As winter winds down, everyone may be thinking about the warmer months. While spring is knocking on the door, summer will come after the departure of spring. Everyone can spend their evenings outside again. We can easily forget the dead of winter, but the bugs have the tend for wrecking that party. Instead of zapping bug light, you need to repel these.
What is a Bug Light?
Bug lights are available in hardware and garden stores. These can stop the clusters of flying insects on summer nights around patio lights. You can get these available in different wattages, voltages, and sizes. People use these to prevent insects from coming around the lamp. However, in this case, you should know that these are not the same as the blue zapper. However, a yellow bug light is just a yellow bulb. Rather than illuminating white light, it generates a warm yellow glow. These yellow bug lights use a filtered yellow glass for preventing the insect attractions.
Several types of bugs are attracted to light and it is called positive phototaxis. However, moths are the example of insects that aren’t drawn to light. There is no exact answer why so many species get attracted to the light. Perhaps the artificial light interferes with the navigation of the insects. When artificial light is absent, the bugs use natural moonlight for navigation. As per the opinion of a few experts, light indicates the insects a clear path free of obstacles. Whereas a few experts think that the insects get attracted to the bulbs’ small amount of UV light which is a kind of light that the insects see reflected by flowers during the day time.
How Do Bug Light Work?
Cory Fuehrer, Nebraska Public Power District’s Energy Efficiency Program Manager, thinks these bulbs can decrease the number of bugs. You should know that light & heat are the two things that attract bugs. Bug lights emit light that insects can’t see. Otherwise, these lights may be too dim that bugs are unable to notice.
Bugs use UV light and the infrared spectrum to navigate and find food. Usually, insects can’t view light around the 650 nm (yellow) range. But you should know that bugs can have different wavelengths of light. Several bugs are attracted to heat. The lights are not 100% effective, but you can use them to decrease the number of bugs.
LED bulbs don’t emit any heat. Besides, remember that these consume less energy than an incandescent or CFL bulb. So, if you want to stay outside after dark, you can use a bug light model as per choice.
Where are they used?
Although these are mainly used for the outdoors, you can use them anywhere. These decrease the attraction of insects. You should know that the bulbs do not repel or eliminate insects. The lights are less visually stimulating to the insects.
As soon as some bugs find the light, other bugs will follow it. So, turning the light off when you are not using it is the most effective way to keep bugs away. But if it isn’t an option, a cheap and non-lethal way to enjoy the outdoors is to use a bug light. Thus, you can enjoy the outdoors keeping bugs away from your party.
Alternatives to Bug Light bulbs:
Bug Zappers:
These are one of the famous alternatives to bug lights. Zappers use an ultraviolet light bulb which can attract bugs to it. After drawing the bugs to the light, an electrified mesh will vaporize the insect to kill it.
These can attract more harmless bugs than biting mosquitoes and flies. Besides, floating the mist of dead bug parts around the air is one of the potential health concerns. Nevertheless, these are famous alternatives to yellow bug lights.
Warm Dimming LEDs:
It is also one of the new alternatives that you can use instead of bug lights. People use these in their houses and get plenty of color temperatures from their lights. With the help of these LEDs, people can increase the color temperature or decrease it, but it depends on lighting conditions, time of day, or the presence of bugs. These can dim to a lower color temperature by shifting light to a more orange hue.
Conclusion:
Yellow Bug lights use filtered yellow glass, which can prevent attracting insects. Generally, we love to spend time on a front porch or deck when the weather is cool. But insects and other pests may be attracted due to the lighting of this area. You should always choose yellow bug light bulbs. The reason is that these attract fewer insects than standard lamps.
The vision of humans and insects is different. While we see the light from the light spectrum’s longer range, the best vision for insects is from the shorter end of the spectrum near the ultraviolet light. The number of bugs attracted to the yellow bulb is fewer because of the reduction of the short-spectrum light output.
Frequently Asked Questions:
- What color light is best to keep bugs away?
You should know that colors that are least attractive to most insects are Yellowish, pinkish, or orange (sodium vapor, halogen, dichroic yellow). Previously white incandescent bulbs were available. But now these get changed to yellow incandescent bug bulbs.
- Is a bug light just a yellow light?
A yellow bug light refers to a yellow bulb that generates a warm yellow glow rather than offering white light. White light is a combination of all light colors on the visible spectrum, whereas yellow is one of the parts of the spectrum.
- What does a bug light do?
These emit invisible light to insects or light that is so dim that the bugs can not notice it.
