Outdoor light helps to see at night and relax on a hot summer night with your friends and family. It’s essential to have quality time if you’re planning a barbecue. However, bugs interrupt the fun time and make the experience worse. So, how to keep bugs away from outdoor lights?
You can turn off the lights, light a yellow bulb, or install a bug zapper to keep bugs away. LED lights and ceiling fans also work fine in keeping the bugs away. Planting bug-repelling shrubs will increase your home’s beauty and kill bugs if you love some greenery.
However, it would be best if you didn’t overkill these bugs to keep your outdoor light safe. The excessive killing of these bugs affects the ecosystem. As a result, the minor fly’s population will increase rapidly.
12 Ways to Keep Bugs Away From Outdoor Light
Well, bugs are annoying, especially on a hot summer evening. So, it would help if you eliminated them quickly. However, you can mess up the whole thing if unaware of the bug-killing method.
Look at these simple bug-eliminating methods to keep your outdoor lights clean, safe, and straightforward.
Save Energy
The easiest way to reduce the number of bugs is to keep the outdoor lights off. Heat and light from the light attract bugs faster than a switched-off bulb. Turning on the outdoor lights until you can see anything would be best.
However, many homeowners forget to turn off the lights, which wastes electrical energy and keeps the bugs coming.
As a result, you’ll see a hoard of dead bugs in the morning. A light motion sensor with outdoor lights will save your electrical energy and turn it on without mechanical help.
Use Yellow Bulb
You can buy specially colored “bug” bulbs to repel insects. Yellow lights have a great visible wavelength which affects bugs’ eyesight. Most bugs will go around the light due to this phenomenon.
You could also try lining the light fixtures with yellow cellophane to achieve the same effect. You don’t have to install new lights using this one.
However, yellow lights will give your house a yellowish vibe which might be distracting. You can read the answer about do red lights attract bugs.
Bug Zapper
Though bug zappers aren’t quite lucrative, these devices are a perfect match for fighting flying bugs. Its blue glow attracts flying bugs when they are near. The electric center kills them with enough voltage.
To kill these annoying bugs, you should install the bug zapper near your outdoor lights, like porch lights and other lights. Burnt bug smell is a significant drawback of the zappers.
LED Lights
LED lights produce less heat compared to standard insect-repelling bulbs with less attraction. No yellow vibe in the house or the corridor is a huge advantage that comes with LED lights. You can choose according to your budget and light size from your nearest hardware and improvement stores.
Standard light bulbs are typically more expensive than LED bulbs. It might be more cost-effective to reserve them for fixtures that are close to the main entrances and exits because of this.
Using Ceiling Fan
If your house has an overhanging wraparound porch, you can use multiple ceiling fans to keep the bugs from the outdoor lights. It’ll keep away the bugs while reducing their population rate.
So, give ceiling fans a go if you want to enjoy the summer evening in a calm environment. Ceiling fans will keep the air cool and reduce the carbon dioxide from the surroundings.
Candles
Candles are a better alternative to keep bugs away from outdoor lights. These candles will keep the bugs away while providing light around your house. You can use aromatic candles beneath your porch light to keep it safe from bugs.
Candles of different flavorings and intense oil aromas like lavender, lemongrass, eucalyptus, peppermint, and rosemary work like a charm to distract bugs.
Remember to keep these candles in jars or holders away from drapes, furniture, plants, and other combustible materials.
Plants
Some plants have the extreme power to repel mosquitoes and other insects. Planting these trees around the outside light will keep the bugs away while adding beauty to the house.
Here’s a short list of the plants you can grow around your house to repel unwanted pests:
Spice Pouches
Use coffee filters or cheesecloths to gather herbs and spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, bay leaf, and citrus. Then, hang the pouch near the light in a safe position.
It’ll keep the insects away from the outdoor lights. However, you must replace the pocket with a new one if it loses efficiency.
Bug Spray
Mix the spices with soapy water and a few drops of essential oil like thyme, lavender, and rosemary to distract the bugs. Don’t keep the spray near any wires or electric system.
Otherwise, it might be responsible for severe accidents. You might need to spray your herbal solution once or twice a day in the summer.
Numerous essential oils have a natural repellent effect on insects. Combine some essential oils with a tiny amount of soapy water in a spray bottle.
Clean Surroundings
If there’s water around your house, insects will likely swarm your home. You can pump out the water from tiny ponds, gulches, and low areas of your lawn. It’ll immediately reduce the insect population rate.
Sand, gravel, or a combination of the two will help you to cover the holes and absorb the water. However, to avoid insects responsible for various diseases, you should clean your light fixtures even water ASAP.
Using Screen
Tightly woven mesh screens are a blessing for large porch lights and sitting areas. It offers a permanent barrier against insects. Inspect the screen’s specs before you buy one.
Otherwise, pests and flies can quickly enter through the screen. An expert contractor will install this screen for you for 100 to 200 bucks.
You can make a combo of yellow light with the screen and candles to keep the bugs away. However, keeping the doors closed would help prevent moths from flying inside your house.
A Bird House
A birdhouse will help reduce the insect population around your home. Attach the house to a nearby tree, fence, or ground post and put seeds or fruits inside.
Most birds are natural-born hunters. So, you’re just helping them with food. It’s a win-win situation for both parties. Birdhouses are available in home improvement centers and garden supply stores.
Expert Tips To Keep Bugs Away From The Outdoor Lights
Before you embark on eliminating bugs around your house and the outdoor lights, you should consider a few things. Try these expert tips before following the above methods:
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Light acts as a guideline for bugs to make way. Bugs go from one place to another using different light wavelengths. Consequently, it also helps them to find food.
It would be best if you cleared the cobwebs around the outdoor lights. Spiders eat the bug and help you in decreasing their population rate. However, if the cobwebs are too dirty, clean them asap.
You can mix hydrogen peroxide with other chemical components to make a spray. It’ll accelerate the bug-killing process. If you don’t like chemicals, use plants or candles to keep bugs away.
Essential oils are quite effective in killing bugs. You should mix the oil with organic chemicals like a herbal plant to kill the bugs. Many bug-killing sprays are available in the market with essential oils.
Bottom Line
Outdoor lights are quite an essential part of the house. But bugs around the light hamper its performance. You can use sensor-based lights to prevent energy waste and keep bugs away.
I hope the analysis on how to keep bugs away from outdoor light has helped you in keeping the bugs away. If you want to install screens around the corridor, contact an expert contractor.
Also, aroma candles will keep the bugs away while delivering a sweet fragrance. Keeping the outdoors clean will reduce the insect population and keep them away from your house’s outdoor lights.
