Watch a Black Bear Dig Up a Wasp Nest — and Get Absolutely Swarmed

Right now, there’s a wasp nest on my house’s electrical box. It turns out the best way to remove it might not be to use insecticide…but to hire a black bear. At least, that’s my takeaway from this video I recently came across.

The video was posted to YouTube by Wilson Forest Lands in September 2021. It begins with a black bear inspecting the ground and then beginning to dig at what appears to be a wasp nest. The bear starts shaking its head right away—suggesting the wasps quickly started stinging it. Though clearly uncomfortable, the bear proceeds with the task at hand. Soon, you can actually see the wasps swarming it, creating a small cloud around the bear’s head that grows bigger and bigger the more the bear digs. See it for yourself below.

“It is common for bears, skunks, and other animals to dig up the nests and eat the larva,” explains the video’s description. “This bear swallows the whole nest. It gets hundreds if not thousands of stings in the process from angry yellowjackets.”

After wolfing down the wasp nest, the bear runs off a short distance and promptly dives into the ground and starts rolling around, which is exactly what I would do if I’d been stung by a bunch of wasps. But the video doesn’t end there. According to the video description, ten minutes later the bear finds another wasp nest—and does the exact same thing. Talk about high pain tolerance.

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Black bears are considered opportunistic feeders, meaning they will eat whatever food sources present themselves, whether it’s roadkill, berries, or, yes, wasps. Wild black bears can grow to up to 600 pounds. During the summer months, an adult black bear will typically consume 5,000 calories each day.

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