently closed.