How to Manage Exterior Lighting Without Attracting Insects

June 10th, 2016

Chances are that the exterior lighting around your house was selected with great care and attention to both aesthetics and function. It’s true that a home’s entire appearance can be completely transformed by using the right outdoor lights, so the last thing that you want is for those lights to become tarnished or otherwise ruined by the outdoor elements.

Buggy Problems

One of the main culprits causing exterior lights to look dull and dingy? Insects! These pesky creatures love bright lights and will fly directly toward your home’s exterior lights as soon as the sun sets. Flies, moths, and winged ants in particular are attracted to the beams of light emitted from light bulbs onto the eaves and soffits of your home. When they fly toward the light, the bugs often become tangled in the spider webbing that so easily accumulates outside of any home. Homeowners everywhere feel frustrated by this unsightly trend, but also feel uncertain about how to use exterior lights without exacerbating the problem.

The Exterior Light Solution

The easiest solution is to turn off all nights at light, but many people don’t want to sacrifice the entire purpose of their exterior lights simply to keep bugs away. The next best option is to use outdoor lights that are motion activated. This allows the lights to turn on when it really matters, but leaves them off the remainder of the night to keep eager bugs far away.

However, for homeowners that are determined to keep their house looking beautifully lit all night long, a safe alternative would be to use nightscape lighting that shines up and onto the house, rather than originating on fixtures directly attached to the house itself. The insects would gravitate to the source of light instead, allowing all of that unpleasant webbing and trapped prey to remain out of sight.