“Some Area 51 aliens type sh*t”: Internet reacts as radioactive wasp nest found in the United States

An inspection at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina recently found a radioactive wasp nest. This discovery led to more investigations to check for possible contamination around the old nuclear weapons facility. On July 3, workers noticed the nest near tanks that store liquid nuclear waste. The U.S. Department of Energy shared this information in a report.

Radioactive wasp nest found at former nuclear site in the United States with radiation levels 10x above federal limits. 😳 pic.twitter.com/KRubCUIReI

— My Mixtapez (@mymixtapez) August 1, 2025

The Savannah River Site, built in the early 1950s near Aiken, was designed to produce plutonium pits. These pits played a key role in making nuclear weapons. While the site no longer produces weapons, it now handles radioactive waste, works on nuclear fuel programs, and focuses on cleaning up the environment.

Officials said radiation levels in the nest measured about 10 times over federal safety limits. When they found the nest, there were no live wasps inside. They sprayed it with insecticide, took it away, and discarded it as radioactive waste.

The Department of Energy stated there was no sign of any leakage from the nearby storage tanks. They explained the contamination in the nest came from "onsite legacy radioactive contamination," meaning leftover radioactive material from the site’s past activities.

The tank farm holding the nest sits well within the facility’s grounds. Experts believe wasps in this region stay within a few hundred yards of their nests. This reduces the chance of contamination reaching areas outside the site.

Savannah River Mission Completion, which now runs operations there, mentioned that live wasps, if present, would carry less radiation than their nest itself. The environmental monitoring group, Savannah River Site Watch, raised questions about missing details in the report. They said identifying the wasp species and the materials in the nest could help figure out where the contamination came from. They also stressed the need to investigate whether more nests with contamination might be present in other areas on the site.

“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,” Tom Clements, executive director of the group, said.

Netizens share their thoughts as radioactive wasp nest discovered in the United States

Online users reacted with a mix of humor and skepticism to the radioactive wasp nest discovery, comparing it to sci-fi scenarios and superhero origins.

"Some Area 51 aliens type sht," an X user commented on the radioactive wasp nest news.

"Radioactive wasps. Because clearly, the U.S. government finished messing up humans and said, ‘Let’s evolve insects next,’" another user commented.

Comments ranged from jokes about mutant insects to disbelief over AI-generated images being mistaken for real photos.

"Mf saying the pic ai like they gone actually send a photographer to a former nuclear site without proper protocol and protection duh it’s a illustration in AI form," one wrote.

"Haha that’s so cool," another user reacted. 

"Perfect setup for a new Super Hero movie," another user wrote.

"Sure, you go get stung by a radioactive wasp and then tell there is no danger," one commented.

At the Savannah River Site, workers handle 34 million gallons of liquid nuclear waste. This is less than the original 165 million gallons, which was reduced through evaporation. Out of the tanks used for storing this waste, 43 are still operational, while eight have been shut down. Officials continue tracking radiation levels at the site as part of their normal safety checks. They may need to carry out more reviews to find out if other contamination routes are present.