While lounging on your porch on a cool summer evening may seem enjoyable and revitalizing, it is just dreadful to have to contend with hordes of insects buzzing your outdoor lighting! It seems like an insect crawls up your arm or lands on your shirt every minute. Your constant ducking, shooing, and swatting will prevent you from ever being able to unwind. It seems like you're battling on a battlefield rather than relaxing in a cozy refuge!
How do you handle this, then? How can pests be kept off of your amazing deck so you can enjoy it at night? Insects were inherently drawn to lighting. LED lights, however, are reportedly these six-legged critters' least preferred light source, according to several research. Additionally, it stated that various light spectrums add an added layer of appeal and that warm-colored LEDs are the least likely to attract bugs. But why? What makes LEDs unique, and what gives them their warm hue? Let's attempt to comprehend the insects first before moving on to the lights.
What makes LED bulbs attractive to bugs?
Who doesn't enjoy light, if you're wondering why bugs do? Light was made as convenient, small, and adaptable as possible for us by our forefathers. Furthermore, we are unquestionably happier and more motivated in an area that is well-lit. What does light do to insects, then? Since even scientists are still trying to determine the cause, it's not that simple. Nevertheless, they were able to evoke a few possibilities during their investigation:
Insects use light for navigation.
Bugs move by using light as a compass. Insects are said to navigate by using natural light sources such as the sun and moon. Do you recall the days when sailors relied on the stars to guide them to their destination? It's the same idea! Therefore, insects will go toward a light source in your backyard. However, if your wall bulbs are mistaken for the moon, moths and flies will circle about since they are easily deceived.
Insects use light to find food.
Another notion that has been put up is that insects swarm around campfires and garden lights because they are aware that other insects will be present. Some are there to find a mate, while others are predators out for prey. Additionally, moths typically consume nectar from flowers, which is known to reflect ultraviolet light. Hungry insects mistake some light bulbs for nectar because they also emit a small amount of UV light.
Insects use light to flee/avoid predators.
Seeing a light source in the environment indicates an escape from possible adversaries or hazards for insects at the base of the food chain. They can see the path they need to go and whether a predator is obstructing it more clearly when there is a light source there. Perhaps bugs are crashing into your porch lights in an attempt to ward off their adversaries!
What are the types of light that bugs like?
After learning a few potential explanations for why bugs may be drawn to lights, we must determine which aspects of light appeal to them. LEDs are known to draw fewer insects, but why?
The process known as phototaxis describes how light influences an insect's behavior. Moths and other insects with positive phototaxis are drawn to light, whereas cockroaches and other insects with negative phototaxis are repulsed by light. Consider this if you believe that a biology degree is necessary to comprehend phototaxis. Light appeals to insects for three reasons. There will be fewer insects swarming your outdoor lighting if you lower those alluring elements (phototaxis). What are the three components, then?
Wavelength
Why do the lights on insect zappers seem blue or purple? You've definitely purchased this a lot if you camp frequently, but why do you think it's made that way? We are able to perceive the colors of the rainbow because of three receptors in our eyes: red, green, and blue. We won't be able to see it, though, after we go outside of that range (like UV lights).
Insects, like other animal species, have a keen sense of color, especially cold, shortwave hues like blue and purple. Now you understand why blue and purple are used to make insect zappers! On the other hand, warmer hues like yellow and orange are less noticeable. Not all of them are able to see red!
Heat
It must be the heat if the color isn't the cause. Since insects prefer warm settings, it's possible that some of your lightbulbs are the source of the insects' partying at your house. For instance, mosquitoes avoid your lights because of the heat they generate, not the color. Therefore, select a bulb that releases less heat if you wish to reduce the frequency of visits from your neighborhood pests.
Compared to fluorescents and LEDs, filament-based lights such as halogens and incandescents often generate more heat. Indeed, LED lights produce heat, but not nearly as much as other types of lighting.
Brightness
If you already ruled out the colour and the heat of your bulbs, it's probably the brightness. The brighter your bulb, the more insects will see it. That's why it's better to get outdoor lights that would supplement the necessary brightness you need but not more than that. This way, it will reduce the number of insects that would check in.
What kind of light do you need?
Let's do a quick rundown!
Insects like blue and purple lights but not orange and yellow.
Insects like lights that emit heat.
Insects like bright lights.
Insects like UV lights the most.
Considering all of that, warm-colored LED lights are the finest for keeping pests away! But it doesn't mean you won't notice a fly or a moth every time you turn on your outside lights. Like humans, insects have preferences for different types of light. Therefore, what may be effective for one species might not be for another. You might try purchasing an insect light, however those would not look very well on a porch due of their bright yellow tone. Therefore, a warm-white LED light is your best option for a stylish and comfortable porch light, even though it can't totally get rid of the pests.
