Query : hornets attracted to light but not wasps

[Ian Thirlwell]

My own experience has been limited but I regularly get a few wasps in my
garden trap (mercury vapour lamp) in an urban edge location, whereas in a
woodland area hornets will appear in traps during an evening's mothing
session. From this I assume that either may turn up if they are present
anyway.

Ian Thirlwell
Hampshire
UK
ian at dunlinclose.freeserve.co.uk


Prichard,AW,NAR7 PRICHAA2 M wrote in message
<199812220909.EAA25640 at gr.its.yale.edu>...
>Hi
>
>My experience from moth trapping is that many more hornets turn up at the
UV
>lights than ordinary wasps. This year has been noticeably bad (good?) for
>hornets in that sometimes we have had over 50 hornets in each of several
>traps at sites. Whereas wasps although they have been very common during
the
>day only seem to turn up at light very occasionally in ones or twos.
>
>I presume that hornets are still active and flying around at night whereas
>wasps aren't as a rule. Does anyone have any idea why there is a difference
>in the behaviour between the two? What are they getting up to at this time
>of the day - looking for food?
>
>Regards
>
>Tony Prichard
>Suffolk, UK
>