Extraretinal photoreception in hornets

A narrow light beam impinging on the cuticle of hornets in the region of the abdominal dorsum shortens the duration of their anesthesia under ether. The awakening is earlier the greater the intensity of the impinging light and the shorter its wavelength within the range of U.V. and blue. This finding is suggestive of extraretinal photoreception and can be encountered in the worker hornets and drones throughout the year. A mathematical model has been developed which delineates the phenomenon as dependent on the intensity and wavelength of the light irradiation. The paper discusses the effect of the anesthetizing diethyl ether and the manner in which it induces narcosis in hornets and also speculates on the possible mechanism whereby the light which impinges on the exterior periphery of the hornet body abrogates the effect of the ether and produces awakening which is by one order of magnitude faster than that in the dark.