Forum Discussion

Wrace's avatar
Wrace
Explorer
Jun 17, 2014

Fact or fiction, amber porch lights attract fewer bugs?

Thinking about changing out the lens in my clear porch light for an amber one under the assumption that amber actually attracts fewer bugs. What say you about this, in your experience has the amber lens reduced the number of bugs?

Of course now that I think about it, having an amber porch light isn't going to do much good if the clear rope light is on... Guess that will have to stay off.

10 Replies

  • I use a white LED bulb for my porch light and step lights as well as my scare lights....no problem with bugs.
  • restlesswind wrote:
    I seem to remember reading that LED lights do no attract bugs,because they do not give off any heat to speak of.
    Disclaimer...I have been known to be wrong.


    Can't speak to all led. I've seen white led attract bugs. I use yellow led porch light. I really appreciate other campers using white lights. My camper is then bug free.
  • I seem to remember reading that LED lights do no attract bugs,because they do not give off any heat to speak of.
    Disclaimer...I have been known to be wrong.
  • rhagfo's avatar
    rhagfo
    Explorer III
    Actually the red light is to preserve the researchers eye sight at night! Interior light on operational Navy ships are red after dark, as the red light doesn't affect night vision.
  • Back in the fifties my dad made a bug getter. He hung a 100 watt bulb over awash tub of water with some oil on the water. In the morning if was a tub of bugs for sure. A bright clear bulb is a good attractor.
  • Toyota is experimenting with a replica of the insect eye to help improve drivers night vision. I can't help but wonder what happens at a yellow traffic light.
  • Back a few years ago my son did a science fair project to determine which color of light bulb would attract the fewest bugs. For several nights in a row he replaced the bulbs with varying color bulbs, and in the morning counted the bugs that were trapped on the bug strips just below them (not scientific enough for a Nobel prize but sufficient for a science fair project). He determined that the darker the light, the less bugs were attracted. I think the purple bulb we had attracted the fewest bugs, but it didn't give off enough light to really see by either, so the general conclusion was that the yellow light gave off the best light while attracting fewer bugs. If you went darker, it was too hard to see, and any lighter attracted more bugs.
  • Did that mod (after our maiden voyage) to our rig's porch light and noticed a significant reduction of flying insects by our entry door compared to the stock white 1156 bulb. Just picked up an amber 1156 bulb from Walmart and to date it is still functioning, it is the only incandescent still on our rig as we have done a full LED conversion a few years back.
  • Wrace wrote:
    Thinking about changing out the lens in my clear porch light for an amber one under the assumption that amber actually attracts fewer bugs. What say you about this, in your experience has the amber lens reduced the number of bugs?

    Of course now that I think about it, having an amber porch light isn't going to do much good if the clear rope light is on... Guess that will have to stay off.


    True, Amber or yellow will attract LESS insects because some insects cannot "see" or "sense" yellow light.

    That still leaves a as lot of bugs that can!
  • Ours is amber and does not seem to attract bugs at all. You may be able to find amber bulbs and try it before changing out the lens.