LONDON -- Is this a homeowner's skin-crawling nightmare? Or an impressive depiction of what happens when nature is left uninhibited?

In this case, the answer is a resounding "both".

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A positively massive nest, built by as many as 10,000 stinging wasps, was discovered in an empty loft space by North London-based Pest Professionals in the small village of Pipewell, UK.

Nests such as these can easily hold between 6,000 and 10,000 wasps.Credit: pest professionals

The property had been left unoccupied for several years, allowing the nest to reach close to its maximum size of approximately 1-metre wide (3.2 ft).

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The colony was left undisturbed, which explains how it reached such a large size.Credit: Pest Professionals

Another fascinating feature of the nest was a perfectly preserved tunnel built by the wasps, which leads from the colony's dwelling to the outside.

The intricate structure is a rare find in wasp nests.Credit: pest professionals

Pest controller Gary Wilkinson, who found the nest, had initially been called in to treat the home for woodworm in preparation for its new owners.

In a press release sent to Mashable, he is quoted as saying: "Although you wouldn't want it in your own loft, you have to say it's a very impressive and -- in its own way -- a very beautiful thing."

Sounds about right to us.