Homeowner’s terrifying find under backyard table after days of rain

An Aussie homeowner was shocked to discover a “colony” of pests had moved into their backyard after several days of heavy rain.

A Brisbane homeowner has made a horror discovery under the table on her back veranda.

While the city was being pelted by rain, a colony of wasps set up home in a backyard at Nundah, about 9km north of Brisbane’s CBD.

The woman shared her discovery to Facebook on Wednesday, desperate for more information on the black and gold bugs.

“We have just discovered these underneath our table on the veranda,” she posted.

“Are they bees or wasps and how do we get rid of them?”

A colony of paper wasps have made their home under a back veranda table. Picture: Facebook

Brisbane apiarist Glenn Lovett said they were wasps, and bees tend to create hives in more secluded areas.

He envisaged the wasps had started setting up home in Nundah a couple of weeks ago and anyone wanting to remove them should wait until at least dusk when they are dormant.

“They’re wasps, possibly paper wasps,” Mr Lovett said.

“It’s probably been there a couple of weeks given there are a lot of wasps on there.

“I’d imagine there’s a nearby food source as well and that’s why they have formed there.”

Anyone having trouble identifying whether a colony contains wasps or bees just needs to check the hive, Mr Lovett said.

“Bees are looking for a secure spot so they will form inside a wall, although sometimes they will end on the side of a tree because they can’t find anything better,” he said.

The best time to remove paper wasps is at dusk when they are docile and have all returned to their nest, says the Queensland Museum.

“They usually like a protected type of space where they can control the temperature and guard the entrance.

“Also bees are quite furry, and wasps fine and smooth.”

Australia has about 35 native species of paper wasps ranging from 8 to 26mm in length and patterned in yellow, brown and black, often with a banded abdomen, according to the Queensland Museum.

Merely destroying the nests is not enough to remove the wasps as they will usually rebuild in the same spot.

“The best time to apply insecticide is at dusk or after dark because all the wasps will have returned to the nest and are likely to be more docile,” the fact sheet stated.