Hornet cuticle: effects of short-term UV irradiation.

Effects of short-term UV irradiation were investigated on various cuticular parts of workers and queens of the Oriental hornet, to wit: brown strip, yellow strip and wing. On each preparation of the afore-mentioned, a reading of the relative optical density (ROD) was taken prior to, immediately following, and 15-30 minutes after its irradiation as compared to white light irradiation. The results showed that brief UV irradiation causes changes in the ROD of hornet cuticle, and that these changes in ROD are different in brown than in yellow cuticle. Those in yellow strip are induced by the presence or absence of the active yellow pigment, whose quantity in worker cuticle is different than in queen cuticle, probably due to the various activities in which they are involved during the active season.