We have seen hundreds of bugs on many occasions, constantly buzzing around an outdoor lamp. There is no doubt that light sources always attract bugs.
But what is the reason for them to stay around the light? Is there anything that can be done about it? As we know, many lights attract bugs, and LED light is not an exception. In this article, I will detail the reasons for LED lights attract bugs.
LED light tends to attract bugs, although LED light produces less heat, which might not attract as many bugs. But there are other factors such as color spectrum, wavelength, UV light, etc that will cause LED lights to attract bugs.
We can see the details of these factors in detail as follows;
1. Color Spectrum
The study found that bugs are attracted by colors rather than a certain kind of light because bugs perceive colors in the UV spectrum slightly differently.
Many studies have shown that colors are among the factors that attract bugs. Different colors such as yellow, blue, red, green, and white have different proportions that attract bugs, and this can change depending on the time, such as nighttime and daytime.
According to the study, the blue spectrum attracts 22.40%, the yellow spectrum attracts 10.60%, the white spectrum attracts 18%, the green spectrum attracts 4.7%, and the red spectrum attracts 2.20% of the bugs.
According to the research, the blue spectrum is the color that attracts the most insects, followed by the white, yellow, green, and red spectrum.
Percentage (%) of insects attracted at different colored LED light
| COLORS | PERCENTAGE |
| Blue | 22 |
| Green | 4.7 |
| White | 18 |
| Yellow | 10.60 |
| Red | 2.20 |
2. LED Light Is Cooler
LED light can be more favorable for attracting insects than other incandescent bulbs, compact fluorescent bulbs, halogen bulbs, or ultraviolet bulbs because LED light is much cooler than that other incandescent bulbs because LED light has more components that help cool the light.
The reason why insects stay near LED light is that it generates less heat, about 20% waste heat, which attracts more insects, but incandescent, CFL and halogen lamps generate about 80% heat, which is higher than LED.
For this reason, incandescent bulbs and other lamps generate so much heat that insects may burn, so they prefer to stay near LED because they generate less heat.
3. Wavelengths
Wavelength and color temperature run parallel to each other, as we can see, the wavelength can attract insects.
Wavelength is used to distinguish between colored light and ultraviolet light, so the wavelength of LED light is determined by the semiconductor material, giving us an idea of the color of the light it will emit.
In addition, there are shorter wavelengths such as UV, blue and green light that are more visible and attract many bugs than longer wavelengths such as yellow, orange, and red light that attract fewer bugs.
Other light sources such as halogen and incandescent bulbs also tend to emit UV radiation that attracts insects because these types of bulbs produce high temperatures.
Although the light from LED generally produces less or no UV light, making it less visible to bugs, there is still a chance that a LED bulb will produce a shorter wavelength of light, such as a bluish-white or cool-white color, which will attract more bugs.
Generally, the light of LED is divided into three wavelengths, ultraviolet, visible, and infrared light, so LED light with a wavelength above 550 nm (nanometer), e.g., ultrawarm yellow light or warm white light with a short wavelength, could attract more bugs.
4. Greater Reach of UV Light
Insects can be attracted by this UV blacklight for night-flying insects such as moths and beetles, because their eyes are more sensitive to ultraviolet light than human eyes, with a shorter wavelength for insect eyes.
For this reason, blacklight will attract insects differently than other lamps such as halogen and incandescent light.
This indicates that insect photoreceptors are tuned to a wavelength of about 0.00025 mm, which is almost equal to the UV output of Lumnia LEDs of 0.000265.
The horizontal range of UV light from a Lumnia unit is about 35% greater than that of an incandescent lamp. Accordingly, the Lumnia has a longer range over which it is attractive to insects while consuming less power.
5. LED Light Generate Less Heat
As we know, incandescent, CFl, and halogen lamps tend to generate so much heat, and that means 90% of the energy they consume is wasted in the form of heat. Based on this concept, bugs with thermoreceptors can sense the heat emitted from the light source of incandescent bulbs, CFL, and halogen lamps. However, the light from LED is different because it produces less heat, about 10% of which is used as waste, which attracts more bugs because it does not burn them.
Ways To Keep Bugs Away From Your Home
Having seen that LED light can attract bugs, here are the ways you can do to reduce bugs in your home.
Turn off your LED lights
Turning off the lights can result in fewer bugs flying around, but that’s not the only solution that can keep insects away. If there are bugs near the door, chances are some of them will find their way into the house.
Eliminate Standing Water
Eliminate standing water, such as in your flowerpots, and remove bird feeders from your home.
Repair Your Door Seals
A bad door that is not properly fixed will allow insects to pass through and will also allow light from inside to illuminate the passageway for insects.
Be sure to repair your door and seal all passageways to prevent light from coming in to attract more insects.
Keep Your Environment Clean
Make sure you have enough trash cans in your area to store your garbage and food waste. If possible, keep trash cans away from windows and doors.
Check Your Screens
Any light coming from your home will attract insects. So make sure your windows and doors are in good condition.
Final Thoughts
All in all, we can conclude that all lights attract bugs. Some attract more bugs than others, such as the light from LED, which attracts fewer bugs compared to other lights because of its design and technological advancement.
For example, LED light with a warmer color temperature attracts fewer bugs. Also, there are LED lights that attract and kill bugs. The LED Z- Bug Bulb is a bug zapper and LED light in one.