Recently, I found a yellow jacket nest from this year that a skunk had dug up. Skunks are primarily insectivores, and they will dig up nests of ground wasps to eat them and, I imagine, their larvae too. I investigated the nest debris outside the hole and inside. I didn’t see any yellow jackets or larvae. The nest cavity was only a few inches underground and roughly the size of a soccer ball. I went to the location of another nest from the summer and found that it had also been shoveled out. At the entrance, I saw what looked like a yellow jacket queen. Surprisingly, she was still alive but not very active.
I wondered when were these dug up. The digs seemed fresh, and some of the paper of the nest had not been soaked through by the rain. I thought the nests had died off for the winter, but I knew the skunk wouldn’t dig in there for nothing. We have had some frosty, cold nights when the temperature dipped into the upper 20’s (degrees Fahrenheit). Were there any yellow jackets or larvae still in the nests?
I decided to get a shovel, find a nest, and dig it up to see what was in there. There were a few nests near the White Oak Pavilion that I hoped the skunk hadn’t found. While getting a shovel, I ran into Patrick at the shop, and he came with me. We were unable to find the first one we looked for in all of the fallen leaves and grass. We went to two more locations, and the nests had been dug up already. We went to a fourth location and saw that it hadn’t been dug up yet. We started scraping away the leaves and fallen grass, looking for it. Patrick found the entrance to the nest because yellow jackets began streaming out to investigate. It was a cool day so they were only circling close the entrance. Nevertheless, we quickly backed away. I couldn’t believe it was still active! It is almost winter, and I thought yellow jacket nests wouldn’t have survived this long. If the weather is mild enough and the location of the nest is in a protected dry area, is it possible that a nest could overwinter here? I’ll be watching this one to see what happens. Will it survive the winter or will the skunk find it?
