ELECTRICAL RESISTANCE OF THE YELLOW STRIPS OF SOCIAL WASPS UNDER ILLUMINATION

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Abstract
Abstract— The yellow strips usually present on the frons and the gaster of Vespinae and Polistinae have photoconductive properties. When the yellow strips of living as well as of dead wasps are initially illuminated their resistance increases until it reaches a saturation value after which photoconduction occurs.Measurements of photoconductivity were carried out on the following hornet and wasp species: Vespa orientalis, V. crabro, V. mongolica, V. mandarinia, V. analis, V. sulphured, Vespula atropilosa, Vespula maculato (Vespinae) and Apoica pallida (Polistinae).Qualitative and quantitative differences in photoconduction were detected between wasps (or hornets) of the same species but from different castes, wasps of the same caste but at different ages, and between wasps of diurnal and nocturnal species. The photoconductive yellow strips and the non‐photoconductive brown strips of the cuticle of the same segment were morphologically compared. To obtain information on the energy of incident light necessary to produce the increased resistance and the consequent photoconduction, the spectral distribution of the photoconduction was also measured.

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