Hornets with Solar Panels?

Those stripes on the Oriental hornet are not there just to gussy it up so we an admire it — or avoid it. Hornets do have a reputation for stinging, as I recollect. No, the stripes were analyzed in detail, and it looks like they not only help it absorb solar energy, but they may also store and use it. Secular scientists are doing the typical thing by seeing the amazingly intricate the design and workings of the Oriental hornet, and instead of giving glory to the Creator, they bow in adoration to blind, purposeless evolution. Ironic, what they consider a product of evolution is also something worthy of biomimetics (copying nature for human purposes). They want to see if they can imitate it and get something useful for converting solar energy. Oh, boy.

Looking for some “green” technology to cut your energy bills? Maybe you should check out the Oriental hornet. Unlike many other wasp species, the Oriental hornet (Vespa orientalis) becomes most active in the heat of the afternoon. In fact, the industrious insect digs its nest most intensely when exposed to the most extreme rays from the sun. This odd behavior caught the attention of researchers at Tel Aviv University in Israel.

Using atomic force microscopy (which provides three-dimensional images down to an atomic scale), the team zoomed in on the brown and yellow stripes on the hornet’s abdomen. Although the surface, or cuticle, appears smooth, it actually contains layers and layers of microstructures that appear to “harvest parts of the solar radiation.” In other words, the hornet may be a flying solar panel.

To finish reading the rest of the article, buzz on over to "Solar-Powered Hornets".