Many homeowners wonder, do LED strip lights attract bugs? Are there lights that don’t attract any insects at all? Keep reading if you want to know the answers to these questions, as well as some others.
Bright lights in the darkness
Why do lights attract bugs in the first place?
Insects need lights for the same reason we humans do, to navigate in the dark. In nature, there are only two major light sources: the moon and the sun. There is, of course, lightning, wildfires, or luminescence but we can ignore these here.
In theory, at nighttime, insects should only be able to rely on the moon and stars.
Enter humans. Our artificial light sources really confuse the bugs. Where there should be only one moon, there are many. And they all vary in brightness, wavelength, and temperature. It’s quite hard to wrap your head around this mystery, especially if your head is smaller than a tenth of an inch in diameter.
In addition to that, all lamps emit some amount of warmth. That can also be very appealing to bugs, especially on a colder night.
So, pretty much any light source (including LED strip lights) will attract bugs to some extent. The good news is that some lights are more enticing for the bugs than others.
Moonlight
Moonlight is exactly what most bugs are looking for. If a place is well-lit by the moon it means that you won’t get lost there and that there’ll be food and company.
The trick is that the moonlight has specific qualities which all the bugs know about. Well, “know” is probably the wrong word to use here. They’re genetically programmed to look for certain kinds of light. So evolution has made their eyes sensitive to one specific part of the light spectrum.
Artificial moonlight
As I mentioned, all artificial lights differ in brightness, wavelength, and temperature. It means that some of them resemble the moon more than the others. Hence some types of electric lights will attract more bugs.
Note: some small animals might actually avoid light and search for darker places. This phenomenon is called negative phototaxis. For instance, most slugs, and snails are negatively phototactic.
Let’s look at different artificial lights to see which of them attract the most amount of insects and if there’s something we can do about it.
Incandescent light bulb
Incandescent bulbs are becoming less and less popular in recent years. And it’s not really that surprising either. Their life span is quite short, they aren’t very energy-efficient, and what’s more important they attract a lot of bugs.
There are several reasons for that.
Warmth
First, they are very warm. As a matter of fact, pretty much all the energy used by incandescent light bulbs is used to produce heat instead of light. That’s one of the facts that makes these bulbs obsolete.
As we’ve found out, most insects really like warmth. Some insects just wanna find a warmer place for themselves, other bugs know that there will be food near the heat sources.
Wavelength
Second, incandescent bulbs emit light of various wavelengths. There is some kind of light for every kind of bug.
Ultraviolet light
Third, these light bulbs emit some amount of ultraviolet light. Most insects are very sensitive to UV light since it helps them hunt.
So, as you can see, incandescent bulbs are the worst option. They attract a lot of bugs a there isn’t much that can be done about it. Led lights including led strips are superior in all respects. Let’s have a closer look at them.
Led lights
So, do Led lights attract bugs? Yes. But they’re really the best light source we’ve got.
Led strip lights do not produce much heat. And what about UV light? Led strips emit ultraviolet light but only in limited quantities.
The bottom line is that because of their exceptional efficiency pretty much all energy LED strips consume is transformed into visible light.
However, even visible light might be appealing to some insects. So the color choice for your strip lights is very important.
Color of LED strip lights
Most nocturnal bugs are only capable to see UV light, infrared light, and colder tints of the visible spectrum. The blue, cyan or white color of some led bulbs reminds bugs of the moon. At the same time, warmer colors cannot be seen by them.
So what’s the right LED lights color? Bugs won’t be attracted to the LED strip if the LED bulbs are covered with yellow coating.
So opt for yellow, orange, or even red LED strip lights.
What kinds of insects are attracted to LED lighting
Unfortunately, some bugs might still gather around LED strip lights, even if they’re the right color. In this section, we’ll talk about what insects may find your LED strip light appealing and if there’s anything you can do about it.
Spiders
LED light might attract spiders. The thing is that some bugs spiders eat might be enticed by LED strip lights. So the surrounding areas are good hunting grounds for spiders. But don’t worry it’s not as bad as it sounds.
Firstly, spiders are actively working to keep your household bugs-free. So even though they look scary, these little hunters are on our side
Secondly, you won’t see them much. As everybody knows spiders are stationary hunters. They don’t chase their victims but prefer to play a waiting game.
Thirdly, there are special chemical repellents you can use if you really don’t wanna have spiders around.
Bees
It is reported, that LED lighting might attract bees. It’s an incredibly rare phenomenon, however. Furthermore, at nighttime, bees never leave their hives.
Some flies
Led strip lights might attract some kinds of flies. To solve this problem you can use fly traps near your led strip.
Other bugs
This is it actually. Light emitted by LED strip lights does not attract bed bugs, it doesn’t attract cockroaches or most other nasty bugs.
Conclusion
LED strip lights attract bugs to some extent. Led light attracts bugs if it looks similar to the moonlight.
This problem can be easily solved however if you chose an LED bulb of the correct color. Yellow, orange, and red hues cannot be seen by most bugs.
Unfortunately, perfect artificial lighting just doesn’t exist. There are millions of species of bugs on our planet and light of pretty much any type will be attractive to some of them. I suggest you use bug repellent and/or traps to minimize the number of bugs around your light strips.
FAQ
What kind of bugs do LED lights attract?
It depends on the color of your LED strip lights. Cold tints attract moths since the light looks like the moon to them. The warm white tint attracts some flies and spiders which are their natural predators.
How do I stop my LED lights from attracting bugs?
You can use caps or cases to limit the intensity of the LED lights or change their color. However, it’s best if you buy LED lights that are not very attractive to insects, to begin with.
Warmer LED lights are the best choice for nighttime illumination since most nocturnal bugs cannot see the yellow side of the spectrum.
Are bugs attracted to LED string lights?
Unfortunately, yes. As we’ve discussed warmth and color are the primary factors to consider when choosing the optimal light source. The shape of the lights is not that important.
However, as we’ve established, out of all kinds of artificial light LED lights including led strip lights attract the least number of bugs.
Do LED lights attract bugs in your room?
Yes. Led strip lights attract bugs. Still, LED light might be an ideal choice for your bedroom because they attract the least amount of insects.
Moreover, if you like most people prefer to use warmer color temperatures in your bedroom, that’s even better. This is because most nocturnal flying bugs can’t really see yellowish hues, and thus they’ll have a hard time finding your warm LED lights.
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