Move over, Godzilla—there’s a new radioactive critter in town.
On July 3, diligent workers at South Carolina’s Savannah River Site (SRS)—once the proud factory for plutonium pits in U.S. nukes—detected something decidedly smaller yet far more annoying: a wasp nest with radiation levels 10 times the federal limit.
Thankfully, no mutant hornets, just a nest that could light up a runway.
Wasps Meet Waste Tanks
The nest was perched on a post near the liquid nuclear waste tanks, part of the 165 million gallons originally generated by SRS.
Over decades, evaporation has shrunk that to about 34 million gallons swirling underground in 43 active tanks (and eight “retired” ones, no longer stirring up trouble).
“We routinely check radiation levels,” said a DOE spokesperson, “but this wasp nest was a first. We sprayed it with insect killer, bagged it, and sent it off as radioactive waste. No wasps were harmed in the drill.”
Mystery solved! Nest neutralized!
Workers got a good chuckle—until the watchdogs versus cleanup crews showdown began.
SRS Watch Needs More Buzz
Enter Tom Clements, executive director of Savannah River Site Watch, outraged enough to text-wind his keyboard:
“I’m as mad as a hornet that SRS didn’t explain where the radioactive waste came from or if there is some kind of leak from the waste tanks that the public should be aware of,” he fumed.
Clements wants to know whether these radioactive nest materials came from “onsite legacy radioactive contamination” (DOE’s polite euphemism) or an actual leak.
He even suggested identifying the wasp species:
“Knowing if it’s a dirt-builder vs. paper-maker could pinpoint the contamination source,” he said.
Because nothing says “public trust” like forensic entomology at a decommissioned bomb plant.
No Sting to the Public
Despite Clements’ calls for clarity, Savannah River Mission Completion insisted there’s no escape risk:
“Wasps usually stay within a few hundred yards of their nests,” the statement reassured. “Even if live wasps were found, they’d have lower radiation than the nest itself.”
So the only thing flying off was tempers on social media.
From Plutonium to Pollinators
Back in the 1950s, SRS churned out plutonium cores for the Cold War.
Today, it hosts cleanup and fuel production—and occasional entomological radiation surprises.
The transition has been so thorough, even the local insect population has gone nuclear.
“If there’s a brighter side,” a site manager joked, “it’s that wasp nests make fantastic Geiger counter tests.”
Indeed, who needs lab rats when you’ve got stinging insects as living dosimeters!
What’s Next?
With 43 tanks still humming underground, DOE promises continued vigilance.
But residents now wonder:
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Will squirrels start glowing?
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Should bees avoid Aiken, SC?
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Could the next radioactive nest produce a super-wasp with a radioactive sting?
Meanwhile, Tom Clements is drafting proposals for a “Nuke-Nest Transparency Forum,” complete with nest species ID workshops.
“If SRS can toss millions in cleanup budgets,” Clements argued, “surely they can fund an entomologist or two.”
The Takeaway
No public harm, no mutant wasp swarms—just a reminder that at America’s former bomb factories, you never know if your lunch is radioactive or if your insect repellent doubles as decontamination spray.
Next time you hear buzzing near a tank farm, it might just be a nest on Geiger-mode. And that—folks—is the definition of a real buzzkill!!
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