Do LED lights attract spiders and other annoying insects?

Do LED lights attract spiders and the best way to get rid of them

So, you are going to buy LED lights instead of incandescent devices. It’s a good decision because you save the electricity and your money that way. As you know, LED lights are energy-efficient devices and have a long lifespan.

Furthermore, such technology allows you to realize modern design projects that would not have been possible if you used only traditional incandescent bulbs.

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At the same time, many people complain that LED strip lights attract more spiders and other annoying insects.

It’s a sufficient reason to change your mind about this technology and buy incandescent lights. At least, you have already known all about them. There won’t be an unpleasant surprise.

But is that true? Do LED lights really attract more spiders? Let’s talk about this artificial lighting right now.

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Webs for other insects

Spiders can settle near the lights, but it’s not because they like LED lighting. On the contrary, they prefer shady and safe places for them where nobody can interrupt their hunting.

At the same time, spiders are predators. They need prey to hunt for. So, bugs, flies, and other insects are a meal for spiders. Thus, do not be surprised if you see a huge web covering your night light. It is a sort of hunting place where the spiders’ prey inhabits.

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Probably, you have already been interested in why lights always attract bugs. So, it’s in their nature. They navigate using the sun as a sort of landmark. Your light device is like the sun for them.

At the same time, some insects are fond of the heat incoming from bulbs. It helps them to survive when the weather is cold.

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Moreover, some scientists say that flowers reflect ultraviolet light. Bugs notice the UV light emitted by bulbs, think that it goes from flowers, and fly to a light source. Eventually, it makes spiders attracted to a light source. And you get more spiders.

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Do LED strip lights attract spiders more than the other types of lights?

The scientists report, “They don’t”. There were special experiments to find this out. It’s quite complicated, but the thing is that there are several factors to attract insects (and spiders that follow them all the time) and dismay them at once.

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Of course, LED strip lights have advantages and disadvantages, but altogether they don’t make these devices the worst option in comparison with incandescent, fluorescent, halogen, and other light bulbs.

Here is the table of advantages and disadvantages of LED lighting.

WavelengthHeat
AdvantagesLED lights emit light in a narrow range. That’s why it doesn’t attract spiders and all types of insects at once. Meanwhile, incandescent lights work in a wide range. So, they have many little “fans”.LED strip lights don’t emit a lot of heat because they are extremely energy-efficient. So, some insects that are attracted by warmth aren’t interested in LED radiance.
DisadvantagesFlies and mosquitoes are fond of cool color temperatures. For instance, if a LED is black (UV light), white, or blue, it is the most attractive to insects.Meanwhile, some bugs like this gentle warmth and are afraid of hot incandescent bulbs.
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So, you can see that it is going to be a very confusing thing to choose the right bulb. But don’t be afraid of LED strip lights. The good news is that the special scientific tests say:

  • Anyway, the most attractive thing for bugs is an incandescent light bulb.
  • A LED light attracts approximately half of the number of insects that are interested in incandescent lights.

As you see, a LED bulb is a good choice. But it is not enough to get rid of annoying insects and their scary eaters called spiders. What should you do then? The answer is in the next paragraph. Go ahead!

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How to prevent spiders’ appearance?

As you have already learned, the spider’s web on your LED light is the insects’ fault. The only way to completely get rid of spiders is to get rid of bugs, flies, mosquitoes, and other undesired tiny guests. How can you do it? Here are some tips:

  1. Use a LED light that emits warm radiance. Remember that cooler colors such as white, purple, green light, and blue light wavelengths are the most attractive for insects. The best choice is to buy red or yellow light bulbs. But don’t forget that it is not enough. 
  2. Do not let flies and mosquitoes get inside the room. Use window screens.
  3. Do not let bugs crawl into the room too. Seal all the cracks in the walls, ceiling, and floor to get fewer insects.
  4. Use repellent sprays and other things to eliminate the insects. Remember that flies are quite dangerous. They carry infections on their feet and cause many diseases. That’s why some people consider that spiders are even useful.
  5. Clean your room at least twice a week. It also should be aired and dried. It helps to maintain a proper humidity level.
  6. Wash and clean the LED lights and areas around them. Regularly take out dead bugs and other things. All this organic litter keeps wolf spiders and other kinds of spiders attracted.
  7. Buy LED strip lights with dimmers in them. Not only is this an easy way to save money and cut your electricity bill, but bright lights are always attracting insects and spiders. The other way to reduce radiance intensity is to buy energy-efficient LEDs initially.
  8. Keep your LED light fixtures away from the floor if you don’t want bugs to have an easy way to get into your device. Avoid LED-spider interaction.
  9. Seal all the niches around the LED light source.
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If you follow these tips, there won’t be lots of spider webs. But it doesn’t mean that you will never see them. There is no method to get rid of crawling and flying insects once and forever.

If you want to know not only answer to the question “Do LED lights attract spiders?”, but also would like to read about LED lighting in general, please make sure to follow the link.

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Frequently asked questions

What color LED lights attract spiders?

To a greater or lesser extent, all of them attract spiders. But cool color radiance is more attractive. If you don’t want any insects in your house, avoid bulbs that emit UV radiation, blue, white, or green LED lights. Use red and yellow ones instead.

Are spiders really attracted to LED lights?


No, they aren’t. But LED lights attract bugs, flies, and mosquitoes. Spiders hunt them down. That’s why they can settle around.

What bugs do LED lights attract?

LED lights attract bugs that like bright light and heat.

What lights keep spiders away?

Spiders aren’t afraid of any type of LED light. You can’t get rid of them by choosing the right device. There is no magic. But you can keep the LED clean to reduce the amount of incest in your house.

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Summary

Do LED lights attract spiders? Actually, no, they don’t do it directly. But LED lights attract insects such as bugs, flies, and mosquitoes. Spiders eat them. That’s why LED lights generally are attractive to spiders.

The good news is that LED lights are less attractive than incandescent bulbs. So, don’t be afraid of this type of thing.

To get rid of spiders and their webs, clean your LED lights frequently and thoroughly.

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I hope that the topic was useful for you and you have no questions left. If you still have questions, be sure to ask them in the comments.

Do LED lights attract spiders and what to do with them? Do you want to learn more on this subject? Please click on the link and read one more article.

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