It took something no bigger than a thumbnail to disrupt about 80 classes at Western Nevada Community College on Thursday.
The Cedar Building, which houses Marlette Hall, was closed Wednesday afternoon after it was discovered that the second and third floors were serving as the home for between 50-60 wasps and yellow jackets.
"We discovered it Wednesday afternoon and pest control came in and sprayed. They actually cleared us to get back into the building, but we are airing on the side of caution," said Sean Sever, WNCC public information officer.
The building houses classrooms and offices as well as serving as the location for several community meetings. Most of the classes were moved to one of the campus' nine other buildings and some were canceled
"We also posted signs on the doors with changes to keep the students and staff informed," he said.
Jack Huston, service manager at Catseye Pest Control, said that infestations like the one at WNCC are fairly common as temperatures drop.
"Everything moves inside this time of year. The most common things we see are spiders and mice," Huston said.
Huston said the company offers programs to help control pests during the fall months when traditionally outdoor animals move indoors through openings. At WNCC it was open awnings.
"They didn't have any visible nests, but the wasps and yellow jackets were getting through the holes where awnings had been removed," Huston said.
The entire building will remain closed until Monday, despite the fact that the known infestation was limited to the second and third floors.
"It's an open building, so we are just going to let it air out until Monday and resume classes then," Sever said. "The students really aren't affected all that much, because we were able to move most of the classes."
• Contact reporter Jarid Shipley at jshipley@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1217.