Squirrels in a feral beehive or...?

[tjc1]

My neighbor just told me that this weekend he found a good quantity of comb in his backyard with honey and bees in it (unfortunately he didn't save any for me), but he was wondering if it came somehow from my hive (which it did not). He found it around the base of a big willow tree with several holes in limbs and trunk, so I'm guessing that there are feral bees in there somewhere (maybe from a swarm from my hive...). My question is, what would be getting into a hive way up in a tree at this time of year? Then only active critters we see commonly are gray squirrels - could it be them?

[Robo]

I have seen woodpeckers take out a nest in a tree and make their nest in the cavity.

[G3farms]

could also be a rat

[GSF]

Coon? I'm thinking they may have been too cold to fight back, don't know if there is such a thing tho.

[Michael Bush]

My first guess would be a raccoon.  I've seen them reach in and pull out comb.

[Keith13]

Coon? I'm thinking they may have been too cold to fight back, don't know if there is such a thing tho.

Coons are real

Keith

[GSF]

 :shock:

 :-D

[tjc1]

In the 50's today and my bees were out and about, so I watched the neighbor's tree for any activity - nothing. So I'm wondering if the hive died over the winter (neighbor said there were bees in the comb), and squirrels got in there with nothing to worry about. I have seen a couple of roadkill coons in the last week or so, but it's been pretty cold for much activity.