Summer evenings on the porch or patio frequently include an unwanted visitor: bugs. The relentless swatting, scratching bites, and buzzing around your ears can quickly ruin an evening under the stars. While there are lots of sprays, candles, and electronic zappers on the market to help combat this annoyance (many of which will cost you a hundred dollars or more), homeowners have varying levels of success punching holes in their pockets to take down the enemy.
What a lot of folks do not realize is that the light source surrounding your home may be the primary source of the insects in the first place. Studies have shown that some light spectra used in light bulbs are like a beacon to bugs, luring them straight to your living spaces. Realizing this link between lighting and pest attraction could also save you money and curb the use of chemicals around your home while making your outdoor spaces more pleasant.
The good news? A small tweak in your lighting system might be all you need to cut down on unwelcome insect guests, in addition to contacting saelapest.com.
Does Light Affect Pests Entering Your Home?
Yes, light has a direct impact on pest activity and can significantly amplify the number of insects that come into your home.
For the most part, flying insects have an innate attraction to lights — a phenomenon with a fancy name: positive phototaxis. This level of attraction changes with both the type of insect and the type of light, but it is definitely happening. Research conducted has found that houses with the common incandescent wall-sconce type lighting, commonly known as white bug lights or fancy lights, can experience 70% more flying insects in the house than those with bug-friendly outdoor lighting.
And that is because insects use light as a navigation tool. In the wild, numerous species of bugs take their cues from the moon, but when they happen upon artificial lights, they become disoriented, which means they will fly around and crowd your porch lights, windows, and doorways.
Which Type of Lighting Attracts Bugs?
Highly Attractive to Insects
- Traditional incandescent bulbs provide a wide range of light over the spectrum, emitting ultraviolet (UV) light , which lights the way for bugs to come. Their warm glow might be pleasing to our eyes, but to bugs, it’s like a flashing neon sign.
- While traditional white LEDs are more eco-friendly, they emit blue light waves, which attract insects. The more brilliant the light, the further its attracting power.
- Fluorescent bulbs emit high levels of UV light that flying insects, like moths, mosquitoes, and other bugs, are drawn to.
Less Attractive to Insects
- Yellow lights tend to produce longer frequencies than most insects, making it harder for them to see. Although not entirely invisible to bugs, they lure far fewer insects than white bulbs.
- Low-pressure sodium lights tick with a narrow spectrum light that most insects don’t detect well, putting them near the bottom of the most-enticing list.
What Can You Do To Protect Yourself?
You can protect yourself from these bed bugs by following these measures:
- Install yellow “bug lights” or amber LED bulbs in outdoor fixtures. While these specialty bulbs are a bit more expensive initially, they can reduce insect attraction by up to 50%.
- Keep your lights away from openings such as doors and windows. Mount lights on poles as much as possible, avoiding those that are next to a door.
- Install motion sensors, so lights only come on when necessary, minimizing the amount of time they draw insects.
- Employ shades or downward-facing fixtures that send light into the ground rather than in every direction, so you do not attract guests from miles away.
- For the highest level of protection, use bug-enticing lights in concert with other methods of pest control, like screens and selective application of repellents.
