Subject: Magpies and yellow jackets
Date: Aug 12 20:17:37 2000
From: Kelly Cassidy - lostriver at completebbs.com


A colony of yellow jackets made a nest on the underside of my deck cover a
few weeks ago. Yesterday, I noticed a few magpies were hanging around the
deck. I couldn't figure out what they were after until this morning, when I
saw the yellow jacket nest was gone. In its place were about 10 forlorn
adults, apparently discussing rebuilding plans. (I would rather they
relocated, but that's not the question.)

I found the nest, completely emptied of its larvae, on the floor of the
deck. Apparently, the magpies ate all the larvae. What I'm wondering is
whether the magpies also knocked down the nest deliberately or found in
knocked down (by the wind yesterday?) and took advantage of the situation.
Erlich et al. says magpies are the most insectivorous of the corvids. Do
they intentionally seek out yellow jacket nests?

Kelly Cassidy