How to Get Rid of Insects Attracted to Light
Keeping flying insects out of your house can be tricky, especially when they’re attracted to your porch light and the lights indoors. In the summer, it sometimes seems like you can’t open a door without these creatures invading your house and causing disruption. Flying beetles, swarming termites, moths, flies, mosquitoes, grasshoppers, bees, wasps, and even cockroaches can be attracted to your home because of the light. Why does this happen and- more importantly- how can you make it stop? Franklin Pest Solutions has some suggestions for how to get rid of insects attracted by light.
Why Do Insects Like the Light?
There are a few different theories about why so many flying bugs are attracted to light. One theory involves phototaxis, the movement of an organism in response to light. Bugs with positive phototaxis will move towards a light, while a bug with negative phototaxis will move away. Because flying bugs use natural light for navigation, they sometimes get confused by artificial light sources and try to use those as a guide. Similarly, there is a theory that the insects’ internal navigation system, which causes bugs to travel at a constant angle relative to the moon. When artificial light interferes with this navigation system, the flight angle can change and cause the insect to fly closer to artificial light. Yet another theory is that male moths are confused by the flickering of a candle or similar light spectrums, because they think the flames are females sending out mating signals. There is not much consensus about these theories, though, because moths don’t migrate, and UV lights don’t have the same wavelength as a female’s pheromones. At the end of the day, what matters is knowing how to get rid of flying insects attracted to light by reducing what is attracting them.
How to Get Rid of Insects at Home By Changing Your Lights
Though the scientific community does not agree on the reasons bugs are attracted to light, there are some effective things you can do to minimize the number of bugs swarming your home’s light sources. White light, whether fluorescent, incandescent, halogen, or LED, will attract bugs and should not be used within 50 feet of a home. Replacing your existing bulbs with warm-colored fluorescent or LED bulbs can help reduce insect activity around your outdoor lights.
Other Tips for How to Get Rid of Insects in a House
Changing your lights is not the only way to deal with insects in your home. Screens are a good first line of defense. Screening in your deck or porch will keep bugs away. It’s also important to make sure your window screens fit correctly and don’t have any holes where insects could get into your house. Partner with a professional pest control company, for the ultimate effective pest management plan.
Partner with Professionals for Insect Solutions
Since 1929, Franklin Pest Solutions has been serving customers in the state of Indiana. Our experts provide quality residential and commercial service to communities within a 50 mile radius from each of our branch locations, including Hammond, Michigan City, Lafayette, New Albany, Indianapolis, and South Bend. We offer bed bug solutions that are eco-conscious and effective, using integrated pest management best practices. We prioritize your health. Our multi-generational, family-run and operated American business has earned a reputation for excellence, not just in the way we treat pests, but in the way we treat our customers. Having been in business for nearly a century, we’ve seen the services and methods of our industry change and evolve, but our values have remained the same.
We work to embody the ideals of an industry leader, providing pest control solutions in a careful, conscientious, professional manner, and making customer satisfaction our top priority. The experts at Franklin Pest Solutions are certified by several local, state, and national associations, and we are committed to respecting the role insects play in our ecosystem while also protecting public health. Through community outreach, we work to create cleaner and healthier homes and workplaces while also educating people and serving our community through volunteerism. To schedule a consultation, reach out to a location near you, call 1-800-GOT-PESTS? or contact us through our website.
