A Slovak musician who renovates instruments as a hobby made an unusual discovery: the man discovered a large hornet's nest in one of the drums.
Peter Mueller is a guitarist and also plays drums. In his free time he repairs musical instruments. In the town of Malacky in western Slovakia, in the attic of his friend's parents' house, there were old percussion instruments. They had been lying there for over 40 years and were due for renovation.
Some time ago, the man carefully moved one of the drums and hid it in a shed. He was supposed to repair it in time. This year, however, he noticed something unusual – insects started flying out of the instrument.
Will the drum go to a museum?
– I was surprised by this discovery. I could see from the shape that it was not a wasp, but a hornet's nest – Mueller told Slovak media.
As the musician admitted, the drum will probably no longer be suitable for playing. He contacted the Slovak Museum of Natural History. The organization showed interest in the unusual find.
Hornets can build nests up to 80 centimeters in diameter. These insects bite wood, which they chew. When mixed with saliva, this creates building material. Just before the beginning of autumn, the nest disappears, and the queen builds a new one the following year.
Main image source: ENEX