Watch: Massive Rotorua wasp nest home to one million German wasps being tackled by exterminators

Discovered on the outskirts of Rotorua it's finally safe to dismantle after a week of poisonous injections.

A monster wasp nest discovered in Rotorua is set to be cut down on Monday, after several doses of poison from exterminators.

The nest’s been the home of up to one million German wasps, is about two metres wide by two metres tall, and is thought to weigh approximately 100 kilograms.

"Probably been here for a minimum two, possibly three years," Bay Pest Services Limited manager Chris Brunel said.

"I’ve never seen this big a nest in 30 years in the industry."

Others exterminators are enjoying the challenge.

"It’s a bit more fun that doing your average rodent bating or spraying," admitted Bay Pest Services Limited’s Joel Dunn.

The wasp haven's nestled in an area of bush, part of the upper Kaituna catchment, in Hamurana.

It was discovered by volunteers doing restoration work.

Mr Brunel and Mr Dunn have injected the nest with insecticide four times this week, attempting to kill it, in preparation to take it down.

"The first day we treated it, started tearing into the nest basically the entire bush came alive with wasps," Mr Dunn told 1 NEWS.

"We were very hastily making our exit that day.

"It’s very big and very volatile and very dangerous so unlike just a standard wasp nest, we can’t just get in and get out," said Mr Brunel.

"We have to be very careful, consider all the health and safety aspects, escape routes, plus it’s on a very steep slope and very difficult to get at from below or above."

"Joel’s been stung and I’ve been stung.

“Even taking all the precautions we’ve still been stung, so we’ve got to be really careful," he said.

They’re hoping the poison’s now done enough to ensure they won’t get stung again while they work next week.
 

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