Have you heard that LED lighting does not attract bugs?
I had indeed heard this, and boy was I surprised! Especially since I have LED lighting all around my home and I still have some bugs! One person came very close to calling me a liar until I explained what I do for a living, that I’ve been installing outdoor LED lighting exclusively for over five years now, and I have the spider webs at my house to prove it. My disclaimer, however, is that my home is my “test facility” and I have a LOT of lights in my yard from the most reputable manufacturers.
But now that we know that LED lighting is not a new bug repellent, let’s take little deeper look at this issue. Bugs are attracted to a lot of things: UV and infrared are just a couple of those things. LED does not emit UV or infrared, but since LED does emit light, it will still attracts bugs – just not as many. You will see this even more when comparing LED lights with different color light output. Cooler color light will attract more bugs than warmer color light. This means that if you use LED lights that are comparable to halogen light color you will see less bugs than if you use the whiter moon light color of LED.
You generally won’t see big moths flying near the LED light fixtures, but you are likely to see some very small bugs buzzing around. You’ll find that some small spiders will notice these bugs as well, and try to catch those little “buggers.” Once again, you will not see this nearly as much as you do with halogen or incandescent lighting.
In summary, when you hear the claim that LED lighting does not attract bugs, please don’t buy it. I would say that the LED lights attract about 50% less bugs (in the Austin and central Texas area) than the other options. While LED sure doesn’t attract anywhere near as many bugs as other outdoor lighting options, it remains a light source that some bugs will still find mighty attractive.
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