There is nothing worse than entertaining friends at night on the porch and being dive-bombed incessantly by flying bugs when you should all be relaxing and having a good time. Mosquitos and moths tend to be the worst enemy when it comes to outdoor entertaining, they travel silently and you only realize they are there once you have been bitten by one or you swallow a moth that’s taken a plunge into your wine glass.
The cause of this global problem is artificial light, which attracts a myriad of insect types like beetles, moths, flies and mosquitos. Now in the past people relied on harmful insecticides and chemical laden insect repellent lotions to keep the pesky critters at bay. These products are generally not environmentally friendly and also not very healthy for the people using them.
Fortunately there are some great new products to keep the bugs away or to get rid of them in a more user friendly manner. Your patio lights can be replaced with bug light bulbs and bug zappers can be positioned around your home to eliminate bug activity.
Important: Bug lights don’t kill or repel bugs. The only attract fewer bugs than normal lights. If you want to attract and kill them, you’ll need to get a good zapper.
Here are two yellow bug light options as well as two electric bug zappers that, in combination, will help to keep your home bug free.
Yellow LED Fly Lights and Mosquito Lamps
Globe Electric 23W
The Globe Electric 100 Watt “Equivalent” Enersaver is an energy conscious choice for homeowners who spend a lot of leisure time outdoors. The reason that yellow lights work is purely because the majority of insects do not see this colour spectrum of light and are therefore less attracted to them.
This means that a yellow light does not actually repel them, but rather it’s a matter of them being attracted to brighter light sources in the vicinity. They are very much attracted to colors in the white and blue spectrums.
Globe Electric’s yellow fly light is actually a 23 watt energy user but has an output equivalent of 100 watt thanks to its energy saving coil design. They have an average lifespan of 10 000 hours of burn time before giving in, that’s just more than a year of use which is a lot better than some of the other energy saving coil lamps in the same price class.
Energy saving lamps have a tendency to be sensitive to moisture and water exposure, so be sure that they are installed in a rainproof lamp holder to avoid early burnouts.
The Globe Electric 100 Watt Enersaver is a good choice for replacing your patio or porch lights to make your outdoors time bearable.
TCP 5W
The LED design on the TCP 40W “Equivalent” LED Bulb is a real money saver and will prove its worth in the long run if you have a need for ample outdoor lighting that keeps the bugs away.
The bulb only uses 5 Watts of energy but has an output of 40 watts, which is more energy efficient than the previous light but does not have half of its output per unit. It works equally well as a mosquito light bulb.
What really stands out is that their average lifespan is about 25 000 hours, which is the equivalent of two and a half years of constant burn time, quite brilliant considering the price per bulb.
These LED bug lights are exact in dimension to standard 40 watt bulbs and will also need to be placed in a waterproof fixture for outdoor exposure.
Best Bug Zappers
Flowtron BK-15D Electronic Insect Killer
The Flowtron BK-15D Electronic Insect Killer is a real stunner in no uncertain terms!
This electric bug zapper works by attracting insects to a UV light source, directly opposite to the function of our previous two products. The bugs have to pass through a high voltage grid to access the UV light and are electrocuted this way.
It makes use of a 15 watt UV lamp which is really energy efficient making it great for around the house. Insects also see the UV light from quite a distance so the area that this light will serve is about half an acre, ample for a suburban size plot.
It’s important to note that because this bug blitzing product actually attracts insects, it should not be positioned close to the house or the area you are trying to keep them away from. It might also be unpleasant for most people to hear the insects getting zapped at high voltage, so best to find a spot that’s out of view for this fly light trap.
Aspectek 20W Commercial
The nice clean lines and clinical design of the Aspectek 20W make it a brilliant product for eliminating insects in commercial food areas and other places where strict hygiene is a concern.
It uses two 10 Watt UV tubes as the attractant and has a 2800 volt zapping grid, the highest voltage available on this type of product truly making it the best bug zapper on the market. It is also super easy to clean with a sliding draw that collects the dead insects.
Unfortunately it cannot be used outdoors where it is exposed to any elements, but would be perfect to situate it in a sheltered position under the eaves of a barn where bugs and flies pester farm animals.
The Aspectek 20W has proved its worth as a trusty bug buster and you can be assured that your insect problem will be neutralized in spaces where bugs are not welcome.
Buying Guide
Choosing the Best Yellow LED Bug Light
Let us compare the two different types of products here so that you can make an informed decision before purchasing one.
How They Work
The yellow bug lights are great for outside areas at night, because they will only work at night when there is no more sunlight to keep insects busy. They work only because they don’t attract insects like a normal white light would do. They are also both energy efficient forms of bug protection, with
Lifespan
The TCP 5W is better for longevity. The Globe Electric 23W is less pricey but has a shorter life span. Both products are great and perform the same job at more or less the same value.
Choosing the Best Bug Zapper
Our Electronic fly light traps are designed to actually attract the insects by making use of UV light which can be seen from far by bugs. You must bear that in mind when installing this type of product and make sure that it is positioned a distance away from the area you want to keep clear.
For Homes and Smaller Areas
Flowtron’s BK-15D Electronic Insect Killer is great for around the home where it can be installed behind your carport or garden shed, attracting and eliminating bugs a distance from your living area. It is nice and compact and the carriage light design is pleasing to the eye, a good choice for the average homeowner.
For Larger Industrial Areas
For something a bit more electrifying, Aspectek’s 20W electronic insect killer does a fine job in indoor food prep areas and places where animals are housed. It will be as welcome on farmsteads where flies are a nuisance and is very user friendly and easy to maintain.
The great thing about the UV zappers is that they can be used in daylight hours as well, flying insects can see the UV well at all hours. It’s a brilliant product for eliminating houseflies.
Why are Insects Attracted to Light?
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