Rick and I were shocked when we noticed the Paper Wasp nest in our birdhouse had been attacked and destroyed. The nest that they attached to the inside ceiling is gone and no wasps are coming and going.
Skunks are predators of Wasps, so we are pretty sure one was the culprit.
To see what the outside of the birdhouse looked like before the Skunk ripped it apart, here's the link:
http://www.mendonomasightings.com/2012/07/22/the-strangest-thing-one-of-our-birdhouses-was-recently-taken-over-by-paper-wasps/
And here's a photo of the wasps coming and going:
http://www.mendonomasightings.com/2012/07/28/close-up-photos-of-the-paper-wasp-nest-in-our-birdhouse/
It was a beautiful work of art before the Skunk had its way. I've read to prevent this from happening again, you should tack up aluminum foil on the inside ceiling of the birdhouse. Then the wasps wouldn't be able to attach their nest. Looks like I'll be doing that this winter. I would prefer birds in our birdhouse!
Frank Drouillard
I didn't know skunks climbed trees.
Jeanne Jackson
Striped Skunks rarely climb trees but they do occasionally. Spotted Skunks do climb trees. The nest could also have been destroyed by a Weasel or a Bear. In any case, the wasps were toast.
Frank Drouillard
Too bad -- some artists go to great lenghts to make paper like that.