Think of it as an alternative houseplant, a way to decorate an interior with a touch of nature. Wasp nests have become a surprisingly sought-after home furnishings item, with some specimens costing up to $250 per specimen.
The nests have a strange beauty that has led people to hang them in their living rooms, offices and dining areas. They are unique, hard to find and, unlike houseplants, cannot be cultivated. As much of the country decorates their homes with fall's bounty – pumpkins, gourds and spooky knick-knacks – a select group climbs multi-story ladders to harvest these prized nests after their inhabitants have mostly died in the first fall frosts.
When brought indoors as decoration, the wasps' former home takes on the role of a natural sculpture, with a look that both “enhances living spaces” and evokes an “aura of danger,” said Anthony Vesnaver, founder of Newburgh Vintage Emporium in Newburgh, NY
For years, Kyle Vierling, a florist in Sylvania, Ohio, had displayed such a nest on his living room shelf, with the branches on which it was built still attached—further emphasizing its organic form and construction. Recently, Mr. Vierling incorporated the specimen, which he described as “special and ephemeral,” into an arrangement based on Japanese Ikebana principles and mixed it with other collected components.
City residents who want to add a touch of nature to their homes are often the ones interested in the nests, Mr. Vesnaver said. He said he sold three of them at his antique mall last month. “They are people with a keen eye for aesthetics,” Mr. Vesnaver added. He attributed their popularity to a backlash against mass-produced interior products.
Only one stinging insect creates these colorful, collage-looking nests: the North American hornet. As a species of wasp, it spends much of its short life cycle, which lasts from spring to winter, building these hanging homes for its colony and queen.
A small impact on one of these nests can damage its outer layer and therefore shipping is a risky undertaking. While the nests in Mr. Vesnaver's store cost between $40 and $70, many sellers on online marketplaces like Etsy charge more than $150 for their nests, with shipping costs sometimes around $100.
Dan Duchene is one such Etsy dealer who sells bare hornet nests at luxury prices, including a 16-inch example listed for $270. He compared it to the natural version of an architectural model.
Mr. Duchene, who lives in Pembroke, Ontario, across the Ottawa River from Quebec, said he recently sold another nest to an engineer who appreciated the complexity of the habitat the hornets had created for themselves. This idea of domesticity and hard work, says Mr. Duchene, is part of their appeal.
While some buy the nests, others harvest them directly from the source: outside and often very high in the treetops. There is only a short window of time to responsibly recover the nests. You have to wait long enough after the first frosts to ensure a nest is empty, but act early enough to prevent its flimsy structure from being damaged by wind, rain or hungry birds.
Nathan Brown, a horticultural designer from Reno, Nevada, purchased a 30-foot ladder to access a larger nest located high in a tree in a local park. Although he returned the $400 ladder shortly afterward, he kept the nest as part of a dried flower arrangement in his dining room. Mr. Brown has since purchased a second nest and mounted it on his wall like a work of art. “It’s a conversation piece,” he said.
The unique appearance of the nests comes from the way they are built. Bald hornets chew up wood such as dead tree stumps and backyard decks, creating a pulp-like material that becomes paper. “It is laid out in a specific pattern that ultimately becomes a series of interconnected rainbow-shaped leaves,” said Tice Jacques, owner of Coastal Stinging Solutions, a pest control company based in Belfast, Maine.
Mr. Jacques has come to appreciate the look of the nests so much that he has a collection of around 150 nests on display in his home. “There is no comparison between them,” he said. “For me it’s art.”
Wasp nests are also a rich source of inspiration for artists. Fiber artist Kay Sekimachi has used nesting paper to make small home items like bowls. In 2019, New York-based artist Juan Antonio Olivares created an immersive installation in Berlin with two larger hornet nests, accompanied by sound and light effects.
“The paper they make is so beautiful and painterly that you could have done it with a paintbrush,” said Wendy Wahl, an artist from West Kingston, Rhode Island, who has deconstructed wasp nests she found in her own garden for a series of collages.
Ms. Wahl often works with natural materials that she finds on her property. At some point she became so dedicated to working with mushrooms that she began growing them. Wasp nest paper, on the other hand, proves to be more difficult.
“I can’t build a nest,” Ms. Wahl said. “I have to wait for them to do it.”