This is part 1 of a series on what you can do to keep spiders and insects out of your home
Tip #1: Replace your exterior light bulbs that emit white light with yellow emitting light bulbs.
Why you ask? Is 2014 yellow’s year? Has this Boise area pest control company lost it completely? Believe it or not, it has nothing to do with fashion, insanity, or keeping up with the Jones’s; it’s all about insects!
For whatever reason, some insects like moths, flies, gnats, etc., are attracted to light. There is some disagreement as to why but here are the general theories:
- Some nocturnal insects have learned to navigate by moon and star light. When these insects encounter artificial white light, the insects are confused by it and are drawn to it.
- The light is understood by the insect to be safer to fly to. Darker areas (the ground) are synonymous in the insects mind with more danger/predators, whereas lighter areas (the sky/sun/moon/stars) are generally considered safer directions.
Regardless of the reason, scientists have known for years about this phenomenon known as phototaxis. But they don’t tend to follow all colors of light; they like some better than others.
Most insects have eyes and can see, but they see a different spectrum of light than humans do. Humans see what is referred to for obvious reasons as the ‘visible spectrum’: Violet, blue, yellow, orange, and red – but no ultraviolet! Most insects see a different range: blue, violet, and ultraviolet. Translation: Humans don’t see ultraviolet, and insects don’t see the yellow, orange, and red, or don’t see them very well.
So what is the point of all this technical gobbledygook? The point is that flies and moths and others are attracted to exterior light bulbs that emit white light. And just like how a Big Mac attracts many of us to McDonalds around lunchtime, populations of flying insects are going to attract their predators: Spiders!
That darn white light causes two problems now: flying insects and spiders! The good news is that this problem can be solved quickly and without a huge amount of dough (money). All you have to do is go and purchase yellow emitting lights and replace the white ones. You don’t have to swallow this cost all at once, just replace them as they go out—you’d have to replace them anyways, and they might as well be light bulbs that attract less bugs!
