What animal eats yellow jacket nests?

[Coyote]

Here's a crazy post. I got stung by yellow jackets while bush hoggin' in NC. Came back the next week to kill them and an animal had dug up the nest and ate all but a few pieces! Brave little sucker whatever it was! Anybody heard of this? Racoon? Fox?

 

[herbenus]

Don't know, but I'd guess a bird. They'll eat almost any bug and the nest may have been used as it's own nest material.

I was walking a section last night that I plan on mowing and almost walked into a nest with about 30 yellow jackets on it. Luckily I saw it. Been stung before by the little bas#@#ds and it aint fun. I'll be taking that walk again tonight, only with a can of hornet spray in my hand.

 

[herbenus]

Okay, I should have looked it up first. I found a couple of websites that say that skunks and possums eat yellow jackets, in particular the larvae. Now how to direct a skunk over to my wasp nest?...

 

[Currmudgeon]

I've long been threatening my wife that I'll raise skunks, just out of meanness. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

Now I have another justification. She's allergic to bee stings.

 

[GreenMtnMan]

I'd like to find a skunk that will climb 40 feet up the side of our house to eat the basketball sized yellow jacket nest hanging under our eaves. It's impossible to get at without a boom lift.

 

[PaulT]

My German Short-haired Pointer will eat all of the yellow jackets that fly his way /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif. He takes his birddog thing seriously - anything that flies is his! I bought a new gas grill this summer, and I haven't removed the old (and heavy) one from the deck yet. There is a wasp nest inside the valve panel, and he will sit patiently, pointing at the nest, until one comes or goes. Then he springs into action - literally! He snaps at one until it is squirming on the ground, then he carefully picks it up with his teeth and, biting very quickly, flings it around until it is motionless. Then he gulps it down. Strangest thing I ever saw in a dog. Yes, he gets stung, but much less so now that he has perfected his technique. I purposely leave a nest around just for his (and my) enjoyment /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[rrsquid]

I know birds will eat wasp nests. We cleared out some juniper bushes at our house and found several nests. One was the size of a large dinner plate! After they were exposed overnight they were picked clean. We do have the occasional skunk wander by, but I haven't seen a possum in our area. However, we have lots of birds (I'm 1 mile from a bird sanctuary) and I'm sure it was them.

Mark J.

 

[dmartin88]

Whatever animal it is, I want some of them at my house! A few weeks back, I was stung about 10 times and ended up in the emergency room with an allergic reaction-- paramedics and family made the difference although it was pretty bad for a while. Posted about my experience in the safety forum. Two weeks ago, I went back to where I was stung with a can of hornet spray and couldn't find a trace of the nest that I had opened with my brushog-- sprayed the area down anyway just to feel better. Glad you weren't hurt seriously.

 

[CountryBoy]

Skunks for sure..

 

[kokopelli2]

i have had 2 dogs that do this! one a huskey shepard mix and the other a shikoku. i dont know why but they go for anything on the move.