Do LED bulbs really draw less bugs?

[idleprocess]

Well, I can state that anyone that wants to test the bug/LED theory out can take a zebralight headlamp on a night hike anywhere in the Hoosier National Forest. They will find that there are a plethora of bugs that will gladly dive bomb and swirl around THAT LED light.

Its bad enough that when hiking at night once it gets warm I just switch over to hand held lights and lose the conveniance of headlamps.

In the city, I suspect I benefit from metal halide streetlights and my neighbors' outdoor incandescent lighting being more attractive to bugs than my LED lighting. I've noticed that whenever I play with my HID spotlights, swarms of insects are attracted within minutes of startup no matter where I'm at.

 

[PhotonWrangler]

In the city, I suspect I benefit from metal halide streetlights and my neighbors' outdoor incandescent lighting being more attractive to bugs than my LED lighting. I've noticed that whenever I play with my HID spotlights, swarms of insects are attracted within minutes of startup no matter where I'm at.

That reminds me of the beam of light at the Luxor in Vegas. The things you see flying around in the beam are actually bats feeding on the insects that are attracted to the HID beam.

 

[Lou Minescence]

Does the led color have an effect on attracting bugs ? Red, green, blue ?
I can remember people using yellow bulbs for their lights by the door. The yellow bulbs were supposed to attract less bugs. I don't know if that worked. I still saw bugs lined up to come in the door.

 

[inetdog]

Last fall I found that I could not use a cheap multi-LED flashlight with cold-white spectrum (and possibly no phosphor?) when walking the dogs in the evenings. It just attracted too many tiny nuisance flies. But my EDC lights with warmer LEDs did not have the same effect.

 

[Anders Hoveland]

The factors that attract bugs are heat, blue light, and UV light.

CFLs seem to attract mosquitoes like crazy (not really surprising when one considers that bug zapping devices use a type of fluorescent tube also). Interestingly, fluorescent tubes that are covered by a plastic globe do not do the same thing, though they are still moderately attractive to moths.

In my experience, all the incandescent bulbs outside seem to attract spiders who build their webs, and mosquitoes sometimes fly around the bulb for warmth at night. Bluish LED flood lighting mostly does not seem to draw bugs, but I have seen a little mosquito hovering around one. I am not sure if it was the heat emanating from the heat sink, or the blue light. I have another LED retrofit bulb (Philips Ambient 12.5 w) that is very yellowish. It does not seem to attract any bugs. But then again, it seems to me that it is almost as yellowish as a yellow incandescent bug light (which was the reason I put it outside, because I did not find it suitable for indoor lighting).

So in general, it seems to me that LED light attracts bugs less than incandescent. But keep in mind that the bluish LED lamps may be attracting bugs from a greater distance, even though the bugs may not be as likely to stay around the warm comfortable heat source.

 

[Paul Baldwin]

I'm in England and we have very few problems with flying insects at any time of the year. You have to go to the west coast of Scotland for that then you'll find plenty of midges, believe me!
The only time I've ever been truly and totally aggravated by them (thunder flies) was when I worked in a small industrial unit on a farm yard. I was welding most of the day at high amps most days in the summer. Even with the doors shut we would be inundated with the pesky itchy little buggers. They'd be all over me, trying to ignore them and still get decent welds down was a challenge I can tell you.
My boss at the time was from Seattle, he and I both were happy in the conclusion it was the powerful UV attracting the insects in such numbers.

 

[SemiMan]

The factors that attract bugs are heat, blue light, and UV light.

... and CO2.


For biting insects, C02 concentrations will keep them around. UV, like in the bug zappers, tends to draw nuisance bugs, but not nearly as many of the biting insects. Those bug zappers in many ways do more harm then good as they don't do much to eliminate biting insects, and take out good insects and food source insects.

The good mosquito killers use propose to generate CO2 and attract and kill mainly biting insects. If you think of it from a biological standpoint, food sources (i.e. humans and other mammals) do not emit any UV, so what is the benefit of UV for attraction? The main benefit of "blue/uv" would be enhanced vision/sensitivity for certain flying insects. That does not mean they bite, just are attracted .... and then when they get close it is the C02 that keeps them around and say FOOD!

Paul, it may not have been only the UV from the welding but also the welding byproducts that were drawing them in or at least keeping them real close. Do you use DEET in England as a bug repellant? The stuff is really not very good for you, but many Canadians my age (which is not THAT old) have spent likely weeks of their life pretty much coated in pure DEET. I can remember many a spring fishing trip coated in DEET, pants tucked into socks, long sleeves (even if warm), and likely a head net just to survive!


Semiman

 

[Paul Baldwin]

... and CO2.
Paul, it may not have been only the UV from the welding but also the welding byproducts that were drawing them in or at least keeping them real close. Do you use DEET in England as a bug repellant? The stuff is really not very good for you, but many Canadians my age (which is not THAT old) have spent likely weeks of their life pretty much coated in pure DEET. I can remember many a spring fishing trip coated in DEET, pants tucked into socks, long sleeves (even if warm), and likely a head net just to survive!
Semiman

It may have been byproducts but the shed was removed from the source of the bugs, nothing really lives in a steel shop. I've used DEET but only on a trip to Western Scotland. It was left over jungle formula from my sisters trip to Borneo. I coated myself in it and didn't feel too good afterwards but the midges there (as in Canada AFAIK) try and carry you off! I'm allergic to mozzy bites and come up in large bumps that can leave a mark for weeks. I visited BC some years back and didn't witness anything like Scotland lol.
Thanks for the thought tho :)

 

[Anders Hoveland]

It probably depends on the type of insect. Some insects see more in the ultraviolet, while other insects are attracted to blue. I have some LED lighting and notice that it tends to be fairly attractive to moths, and only slightly attractive to mosquitoes. The LED lamps have also attracted a couple of big beetles.


Another thing to consider here is that insects do not see blue light the same way humans do. Insects are more sensitive to shorter wavelengths of blue. This does not bode well for LEDs, because the wavelength of blue light they give off is shorter than most of the blue light given off my incandescent source.

Hisashi Wakamatsu, chief researcher of Nihon Gairoto Seizou KK, said that bugs are attracted by ultraviolet rays with a wavelength of 340 to 350nm. Though measuring instruments do not detect such rays in the emission spectrum of white LEDs used for LED street lamps, he found that more bugs are attracted to the LED lamps in proportion to color temperature and brightness of the lamps

Insects are also not attracted to LED lamps in the same way that they are to incandescent bulbs. It seems to be the light that draws them in. But once they are within proximity of the bulb, they do not tend to congregate on the bulb as much. In contrast, with any bulb that gives off a lot of heat, once the insects are in proximity to the bulb, they can start sensing the heat and then like to stay near or on the bulb. So I think depending on the situation, LED lamps could be better or worse.

If you are wondering what to use for outdoor lighting, CFL bulbs tend to attract a lot of mosquitoes, with all the UV they give off, so LED is better, preferably at lower color temperature. I have a 2700K LED bulb outside. It is practically like a bug light, it does not attract insects at all, the light given off is rather yellowish and monotone too.

 

[SemiMan]

It probably depends on the type of insect. Some insects see more in the ultraviolet, while other insects are attracted to blue. I have some LED lighting and notice that it tends to be fairly attractive to moths, and only slightly attractive to mosquitoes. The LED lamps have also attracted a couple of big beetles.


Another thing to consider here is that insects do not see blue light the same way humans do. Insects are more sensitive to shorter wavelengths of blue. This does not bode well for LEDs, because the wavelength of blue light they give off is shorter than most of the blue light given off my incandescent source.



Insects are also not attracted to LED lamps in the same way that they are to incandescent bulbs. It seems to be the light that draws them in. But once they are within proximity of the bulb, they do not tend to congregate on the bulb as much. In contrast, with any bulb that gives off a lot of heat, once the insects are in proximity to the bulb, they can start sensing the heat and then like to stay near or on the bulb. So I think depending on the situation, LED lamps could be better or worse.

If you are wondering what to use for outdoor lighting, CFL bulbs tend to attract a lot of mosquitoes, with all the UV they give off, so LED is better, preferably at lower color temperature. I have a 2700K LED bulb outside. It is practically like a bug light, it does not attract insects at all, the light given off is rather yellowish and monotone too.

Can you provide a link to that company please referenced that the researcher works at.

Semiman

 

[JohnR66]

Just an update. It has been almost 3 months since I put the Cree 6w 2700K 40 watt replacement LEDs in two separate outdoor fixtures that I had used CFL in for years. Both would collect bugs. The front porch fixture would collect bugs so bad that it would start to block out some of the light and I have to clean out the fixtures twice per year. The LEDs have so far attracted almost no bugs. The insects would be of a small enough size that they could enter the fixture and build up over time.

As far as the Cree bulbs, They are working fine. They operate continuously day and night.

 

[idleprocess]

The tri-rebel fixtures I built over my driveway attract very few bugs - almost none relative to the swarms that the old dual-floodlight fixture attracted regularly. Worth mentioning that they're open to the air and dissipate perhaps 3W each.

The porch light with a 5000K Utilitech bulb attracts somewhat fewer bugs than the CFL it replaced. It's dissipating closer to 10W in a semi-enclosed fixture with an open bottom, thus flying bugs may appreciate the retained heat or simply get stuck in there since they can't fly up to escape. I often clean out the carcasses and other detritus from that one.

Geckos are attracted to both, although the density is unsurprisingly higher around the porch light.

 

[slebans]

New research on this issue. Basically, the paper says more research is needed at the individual insect level as there is no blanket solution.
One point of interest is the statement that source lux is not as important as is the difference between the lux of the light source compared to the ambient background.

http://rstb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/370/1667/20140125

 

[brickbat]

One point of interest is the statement that source lux is not as important as is the difference between the lux of the light source compared to the ambient background...

Anyone who has run a MIG welder outside on a summer night could confirm that. Holy cow, instant bug zoo surrounds you when you strike the arc... (course the plentiful UV might enter into it too...)

 

[Qship1996]

we swapped out 60 watt incandescent bulbs in our 4 outdoor wall fixtures with the cree 60 watt equiv. bulbs when they first came out,about 2 years ago exactly,if I recall correctly- the fixtures used to collect about an inch of dead bugs every few months with the incans. installed- since installing the LED bulbs 2 years ago,we have not touched the fixtures and there is minimal dead bug bodies in them.Fixtures run dusk til dawn year round.

 

[PhotonWrangler]

This is amazing considering that the light from LED bulbs has more blue content than incandescents. Could it be the flicker or some other factor than short wavelengths? Of course CFLs flicker also and they seem to attract more bugs than LEDs based on the reports above. I'm genuinely curious what the difference is. Maybe it's one specific wavelength in the visible portion of the spectrum.

 

[CoveAxe]

This is amazing considering that the light from LED bulbs has more blue content than incandescents. Could it be the flicker or some other factor than short wavelengths? Of course CFLs flicker also and they seem to attract more bugs than LEDs based on the reports above. I'm genuinely curious what the difference is. Maybe it's one specific wavelength in the visible portion of the spectrum.

I did a paper search about this a while back. There was a study where they had bug traps far apart from each other in a forest, but illuminated by different colored LEDs. It was clear that some bugs were highly attracted to certain wavelengths. But there was no "universal" wavelength that all bugs loved/ignored. Some were sensitive to blue and green, and others only to red, etc. I could try to find it if there's enough interest. The takeaway I got from it was that there wasn't any magic bullet light spectrum that wouldn't attract bugs. However if you wanted to minimize a particular species, it would be possible to do so.

I would guess the main benefit for LED compared to incandescent or CFL is that almost all of the radiation is visible. If you are having trouble with bugs attracted to IR/UV, then LED would get rid of them almost entirely with no noticeable drop in spectral quality.

 

[SemiMan]

This is amazing considering that the light from LED bulbs has more blue content than incandescents. Could it be the flicker or some other factor than short wavelengths? Of course CFLs flicker also and they seem to attract more bugs than LEDs based on the reports above. I'm genuinely curious what the difference is. Maybe it's one specific wavelength in the visible portion of the spectrum.

Most CFL flicker less than most LED bulbs.

Posted by really crappy Tapatalk app that is questionable wrt respect of personal data.

 

[Anders Hoveland]

This is amazing considering that the light from LED bulbs has more blue content than incandescents. Could it be the flicker or some other factor than short wavelengths? Maybe it's one specific wavelength in the visible portion of the spectrum.

It's probably just the heat. Once the bugs follow the light to the source, they prefer to stay around.

In terms of attractiveness to insects I would not think there would be much difference between the spectral output of incandescent compared to LED light, color temperature being equal. Of course, higher color temperature LED fixtures are going to have much more blue light.

Metal halide bulbs do attract a huge number of insects, so I definitely think there is something spectral going on there.

 

[SemiMan]

Incans have UV ... LEDs dont