Wasp behaviour at night?

[Lola*]

Hi,
I have a wasps next in my shed. I have left it as I only discovered it last week and we are going into autumn. Do you think that it is okay to leave it until it has died out, I was told they die off soon. I've kept away from the nest area but I'm worried as I have small children and now the wasps are getting cranky. This morning I got up at 6am for work and had noticed that the security light had come on after the sensor was set off. It was then i realized that it was due to a lot of the wasps that were bouncing off the light and there were also about 100 or so lying around on the patio and clinging onto my windows. I have never seent this behaviour before, is it normal and what does it mean? I thought they must be leaving the nest and dying as a lot were just lying still. I went to work but when i returned in the afternoon they were all gone from the patio etc. Just the normal coming and going activity at the entrance to the shed/nest. Looking for advice please, especially on whether I should just leave them be?

[Klaas Reißmann]

Hi Lola,

I don't know if Wasps are active by night. I do know, that hornets (Vespa crabro) are active at night and than are attracted by light. Because they are all the same family (Vespidae) I guess that there is no difference between hornets and wasps. So they might be active at night and when flying around, they are attracted by the light. The explanation for the attractivness of the light is in the orientation of insects by night.

Most of the insects orientate by the light of the moon at night. The light hits the eyes in an angle of about 80° (that keeps them flying straight on). Insects don't orientate on the whole light spectrum but only on the ultraviolet parts. From a small distance to our technical lights, our lights cover the light of the moon and the insects only see the ultraviolet light of our lamps. They keep the angle of about 80° and in this way fly in turns closer and closer to the light until they hit it. They are not able to get away until sun rises or the light is switched of.

To get this managed you can by an electric bulp with no ultraviolet light. So when the light turns on it is bright and clear but the insects don't get attracted, because there is no ultraviolet light that covers the ultraviolet of the moon.

On the other hand it is right, that the nest will soon die out. With the first cold, more or less frosty nights it is all over. So maybe there is no use to buy an electric bulp.

Regards
Klaas