Do LED lights Attract Bugs? What to Know About Lights and Insects (2024)

What about lights attract bugs?

Invasion of your light source by bugs in the dark is discomforting to say the least. Light fixtures should be creating a comfortable environment, not making it worse. It has been theorized that bugs may not only be attracted to the light but also the specific light bulb producing the light. It creates a thought analysis regarding not only the beams of light produced, but also the shape, kelvin and size of the bulb. Most of the insects are attracted to three main colors in the light spectrum; which are green, blue, and ultraviolet. These lie in the wavelength range of 300-650nm. The major wavelength preference of bugs is 300-420nm. On the light spectrum, visible light is in the range of 400-800nm.

These bugs can disrupt activities happening under the lights and take over your outdoor space. When these bugs accumulate in the lights, they cause blockage and light ray obstruction. The outcome is the reduction of the intensity in the beam produced and reduction in the area illuminated, lowering efficiency and of course lots of extra cleanup for you. Examples of bugs attracted to the different lights include moths, beetles, and mayflies. Other examples include crane flies, Some drosophila species among hundreds of others.

Often, these bugs come seeking warmth during cold nights. They are sometimes attracted to lights searching for breeding mates and food. In other cases, bugs are attracted to light for navigation due to the inbuilt travel mechanisms. The buzzing and flickering effect produced by some lights may be confused as a frequency produced by other bugs of the same species thus acting as an attraction. The light polarities from several light bulbs also play a role in the attraction of bugs to lights. Other bugs get crowded on the lights because of the light intensity which temporarily blinds their compound eyes.

Don't confuse with BUG ratings of lights

Which kinds of lights DO attract bugs?

Lights manufactured to produce Ultraviolet and high blue color spectrums attract bugs more than any other lights. The appropriate wavelength suitable for attracting different bugs lies in the range of 300-650nm. Ultra violet sits below the visible spectrum in the 300-400nm portion off that range. Unfortunately the 400nm to 650nm is still over half of the visible spectrum. Therefore, any light source producing a wavelength of range 300-650nm has the potential of concentrating different bugs around itself. Some light sources that attract bugs include mercury vapor lamps, white fluorescent, and white incandescent lights.

Mercury vapor lights produce beams of light from chemical changes in the mercury atoms embedded in the spectral lamps. Different wavelengths ranging from 184.5 to 1014 nm are produced by these lights. The wavelength emission caters to the range most preferred by insects (300-650nm). Examples of mercury lamps include the Low-, medium-, and high-pressure vapor lamps.

Compact fluorescent lights produce a wavelength range between 400-700 nm. The energy system of fluorescent lamps is responsible for converting between 5-22% of the power consumed into the light on the visible spectrum. These lights also produce colors like red, blue, and green with several gradations. The diversity in the light produced is responsible for the attraction of different bugs. The fluorescent lights produce light beams that give off lights like warm white, cool white, and full spectrum.

Filament lamps also have a higher attraction capacity for the bugs. Filament lamps produce light with a color temperature range between 2,800-6,200 kelvins. These color temperatures also produce different color qualities which are bug attractive. The outcome is congestion of the bugs around the filament lamp. The filament temperature can rise to 400 degrees Celsius. However, most of the temperature and heat generated are reduced by the vacuum and the glass coating around the filament wire. The reduced heat provides a warm environment for the bugs which may increase the attraction capacity.

Metal halide lamps and High-Pressure Sodium lamps are highly ranked in attracting different bugs. Most Metal halide lamps produce a color temperature of 4,250 kelvins that gives a combination of pure white and warm white light. Metal halides have been found to attract more bugs compared with the LED lights producing the same kelvins because of the rarefaction principle. Furthermore, the metal halides have ultraviolet light produced from the lamps which is a bug attractant.

The presence of ultraviolet in any light must not be ignored and neglected. Crucial attention must be directed to the light during calibration in the manufacturing process. Reduction in the ultraviolet emissions of the different lights will reduce the flight-to-light tendency of several bugs promoting eco-protection.

Which kinds of lights DO NOT attract bugs

Often, it may be difficult to avoid insects surrounding outside lights for example in the streets, porches, walkways, and fields. However, some lights have been installed with an additional coating which renders a reduction in ultraviolet and blue emissions. These filters reduce the attraction factor of insects to the lights. LED lights with a low ultraviolet emission have also been attributed to reduced numbers of bugs around them. The improvement in the manufacturing process of the lights which involve heat preservation and proper dissipation has been contributory.

Lights that produce yellow light have a lower tendency of attracting lights. Emphasis must be directed towards lamps that produce light outside the visible spectrum. An example is a yellow Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) which produces a longer wavelength and emits less energy.

Halogen tubes also do not have a high tendency of attracting bugs due to the longer wavelength produced. Low wattage lights have also been associated with reduced bug attraction capacity. The low wattage lights produce less heat compared to the higher wattage lights.

Many warm tone kelvins will still have some blue in the spectrum but may help reduce the number.

What kind of LEDs attract bugs?

An aspect of color rendering index is equipped in different lights during their manufacture. The range of the color rendering index is between 0-100. The higher the color rendering index of the light, the more the ability to produce visible color. Visible color has been attributed to have a high attraction capacity to the bugs. Therefore, LED lights manufactured with a higher coloring index to have an increased ability to attract bugs.

The attraction of bugs to lights is also determined by the color temperature of the LED. Most of the bugs are inactive during the day because of the bright light and too much heat and their activity increases during the night. During the night, most of the bugs tend to look for areas of moderate warmth to prevent extreme cold effects. LED lights having a color temperature between 3,500-4,000 kelvins produce neutral white which is a bug attractant.

LED lighting with a luminance proportion of around 1,100 lumens have been found to highly attract bugs. These lights of 1,100 lumens normally produce warm white color which is not neuro-destructive for the bugs. Therefore, bugs can fly to the LED lights and congest the light source.

LED lights which have an ultraviolet aspect in their light production process have a very high attraction capacity for the bugs. The di- and tri-chromatic vision of most bugs is inclined to respond to the wavelength of ultraviolet light which is less than 380nm.

What kind of LEDs do not attract bugs?

LEDs are majorly manufactured to produce high lumen light emissions, not bug prevention. One important factor during the manufacture of the LEDs is the color temperature. The color temperature is also responsible for the production of the light color from the lights using the color rendering index. For example, a color temperature between 2,700-3,000 kelvins can produce soft white light while a color temperature ranging between 5,000-6,500 kelvins can produce light analogous to sunlight. LED lights manufactured producing a color temperature above 5,000 kelvins will produce light analogous to the daylight and lots of blue in the 400-500nm range. Bugs will therefore be attracted to these lights because of their nocturnal nature. Stick to the warm colored lights for general bug reduction(but not complete) or choose to pay for some amber colored lights that tend to be mostly in the 600-720nm range.

REFERENCES

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/moth-meme-lamps-insects-lights-attraction-news

https://www.rentokil.com/blog/insects-attracted-to-light/#.YK0c4agzbDd

https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2018/12/19/why-are-insects-attracted-to-light/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5108255/

https://www.rp-photonics.com/mercury_vapor_lamps.html

https://www.thoughtco.com/why-insects-are-attracted-to-light-1968162

https://www.terminix.com/blog/bug-facts/why-are-bugs-attracted-to-light/

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/filament-lamp

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/11/161115120326.htm

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5108255/

https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/154426789.pdf