ATTRACTION OF INSECTS TO INCANDESCENT, COMPACT FLUORESCENT, HALOGEN, AND LED LAMPS IN A LIGHT TRAP: IMPLICATIONS FOR LIGHT POLLUTION AND URBAN ECOLOGIES

The widespread use of electric lamps has created "ecological light pollution" and "artificial light ecology." Given the important role of insects in ecosystems, how they are affected by light pollution deserves attention. Lamps designed for lighting small areas around residences are used in abundance, but studies specifically examining them are scarce. This study used a light trap to capture insects for 60 summer nights in a suburban town in Virginia, USA. During each night of trapping, one of five different light bulbs was used in the trap (incandescent, compact fluorescent, halogen, warm color temperature LED, or cool color temperature LED). The data suggest that fewer insects overall are attracted to bulbs using LED technology than bulbs using incandescent technology. This difference was also observed in the orders Lepidoptera and Diptera. These results support the use of LED bulbs to reduce the insect attraction and mortality caused by the use of artificial lights at night.