What would dig out a wasps nest?

[Doing it for the kids]

Got ambushed over the weekend by a wasp nest whilst out walking / riding with friends, 3 dogs, one an OAP, 5 kids from 3 - 9 and 2 ponies.

the puppy shoved his head down a recently dup out nest and caused a right panic! We all got stung but lived to tell the tale.

badger?i know they like honey bees but would they dig out wasps? After the larvae I suppose? I wanted to look for tracks but didn’t want to hang about!

 

[5020man]

Yes, badgers just love wasp grubs.

 

[B'o'B]

My bet would be badger

 

[Doing it for the kids]

And I was hoping numbers were low around us

 

[upnortheast]

That's what badgers do, when they are not eating hedgehogs

 

[B'o'B]

That's what badgers do, when they are not eating hedgehogs

.....or bumble bees.

 

[Paddington]

We have plenty of wasps nests this year and plenty of badgers, trouble is they have a job of hanging on under the eaves.

 

[lazy farmer]

Hadn’t thought about this before but since the cull not only have I seen hedgehogs back but the amount of bees in my garden is off the scale. I hadn’t put the two together.

 

[farmerm]

Between out kids we seem to be averaging a wasp sting every 3-4 days. Got a couple of nest inside the walls of the house in awkward places I cant get close to with a ladder. Hitting the access holes from 3m with foam just isnt getting the job done

 

[Lindell]

If you can get close to the entrance hole, put Ant Powder down in the entrance. Wasps will carry it in on their feet and kill rest of nest. Works very well, but obviously you have to get near the nest.

 

[David.]

I know I keep on about it, but dont kill wasp's nests if you don't have to, they kill no end of garden pests.

 

[Lindell]

Late in the season they're after sugars, fruit,. They also rob bee hives and kill the bees, as we've found out.

 

[Goweresque]

Hadn’t thought about this before but since the cull not only have I seen hedgehogs back but the amount of bees in my garden is off the scale. I hadn’t put the two together.

Its weird isn't it, Bee Lives Matter when its farmers killing them with neonics (allegedly), but Bee Lives Don't Matter when its badgers at fault.......

 

[deleted user 837354]

I know I keep on about it, but dont kill wasp's nests if you don't have to, they kill no end of garden pests.

They love eating caterpillars off our brassica veg in the garden!

 

[Kidds]

Late in the season they're after sugars, fruit,. They also rob bee hives and kill the bees, as we've found out.

Yep, they switch to apples and plums around about now.

 

[farmerm]

I know I keep on about it, but dont kill wasp's nests if you don't have to, they kill no end of garden pests.

I would leave them it the kids would stop standing on the bloody things!

 

[farmerm]

Yep, they switch to apples and plums around about now.

and get drunk and aggressive on fermenting sugars, much like young farmers at Blackpool

 

[Dry Rot]

Just to maintain my reputation as the raptor know-it-all, how about Honey Buzzard? (Highly unlikely, but what the hell).

Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation

Honey Buzzard - Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation

Scientific name: Pernis apivorus Identification Honey buzzards exhibit sexual dimorphism, which is unusual for large birds of prey. The most obvious difference is the colour of the head: grey in males and brown in females. The upperparts of females are also darker than males, and the pale...

www.roydennis.org

Diet
Honey Buzzards are unlike other large raptors in that they specialise in eating insects, with wasp and bee larvae making up a large part of their diet. They have adaptations that protect them from stings and help them deal with their prey: their legs and feet are heavily scaled and the feathers around the bill are dense and scale like. The bill is long and curved with an extended point suitable for holding insects, and their nostrils are reduced to long slits that are less likely to become blocked with soil or wax as they dig for wasp nests. They are not entirely dependent on insects; frogs, young birds and even some fruit are taken as alternative prey.

 

[Doing it for the kids]

Not sure we have them around here, the fish eagle called in for a bit last yr though!

 

[Netherfield]

Yep, they switch to apples and plums around about now.

Yes the little b*******ds get more plums than we do, got to be careful trying to pick them without getting stung.

Made a few traps which caught loads, but then found I'm wasting my time, everyone you kill gets replaced by another.

For years we always seemed to have a nest somewhere in the garden, I even bought a bee suit and destroyed a few, then the last two years they seem to be not many about here.