creating habitat for hornets

this may seem like a crazy idea because some of us have had a bad experience with hornets when they get to close to the nest(some varieties can get more pissed off than others) and these guys tend to nest in hollow logs empty wine barrels or underground cavities.
So I have come up with an Idea to make hornet hotels to be placed in secluded spot in my yard, I may be crazy if this works but this is merely experimental.
two terracotta pots equal this.

Nicanor Garza wrote:this may seem like a crazy idea because some of us have had a bad experience with hornets when they get to close to the nest(some varieties can get more pissed off than others) and these guys tend to nest in hollow logs empty wine barrels or underground cavities.
So I have come up with an Idea to make hornet hotels to be placed in secluded spot in my yard, I may be crazy if this works but this is merely experimental.
two terracotta pots equal this.

I imagine different species would react to that differently, but I'm guessing the inside walls of those pots would provide too little roughness for them to cling to and the entire structure is not really breathable. A rotting log is filled with all sorts of nooks and crannies they can get a foothold on, and of course, it breathes as well. Why not just put some hollow logs in your yard -- instead of reinventing the wheel, so to speak?

By the way, why hornets? Are you thinking that they may make good alternative pollinators for the garden, or do you just want to keep the neighbors at a distance?

I imagine different species would react to that differently, but I'm guessing the inside walls of those pots would provide too little roughness for them to cling to and the entire structure is not really breathable. A rotting log is filled with all sorts of nooks and crannies they can get a foothold on, and of course, it breathes as well. Why not just put some hollow logs in your yard -- instead of reinventing the wheel, so to speak?

By the way, why hornets? Are you thinking that they may make good alternative pollinators for the garden, or do you just want to keep the neighbors at a distance?

Probably to smooth yes, Ill have to see to that.
Are you thinking that they may make good alternative pollinators for the garden, or do you just want to keep the neighbors at a distance?:Neither, I am merely trying to understand the life cycle of different species and have been trying to find ways to make artificial habitats for them. I know they serve some purpose in the diversity of the ecosystem. I have had deep thoughts on where to place the hotels so I dont end up with angry neighbors after me.

Also I have been delving into finding unfamiliar species.
One variety I am trying to find looks like a sandhill hornet but has a larger body that I remember seeing as a child, I kind of wonder if there are endangered hornets out there merely because of the vicious campaign spray can warfare over the last 2 decades.

Certainly there are reasons to have wasps or hornets around. Many of them are effective predators and helpful in that way. I would not worry about unglazed terracotta being too smooth. It might not be suited to some species, but others are likely to be fine with it.

Personally, I would tend toward not inviting them to live on my property - but I have allergy concerns.

Peter Ellis wrote:Certainly there are reasons to have wasps or hornets around. Many of them are effective predators and helpful in that way. I would not worry about unglazed terracotta being too smooth. It might not be suited to some species, but others are likely to be fine with it.

Personally, I would tend toward not inviting them to live on my property - but I have allergy concerns.

In retrospect I agree that terracotta is probably rough enough -- though I still say, IF the species he wants to attract is obviously fond of hollow logs, why not use those? Nature is good enough to provide plenty of hollow logs, so no need to find something else that may not work as well. However, having said that, I do know that some species of paper wasps (which we have here in abundance) are very comfortable making their homes in all sorts of man-made structures. In fact, we invert ordinary tin cans over stakes throughout our gardens just to give our wasp friends more real-estate possibilities near their favourite foods -- they prey on all sorts of pesky bugs in our garden. Once in awhile, we get stung when we inadvertently bump one of their houses, but it's all a part of gardening for us. We do not fear wasps (and fortunately are not allergic) so having them around is a no-brainer. We also actively encourage native pollinators like carpenter bees.

As we do not have hollow logs here that would be more arable perhaps I could attach pvc piping from the bottom and have it act as a circulation chimney above the pot.
I have also thought of using the clay pipes as seen in the pic placing a circular wood disc with a small hole in it.

Nicanor Garza wrote:As we do not have hollow logs here that would be more arable perhaps I could attach pvc piping from the bottom and have it act as a circulation chimney above the pot.
I have also thought of using the clay pipes as seen in the pic placing a circular wood disc with a small hole in it.

I think those clay pipes fitted up with wood disks on the ends would work out even better than the clay pots. They do look kind of like little logs on their sides, don't they? I was thinking that you could maybe use those heavy cardboard tubes from carpet rolls or even Sonotubes (used for concrete forms and available in many sizes from DIY stores) too. You might need to put a piece of sheet metal or plastic or something over the top to keep them from getting soaked through from rain, but even without that, they would probably be fine for a couple of years. (If you are in a really dry landscape, even longer.) And actual logs do rot eventually too, so it wouldn't be like the wasps would not be used to having to adjust to new shelters once in awhile.

There was another Idea earlier this year where I had smaller pots half the size as the ones in the pic that I had inserted string through the holes and had them hanging parallel up in our pergola, perhaps I can try sonotubes as well like you mentioned either hanging or strapped to a high area under the rain gutters.
yellow jackets would have to be in an out of reach spot thats well elevated.

I merged your stuff with the following thread. I hope that is okay by you.

for the tin can wasp houses, place these a bit away from where you will be working because as the season lengthens and they have more offspring in the houses, they will get more defensive, which can limit your access to your produce.  Any upside down tin can will work pretty well, they will use ones that are open or just a pop top if they can get in, and they dont normally blow off of the bamboo. They will also nest inside of cracked bamboo, which can be an unpleasant surprise if you aren't expecting it.  Both of these are mostly used by paper wasps, which do plenty of useful work and pollinating and ignore you unless you are near the babies.