Hornets!

I had the occasion to take a 4 mile hike on a local nature trail in the middle of the night to search for a lost dog. I had my Sam's HID and my partner was carrying my MAG35W mod converted to 6D and another off the shelf "2 million candlepower" $12 lantern.

The HID woke and attracted hornets! I looked them up and they were European Hornets and they meant business! Big suckers! The first one surprised me and I ended up setting the HID down on the ground and witnessed a viscious attack on the lens and lens ring. I stomped the bug and that seemed to calm him down a lot. Throughout the hike we were accosted by these maddened bugs. Whenever I heard the angry buzz I broke into a jog and was allowed to leave their area without further attacks.

They were not interested in the incandescents, just the HID. I wonder if it was the color, intensity, or the strobe. Anybody have a similar experience? Anybody heard rumors legends or myths?

Oh, the Sam's HID burned over 90 minutes with no signs of weakening. The incans worked well with slow dimming that reverted them to intermittent use. I had my fenix on my belt and a SF 9P in my pocket just in case. When I left home, I was not expecting to go off in the woods at night or I would have brought more lights.

I've read somewhere that bees are attracted to certain flowers not because of nectar but of UV radiation reflecting off the petals...could your hornet issue come from UV emitted from the HID lamp where the hornets are tricked into thinking that its a flower or sorts?

Incandescents offer more on the infrared spectrum than UV...:thinking:

I was stung by one of those as a teenager.. got in my sock.. It was.. well.. it was exhilarating.. Anyway, to the point.. My uncle has a garage down the road from me and at different times over the years, I have seen these hornets gather under the light over the front door of the garage at night. It is just your standard GE light bulb. They move around on the building like moths.. I have used this location with all three of my children to collect a specimen for the bug collection they have needed during their progression through elementary school. They weren't dormant at this time either and "good ole" dad had to do the collecting...

Glad no one was stung...

Gordon aka:skillet

Cutler.......If you happen to have a red led light it would be interesting to see what affect, if any it would have on the hornets you described. I have read several posts in cpf as well as from other sites stating that red led's do not irritate insects or animals. If i'm not mistaken one can purchase red or yellow "bug lights" for outdoor use to minimize moths & other insects.

Spin said:

... I have read several posts in cpf as well as from other sites stating that red led's do not irritate insects or animals.

Click to expand...

I didn't know this before, it could turn out to be quite useful knowledge.

There were a couple posts about the color of light affecting animals and insects. I remember a couple links with google said they are more affected by blue spectrum colors. Lots of good information in those other threads....but not sure where they are now. Do a google for "light color insects."

I had a similar experience. I was camping at a municipal campground in Fairfax County, Va. a little over a year ago. I had recently received my 50w XeRay. At about 10pm, I pointed it straight up for a few seconds then turned it off. After I turned it off, I was chased by an angry hornet, which forced my back into my camper. The next day I asked a campground employee if others had reported hornets coming out at night. He said they would come if you shine a bright light.

This must be a common occurrence in Virginia but I've never seen this happen in my home state (Minnesota).

I used to be drastically allergic to bee stings, so this thread caught my interest.

Quick Google Search:

See: http://home.howstuffworks.com/bug-zapper.htm

http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/jun2000/961676774.Zo.r.html

http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/jan2000/948507632.Zo.r.html

http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/2001-04/987450750.En.r.html

From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultraviolet
Ultraviolet is colloquially called black light, as it is invisible to the human eye. Some animals, including birds, reptiles, and insects such as bees, can see into the near ultraviolet. Many fruits, flowers, and seeds stand out more strongly from the background in ultraviolet wavelengths as compared to human color vision. Scorpions glow or take on a yellow to green color under UV illumination. Many birds have patterns in their plumage that are invisible at usual wavelengths but observable in ultraviolet, and the urine and other secretions of some animals, including dogs, cats, and human beings, is much easier to spot with ultraviolet.

This is telling me that HID's are emitting in UV
http://www.tfhrc.gov/safety/hsis/pubs/04148/character.htm


I not suggest using this if you are having hornet problems:
http://www.keiyu-ndt.com.tw/product.asp?product_sn=407

Possibly a frequency thing? Dont HID's make some kind of high frequency sound? ................................................

Well, the first experiment is easy. Know where I can get some clingy colored gels to cover the lens? What's opposite UV, red?

I once made the mistake to switch on a 35W HID during a boat trip on a small river at night ... in a few seconds we were swarmed by bazillions of insects of all kinds and sizes.Never again.
35W of useless luggage.
bernie

this just gave me an idea for a UV or IR HID lantern.....put it high up in the trees with a rope while camping, turn it on and no insects at ground level... :naughty: