A team at University of Southern California, along with Netherlands-based Philips Research, developed special lightbulbs that are up to 20% less attractive to insects.
With 6 million people a year catching Chagas disease, just one of the many diseases transmitted by insects, a less attractive lightbulb could potentially save the lives of a lot of people.
The study, published in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, found that the degree to which insects are attracted to a lightbulb is not affected by the intensity of the bulb, but rather by which wavelengths are emitted.
André Barroso, a senior scientist at Philips, said: “For the purpose of this study, we created unique and one-off LED lamp designs that can be customised to emit different colour wavelengths to reduce the attraction of insects.”
The customised bulbs attracted 20% fewer insects than regular bulbs.
Travis Longcore, associate professor of spatial sciences at University of Southern California, Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, said: “The research provides proof in concept that LED lamps can be customised to avoid specific areas of the spectrum that could have adverse environmental consequences, while still providing light for indoor use.
“For places in the world where glass windows and screens are uncommon, reducing insect attraction to indoor lights is a big deal.”
