Duration of hornet sleep induced by ether anesthesia is curtailed by exposure to sun or UV irradiation.

Irradiation of hornets anesthetized by diethyl ether curtails their sleep duration from the ordinary 20-30 min to a mere 2-3 min. This effect on sleep is dependent on the intensity of the sun irradiation or, when exposed to monochromatic UV at 366 nm, on the duration of the irradiation. Of the various hornet cuticular areas of the body, the yellow cuticular areas of the abdominal segments are the most sensitive to the treatment. We assume that the cuticles of both live and dead hornets act as a converter of light to electric energy.