I have seen them in various garden catalogs, but never got around to trying it out. We have had hornet problems here for several years--those giant brown hornets. Most of the white faced hornets usually make their nests away from my house (not quite always though). A number of years back a new kind of hornet, those giant brown ones showed up. I didn't know what they were until later. They nest inside tree bark, and come out at night, and love to hang around my outside lights when I need to use them. Anyway, a local friend made her own homemade fake hornet nest, and said it really works. I made one also. All you need is a brown paper lunch sized bag, and something such as newspaper or plastic grocery sacks for stuffing. Fill it up, and fluff it around, and tie off with a rubber band. You can use a string or piece of wire (baling wire is bountiful here) and hang it in an overhang on your porch, or eaves to keep it dry. So far, I have only had an occasional wasp or hornet show up, but he doesn't stay very long. It seems to be working! Yay. So it is a bit ugly. It is way better than fighting those things, getting stung and otherwise being annoyed by them.
So far, the wasps are also keeping their distance.... Only an occasional stray one, not lots of them like I usually have. I need to hang another one out back someplace... Trying to think of a place I can reach that will also stay dry. Apparently, they are quite territorial?
I have an real hornets nest that was abandoned. I've sprayed it with varnish and am going to put it in the greenhouse. They keep wanting to build nest in it so hopefully that will stop them.
Those little guys are so fast. I once had a real hornet's nest right by my front porch next to the electric meter. They had it bigger than a football before I knew it was there, and I walk there daily. Then it was a dilemma how to get it down safely. And another one under the eaves of my bedroom... I have seen where people on the internet sell hornet's nest.... I guess it is dead before they sell it.
I had made one a couple years ago, one for by the hummingbirds feeder and one by the front door. They did work great for me.
I am trying to think of a way to make it waterproof, because I need to put some in other places around my yard. But they are staying away from my front porch! For several years (more than 5?), the hornets have been harassing me on my front porch. Today, I went out to trim some rose of Sharon bushes that are overly large where I need to walk, and there were a lot of bees and Japanese beetles getting after me. It didn't take me long to decide to do it later... like after FROST in the fall.
