Mother and young son flee home after wasps' nest falls through living room roof

Terrified mother Emma Thickbroom had to flee her own living room - after a wasps’ nest fell through her roof ‘just like a horror film’.

Emma, 22, had been hearing a ticking sound in her living room wall for a few months - but put it down to just a leak.

But last Wednesday evening, her house in Wednesfield, West Mids, was invaded with thousands of the winged insects while she sat watching TV.

Emma said she heard a loud cracking sound before being swarmed by the wasps who burst in through the ceiling at around 9pm. 

She said: 'I was sitting in the living room watching TV while my son Cody was in bed and I heard a bit of a ticking noise, but it got louder and louder.

'There was an enormous crack and the next minute all these wasps came flying out. There were thousands of them.

'I'm not sure how much damage they can do in huge swarms like that - but I'm sure they could have killed my son. I was just thankful I was awake at the time.'

The full-time mum said pest control officers had been to the property to remove the wasps and during clean-up they filled dozens of shopping bags with them.

More work to remove the nest from the ceiling is being carried out this week while Emma and son Cody camp out on the floor at the house of her parent's Joan and Mark.

'The nest is still in the ceiling. It looks like the ceiling could come down in any moment. It is a right mess.

'The wasps had obviously chewed their way through the plastering in the wall by the window. I've never seen anything like it.

'My little boy often plays by the bay window - it could have been a lot worse.'

It is not yet known how the insects got inside, but they managed to get into the living room through the felt in the bay window of the property.

Wolverhampton Homes  - who manage and look after more than 23,000 homes on behalf of Wolverhampton City Council - initially told Emma she would have to cover the cost of removing the wasps herself.

But after seeing shocking photos of the wasp-filled living room the company has since changed its mind and done a U-turn on the matter.

Director of housing Mark Henderson said: 'We don’t provide a pest control service – that’s normally the tenant’s responsibility.

'But in this case, having seen the sheer number of wasps, we’re happy to step in and help.

'I’m not sure we’ve ever seen as many wasps as this before – it’s quite extraordinary.

'We’re in contact with the tenant and we have made arrangements to deal with the problem as soon as possible.'

A mature wasps’ nest in the summer can contain thousands of the insects.

They make their nests from chewed wood pulp and saliva, giving them distinctive papery walls and usually build them in sheltered spots with easy access to the outside, such as roof spaces, sheds and garages. 

The nests can make a scratching, popping or cracking noise when the young wasps are moving around.