EcoRenovator  

Go Back   EcoRenovator > Improvements > Lighting
Advanced Search
 


Blog 60+ Home Energy Saving Tips Recent Posts Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 09-06-13, 11:41 AM   #1
Xringer
Lex Parsimoniae
 
Xringer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Woburn, MA
Posts: 4,918
Thanks: 114
Thanked 250 Times in 230 Posts
Default Bugs really like LEDs

Correction: LED Lights Do Attract Bugs. | Energy Circle


I had read somewhere, that LED lamps didn't attract bugs.
Turns out that may have been incorrect..

__________________
My hobby is installing & trying to repair mini-splits
EPA 608 Type 1 Technician Certification ~ 5 lbs or less..
Xringer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-07-13, 08:58 AM   #2
Exalta-STA
Apprentice EcoRenovator
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Philippines
Posts: 107
Thanks: 12
Thanked 4 Times in 4 Posts
Default

What I can say though is that ever since I switched to LEDs 6200 kelvin and 3000 kelvin, I have less bug problems...and this is from someone living in the tropics where a single light can attract hundreds of bugs

incandescent = bug nightmare
CFL = bug magnet
LED = a few strays now and ten
Exalta-STA is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-07-13, 02:09 PM   #3
Xringer
Lex Parsimoniae
 
Xringer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Woburn, MA
Posts: 4,918
Thanks: 114
Thanked 250 Times in 230 Posts
Default

Maybe the side-by-side testing had the blubs too close together?
One on either side of a door? Maybe 3 to 4 feet?

Perhaps the incandescent was pulling them in,
and some of them flew over to the LED to check it out.?.


If bugs really like blue light, this chart seems to be showing,
that a white LED has a lot more blue emitted.
So, the LEDs would be worse than the incans?? Something is amiss here..




~~
Edit:
From what I've been able to find out, warmer colors=less bugs..


So, these 2700k LEDs might be a good choice..
Cree 9.5-Watt (65W) Soft White (2700K) BR30 Dimmable LED Flood Light Bulb (4-Pack)-BBR30-06527FLF-12DE26-1U110 at The Home Depot
__________________
My hobby is installing & trying to repair mini-splits
EPA 608 Type 1 Technician Certification ~ 5 lbs or less..

Last edited by Xringer; 09-07-13 at 02:49 PM.. Reason: More info..
Xringer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-07-13, 07:53 PM   #4
Exalta-STA
Apprentice EcoRenovator
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Philippines
Posts: 107
Thanks: 12
Thanked 4 Times in 4 Posts
Default

Hi Xringer,

Yes somethings definitely wrong. Ever since I switched to LEDs, the less insect problems I had. I only use the white and the yellows. It replaced the CFLs of the same color.

The CFLs both inside and outside the house attracted spiders, flying bugs, moths, and swarms of flying termite drones...and every insect who had the capability to go near it.

Changing to LED cleared it all up. No insect whatsoever or if there's any, it's just a solitary cricket checking out the door.
Exalta-STA is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-07-13, 07:57 PM   #5
Exalta-STA
Apprentice EcoRenovator
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Philippines
Posts: 107
Thanks: 12
Thanked 4 Times in 4 Posts
Default

Hey I have this crazy theory, it might be the heat of the CFL and incandescent lights. The old bulbs I had before had so much heat that you can feel it a few feet away. The LEDs i have now are running cool.
Exalta-STA is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-07-13, 08:30 PM   #6
Xringer
Lex Parsimoniae
 
Xringer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Woburn, MA
Posts: 4,918
Thanks: 114
Thanked 250 Times in 230 Posts
Default

Radiant heat as felt by humans doesn't seem to travel very far.
I can stand 3 or 4 feet from a 2kW heating element and not feel it.
Since the energy emitted from the heating element, isn't felt at a distance,
it must be getting absorbed by the air. Air gets hot and goes upwards.

Maybe insects have better heat sensors than us?
We are warm blooded, so our skin sensors don't really feel weak radiant heat.
I assume that an insect's body temperature is a bit above the outdoor temp.
Insect thermoregulation - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Or maybe it's a matter of scale. When you are 100 feet from a very large fire,
(Like a forest fire) you can sometimes feel the direct radiant heat.

Maybe they can sense heat at much greater ranges?
To them, a 100w blub might seem like a forest fire..

```
One other thing just occurred to me. Remember those yellow blubs?
Bug free? Maybe those 2700k LEDs look yellow to insects?

I wonder if the yellow bulbs look too much like a flame to a bug?

If you light a camp fire, it keeps the bugs away. They don't like smoke?
__________________
My hobby is installing & trying to repair mini-splits
EPA 608 Type 1 Technician Certification ~ 5 lbs or less..
Xringer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-07-13, 08:53 PM   #7
Exalta-STA
Apprentice EcoRenovator
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Philippines
Posts: 107
Thanks: 12
Thanked 4 Times in 4 Posts
Default

Hmm yes, the yellow produced in LED bulbs are almost the same spectrum as a flame.
Exalta-STA is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-19-18, 12:43 PM   #8
Xringer
Lex Parsimoniae
 
Xringer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Woburn, MA
Posts: 4,918
Thanks: 114
Thanked 250 Times in 230 Posts
Default

I'm not sure if I posted elsewhere on this topic. Maybe I did, but here's what I've learned lately..
After installing some outdoor LED lighting on my garage, I had a real bad bug problem!
The bugs were leaving a large amount of droppings on the fixture and on the green sidling.
The mess was so bad, it took a lot of work to clean up. Soap, brush, water hose & etc..

I Put them on timers and them, but soon went to an IR motion sensor..
They go on for about 5 minutes when motion is detected in the driveway..
Mostly, they never come on during most nights..

For me, this is the only way to use outdoor lighting in this area.. Too much bug poop..
__________________
My hobby is installing & trying to repair mini-splits
EPA 608 Type 1 Technician Certification ~ 5 lbs or less..
Xringer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-20-18, 08:28 AM   #9
NiHaoMike
Supreme EcoRenovator
 
NiHaoMike's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 1,154
Thanks: 14
Thanked 257 Times in 241 Posts
Default

Sounds like a prime location to install a bug zapper?
__________________
To my surprise, shortly after Naomi Wu gave me a bit of fame for making good use of solar power, Allie Moore got really jealous of her...
NiHaoMike is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-20-18, 11:17 AM   #10
Xringer
Lex Parsimoniae
 
Xringer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Woburn, MA
Posts: 4,918
Thanks: 114
Thanked 250 Times in 230 Posts
Default

Not needed if you use motion sensors. Which I believe provides better security and safety.
Let the bugs go to poop on the LED street lights.

__________________
My hobby is installing & trying to repair mini-splits
EPA 608 Type 1 Technician Certification ~ 5 lbs or less..
Xringer is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 01:04 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Ad Management by RedTyger
Inactive Reminders By Icora Web Design