Radioactive Wasp Nests Discovered in Nuclear Facility

Since early last month, four radioactive wasp nests have been found at Savannah River Site, a nuclear facility in South Carolina. This site near the city of Aiken produced nuclear weapons for the U.S. during the Cold War.

The Savannah River Site, or Savannah River Plant, occupies 310 square miles of sandhills near the border of Georgia. It was created in the 1950s to produce plutonium and tritium for making hydrogen bombs. After the Cold War, in 1996, the Department of Energy began a cleanup operation, which was originally scheduled to be completed in 2016. However, due to many challenges, this deadline was extended substantially to 2065.

During a routine monitoring of the facility for radioactivity (as a part of cleanup), workers came across a radioactive wasp nest. According to the federal report, “The wasp nest was sprayed to kill wasps, then bagged as radiological waste. The ground and surrounding area did not have any contamination.”

However, as biologist Timothy Mousseau from the University of South Carolina mentions, many key details were left out of the report. For example, knowing the absolute level of radioactivity and specific isotopes found in the nest would help determine the origin of contamination.

“The U.S. Department of Energy is managing the discovery of four wasp nests with very low levels of radioactive contamination,” said Edwin Deshong, the manager of the Savannah River Operations Office. “The nests do not pose a health risk to SRS workers, the community, or the environment.”

Still, this does not mean that there is no risk related to other aspects. Dr. Mousseau is concerned that the nests may suggest there are contaminants in the area that have not been completely contained.

“[These wasp nests] indicate that much greater effort must be made to assess the possible risks and hazards of what appears to be a significant source of radioactive pollutants,” he said.

While it is unclear how the nests became radioactive, the report claims that “on-site legacy radioactive contamination” was the cause. Since most wasp nests are made of chewed-up wood pulp, Dr. Mousseau adds that it may have been possible for the wasps to use contaminated wood for their nest.

Although the radioactivity on these nests most likely does not directly impact the public, there are still concerns about whether large areas of contamination have been completely contained. In 2017, radioactive bird droppings were discovered at the site, posing a concern for surrounding wildlife, as birds may carry the radioactivity long distances.

According to journalist Emily Anthes from the New York Times, “The wasp nests are a ‘red flag’ that should lead to more surveillance and investigation.” Biologists such as Dr. Mousseau will continue to examine this matter and determine what the nests “actually represent.”

Sources:

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/01/science/radioactive-wasps-nuclear-savannah-river.html

https://www.ajc.com/opinion/opinion-the-sad-legacy-of-the-savannah-river-plutonium-plant/WCOLIFK3NBEQDIRUGGNSUTCD6M/