Several times a year How ants turn off the lights in a Waadtland municipality

In the small Swiss village of Orges, located in the canton of Vaud, street lights have been going dark repeatedly due to a peculiar cause, ants. The issue has become a recurring problem, with the town’s electrical system suffering disruptions caused by these tiny insects. According to local officials, the ants are responsible for frequent outages, forcing electricians to respond multiple times each year. The phenomenon occurs several times annually, typically during warmer months when ant activity increases. The ants, which are commonly found in the area, appear to be drawn to the heat emitted by the street lighting systems. Once inside the electrical boxes, they begin depositing sand and soil, creating conditions that damage the internal components of the equipment. This results in the street lights failing, leaving parts of the village in darkness. Damien Gfeller, deputy mayor of Orges, explained the situation to the Swiss public broadcaster RTS. He noted that the sand deposits are a clear sign of an ongoing ant infestation. “This leads to damage on electrical components, causing the street lamps to fail,” he stated. With around 70 streetlights in the village, the repeated failures have led to annual costs of several hundred francs. Gfeller emphasized that non-functioning streetlights can affect entire neighborhoods, making prompt repairs essential. Orges, home to approximately 425 residents, is situated near Yverdon-les-Bains. For years, the community has dealt with this issue, requiring electricians to make regular visits to address the problems caused by the ants. Despite the inconvenience, the town has managed to keep the lights operational through routine maintenance. Anne Freitag, curator at the Natural History Museum of the Canton of Vaud in Lausanne, provided insight into why the ants are attracted to the electrical installations. She explained that the warmth generated by the lighting systems acts as a lure for the insects. “There are always small openings through which they can enter,” she said. “Once inside, they bring in earth or sand because they want to create a structure similar to their nests.” While the problem is unusual, it appears to be isolated to Orges. Multiple energy providers in western Switzerland have confirmed that they have not encountered similar cases before. They told RTS that such incidents are rare and not widely documented. As a result, there is currently no coordinated effort to tackle the issue on a larger scale. For now, the municipality plans to continue its current approach. Gfeller acknowledged that replacing all the streetlights would require significant investment, especially for a small community. “It would be difficult for a small town to make large investments and replace all the streetlights,” he said. Instead, the council will monitor the situation and consider future steps if necessary. The situation highlights the unexpected challenges that even minor environmental factors can pose for urban infrastructure. While the ants remain a persistent nuisance, the villagers of Orges are adapting to the seasonal nature of the problem, ensuring that their streets stay illuminated whenever possible.