Yellow Jacket Nest in Apiary

[Jen]

Good Lord Amighty! The raccoons gotta get stung hard doing that!

[The15thMember]

Good Lord Amighty! The raccoons gotta get stung hard doing that!

I know!  Mr. Schmidt goes on to discuss how we often don't really understand the mechanisms by which animals that prey on wasps, bees, and ants deal with getting stung so much.  Perhaps they are more resistant to the venom or have more protection from their fur or skin thickness, or they just take it better than people do because they are hungry.  Probably a combination of factors.   

[Lastfling]

Instead of raccoon, I would consider a skunk to be a more likely destroyer of the nest.  In answer to Jen’s question -  they are after the larvae in the nest - yum.  I usually find several nest a year that are dug out.  Better than me finding them with my weed eater or lawnmower 🥴

[Zweefer]

 

[The15thMember]

Instead of raccoon, I would consider a skunk to be a more likely destroyer of the nest.  In answer to Jen’s question -  they are after the larvae in the nest - yum.  I usually find several nest a year that are dug out.  Better than me finding them with my weed eater or lawnmower 🥴

A skunk is certainly also a possibility, but I haven't noticed any signs that my bees have been bothered, and skunks will go after adult bees and wasps too.  I just feel like with my hives RIGHT THERE, a skunk would have returned for the bees, whereas a raccoon is more of an opportunist.  Also we've seen raccoons in the goat pasture, which is right behind my apiary, before, whereas we've never seen a skunk on our property.