Workers at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina recently discovered a wasp nest that tested at radioactive levels ten times higher than federal safety limits. The site, which once played a key role in making parts for nuclear weapons, is now focused on cleaning up and producing nuclear fuel. Despite the high radiation found in the nest, officials say there is no danger to the public.
The nest was found July 3 by workers who regularly check radiation near tanks storing nuclear waste. The wasp nest was located on a post close to these tanks. After finding the radioactive nest, the team sprayed it with insecticide, removed it, and treated it as radioactive waste. No live wasps were found in the nest.
Officials said the source of the radiation in the nest likely comes from leftover contamination from the site’s past operations. They confirmed there is no leak from the liquid nuclear waste tanks. These tanks have held more than 165 million gallons of waste over the years, now reduced through evaporation to about 34 million gallons. Some of the underground tanks remain in use, while others have been closed.
However, the watchdog group Savannah River Site Watch is calling for more details. They want to know exactly how the wasps came into contact with radiation and whether other nests might be contaminated if a leak exists. The group’s director pointed out that knowing the type of wasp could help identify where the contamination came from, as some wasps build nests with dirt while others use different materials.
Despite those concerns, the site is well secured, and wasps typically don’t travel far from their nests—just a few hundred yards. This means there’s little chance of the radioactive wasps or nests moving beyond the facility’s boundaries.
Savannah River Mission Completion, the group now managing the site, assured the public that had any live wasps been found, their radiation levels would be far lower than what was in the nest itself.
The Savannah River Site opened in the early 1950s to produce plutonium cores for nuclear bombs during the Cold War. Today, it has shifted to support nuclear power and clean up the decades of nuclear waste left behind.
While this latest finding may raise eyebrows, officials remain confident there’s no immediate risk to people nearby. The radioactive wasp nest is a reminder of the site’s long history, but for now, it’s been safely dealt with and won’t cause harm beyond the site’s secure perimeter.