Enjoying your coffee on the lawn, terrace, or balcony after a hectic day at work gives you a sense of relief. But the most irritating thing that ruins it is a bug in your mug. Yes, we all face such issues, and the culprit here is that light bulb. We are all aware of the fact that lights attract bugs, but do you know not every light does? While fixing my solar lights I wondered do solar lights attract bugs. If you are in the same boat as mine, then this is the right place to figure this out along with what color light does not attract bugs.
Do Solar Lights Attract Bugs?
Yes, just like every other light source, solar light too attracts bugs. They are positive phototaxis, which means they are attracted to light. Nocturnal bugs use moonlight to find their way through, but their focus is diverted when some other source of light with the same wavelength crosses their path. Bugs that are attracted to light or solar light are:
- Bees
- Butterflies
- Flies
- Moth
- Wasps
Any solar light between 300 nm and 420 nm, including ultraviolet light, are attractive to bugs.
Why Are Bugs Attracted to Lights?
Generally, 3 colors of light are visible to bugs, namely blue, green, and ultraviolet. Among these bluish or bright white lights like mercury vapor, white fluorescent and incandescent are the most common attractors. Two factors why are bugs attracted to lights are heat and wavelength (color).
1. Heat
Different types of bugs have different mechanisms as one may be attracted to light whereas others are attracted to heat. Insects generate heat through thermoregulation, which means they stay warm while flying. But not all bugs can do so. Therefore, the reason why bugs are attracted to light in terms of heat is as follows:
- To warm their bodies if they cannot perform thermoregulation
- Lower body temperatures are harmful and dangerous; thus, they draw heat from light.
- Bugs use infrared rays to locate their prey and hunt.
2. Wavelength
Talking about colors, it is not the same for bugs because the phenomenon of color is not similar to them as it is to ours. What matters here for bugs is the wavelength on the electromagnetic spectrum. The human eye can see 400 nm to 780 nm of wavelength, but insects can see and sense other range of wavelengths that is shorter wavelength categorized as ultraviolet.
Also See: How to Choose Best Solar Powered Security Lights?
Does Red Light Attract Bugs?
If you are curious to know do red light attract bugs, then the answer to it is no, the interests of bugs in red lights are lesser than in yellow lights. Bugs cannot see colors with long wavelengths and red has the longest wavelength. It is not detected by bugs completely. Lights with wavelengths ranging between red and yellow are almost undetectable by bugs, thus they do not attract them.
Also Read: How to Stop Solar Lights From Flashing?
Do Blue Led Lights Attract Bugs?
Yes, bugs find bluish light three times more attractive than white or yellow lights. Blue lights have shorter wavelengths on the electromagnetic spectrum which make them most attractive to bugs. Blue LED lights are produced in household appliances like monitors and televisions. The type and concentration of impurities in semiconductor crystals of an LED bulb determine the color emitted by it. Impurities like boron produce blue colors while green LED lights indicate the presence of other impurities. Now you know do blue led lights attract bugs.
Also See: Can You Charge Solar Lights Inside?
Do Yellow Lights Attract Bugs?
Pinkish, orange, and yellow-tinged color lights are the least attractive to most bugs. They are less bright and do not produce much heat because of their low wattage. The answer to do yellow lights attracts bugs is no. They seem dull and bugs do not feel any energy from such lights. Thus, you can use yellow lights as a bug repellant.
What Color Light Does Not Attract Bugs? What is the Best Light to Keep Bugs Away?
The type of light visible to bugs depends on their eye structure because adult insects have either bi-chromatic or trichromatic eyesight. The former means that there are two types of color receptors whereas the latter means insects have three color receptors. This means light with the lowest wavelength is the least visible or completely invisible to insects, and it includes yellow, red, and orange.
Yellow incandescent or yellow incandescent with high-pressure sodium lights do not emit ultraviolet and blue light. These lights are the answer to what is the best light to keep bugs away. However, there can still be some bugs flying here and there around these lights because once again every bug has different tastes and preferences when it comes to light. Do solar lights attract bugs also depends on the color of the bulb as well as the diodes they emit.
Also See: Best Solar Security Light With Motion Sensor
What are Outdoor Lights that Don’t Attract Bugs?
Even the best solar lights and outdoor lights attract bugs; however warm solar lights are the best possible option for outdoor lights that don’t attract bugs to keep bugs away. Warm LED lights will also serve as a solution and here is a list of types of bulbs with the amount of heat they produce.
- CLF Fluorescent – Low heat
- Halogen – Medium heat
- Incandescent – High heat
- Solar LED – No heat
Overall, all types of light bulbs attract insects and bugs with the only difference being the number of bugs attracted by that type of bulb. However, it is recommended to use warm light bulbs that produce less heat to attract lesser bugs outdoors.
After going through all this content, you should have understood do solar lights attract bugs or not. Solar lights emit light and heat energy towards which bugs are most attracted. However, this varies with the type of bulb too. And what color light does not attract bugs? The answer to this is the wavelength of colors; thus, colors lying between yellow and red on the color chart have longer wavelengths and are invisible to insects.
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