Insects don't swarm at LED lights
The gist
Nature blogger Kate St. John says LEDs emit no UV, so insects are far less drawn to them than to incandescent bulbs.
The switch to LED outdoor lighting may quietly change what shows up at your porch light.
How it unfolded
- 2016Scientists at the University of Bristol, UK ran experiments comparing insect attraction to incandescent, compact fluorescent, cool-white LED and warm-white LED lights.
- Nov 3, 2026Kate St. John publishes the post "Insects Don't Swarm at LED Lights" on her Outside My Window blog.
- Nov 4, 2026The post is submitted to Hacker News by user speckx and republished by Technology Times; a thread also appears on the r/interesting subreddit.