Scientists collaborate with Philips to develop light bulbs that don't attract insects

At night, insects always exhibit phototaxis; when you turn on a light bulb at night, you will find many small insects flying densely around the light source. Sometimes this can be quite a nuisance, such as attracting harmful insects that carry deadly diseases.

Professor Travis Longcore from the University of South Carolina (USC) began researching how to make light bulbs that don't attract insects; his research did not stop at the experimental and theoretical stage—he has already collaborated with the Dutch company Philips to produce some light bulbs with this property.

Professor Longcore discovered that the key to reducing light bulb attraction to insects is to emit as little blue light as possible. Through experiments, he collaborated with Philips to produce adjustable LED bulbs that, by adjusting and reducing the amount of blue light emitted, reduce attraction to insects. Through comparative experiments with traditional "compact fluorescent lamps" (CFL energy-saving lamps), it was found that the number of insects attracted by adjustable LED bulbs was reduced by 20% compared to CFL energy-saving lamps. This proves that by reducing blue light emission, bulbs can indeed reduce their attraction to insects.

Professor Longcore said: "We can filter out part of the spectrum in LED lamps (those parts that are not environmentally friendly) while still providing the indoor lighting needed. For parts of the world where glass windows are not yet widespread, reducing the attraction of indoor lighting to insects is very important."