Landscape lights can go a long way to helping create that peaceful space where you can relax outside.
Alongside some comfortable patio furniture and maybe a fire pit (depending on your climate), landscape lights can make your garden a true haven of relaxation.
Until bugs spoil the mood.
If you’re having problems with bugs being attracted to your outdoor lights (which can happen), there are a few options available to help you protect that space and ensure you can enjoy it without any annoying buzzing sounds.
The best solution for bugs surrounding light is to buy a bug zapper. A more humane option is to use yellow lights, as some bugs have a harder time seeing yellow-orange colors, but not all do, so this is less effective.
In this guide, I’ll explain the common solutions for deterring bugs from your garden, and explain whether they actually work.
How To Get Rid Of Small Flying Bugs Around Light?
Firstly, you need to understand why bugs are attracted to lights in the first place, as this is an important context to help you see why some solutions work and others maybe don’t.
Technically, bugs aren’t attracted to lights. They don’t see the light and think it’s an excellent place to hang out.
Instead, lights confuse bugs.
Insects that fly at night tend to use the moon as a navigation system. Having a shiny bulb closer tends to throw them off, and they don’t know what to do.
So, they hover close to the light that confuses them.
With that clarified, let’s look at some of the more popular solutions for getting rid of bugs from your garden lights.
Citronella Candles
Citronella candles have, to humans, a pleasant scent that is released as the oil in the candle burns. It’s refreshing and has a pleasant aroma to use in any indoor or outdoor space.
Many manufacturers or sellers advertise citronella candles as bug repellents because the aroma is unpleasant to insects, especially mosquitos.
And technically, they aren’t lying – citronella oil masks the aromas that mosquitos hunt for.
However, as this scientific study proved, it is completely ineffective in an outdoor space.
The amount of oil released by a burning candle is enough to keep mosquitos away from the candle itself, but nowhere else.
So, unless you want to stick a citronella candle onto your lights (and don’t, I’m joking), they aren’t worth your money as a bug repellent.
Yellow Light
Another popular option is to use yellow lights in your garden, many of which are often sold as a ‘bug light.’
The theory – backed up by scientific research – is that insects can’t see the same wavelengths of light that humans can, and most insects can see the light up to 550bm, which is green-yellow.
This means that yellow-orange lights with a higher wavelength aren’t visible to most insects.
That doesn’t mean yellow light is a deterrent, but it does mean that insects can’t see it, so they don’t have their guidance systems messed up.
Replacing all your lights with yellow lights could therefore work, if you’re happy with that color, but don’t try to use one bug light to deter insects from your other lights – they’ll just ignore it.
Use Bug Zapper
The most effective way to stop bugs from congregating around your lovely landscape lights is to distract them with a more-lethal bug zapper light.
The blue-UV wavelength is much more visible to insects, which is what ‘attracts’ them to the light. And once they get close enough, the current running through the mesh is enough to kill them.
There are two main drawbacks to using a bug zapper, the first of which is that you are killing the insects.
Most people are comfortable with this, but some aren’t.
Unfortunately, if you’re in the latter camp, you’ll need to consider one of the less effective alternatives like yellow lights.
The second drawback is that bug zapper lights are bright and very blue, and they create their own buzzing noise that could spoil the ambiance you’ve made.
But beyond these concerns, there is no better way to stop insects from camping around your lights and buzzing around.
Make sure you pick up a bug zapper that’s suitable for outdoor use.
Otherwise, you’re introducing an electrical current where there’s rain, and that’s a bad idea.
Invite a Predator
This is more of a long-term option, and it won’t always work, but if you install a bird box in your garden and add some fruits and seeds, you might attract a bird or a bat to nest there.
Birds and bats are natural predators of insects and will delight in the buffet that your patio lights are providing.
It may be easier in the short term to install a bug zapper, and you’ll get results sooner, but if your conscience is against unnatural bug-killing methods, maybe this is something you’re more comfortable with.
Install a Ceiling Fan
This solution only really works for patio lights. There’s a bit of work and money involved, but it is highly effective.
A ceiling fan installed outdoors can help keep you cool during the summer months, but it will stop bugs from hanging around patio lights by literally blowing them away.
With the expense involved it’s only really a good option if you do need that cooling function too, but it’s humane and it works.
Patio Lights That Keep Bugs Away
One good way around some of the drawbacks of a normal bug zapper is to pick up some lights that have a small bug zapper built-in, like these.
They don’t solve all of the problems, but they’re a lot more discreet in terms of their UV glow, and they’re pretty attractive tiny bulbs that can be hung in different places around your garden.
The main bulb is a nice and bright white light that works as an effective patio light, drawing in bugs to the zapper.
Final Words
Unfortunately, there’s no single way to get rid of bugs that is both humane and 100% effective.
If you don’t mind killing the bugs, and can put up with the sound and light, then a bug zapper will always be the most effective option.
Bug zapper lights are more discreet, or if you don’t mind yellow lights, they could work too.
The only one to avoid outright is citronella candles unless you’re buying them because they smell nice.
Have you any solutions of your own that work?