MadSci Network: Environment & Ecology
Query:

Re: What color light would attract the most bugs?

Date: Fri Jan 2 19:41:32 2004
Posted By: David Richman, Staff, Entomology
Area of science: Environment & Ecology
ID: 1073067961.En
Message:

Insects are not totally colorblind.  Experiments with bees and others have 
shown that they have sensitivities in the green and UV, but vary in their 
sensitivity to red.  However we must not assume that what we see is what 
the insect sees!  A red light may attract certain types of insects, but 
not others. While blue (which we might assume would attract more) may 
attract less. It is in fact likely that the insect may see a totally 
different "color" than we do when looking at the same light. Most insect 
collectors use a light that produces a fair amount of UV and this seems to 
draw most (but not all) insects.  A simple experiment (best done during 
summer) is to set out different colored plastic party bowls - blue, yellow 
and red. Each is set to trap insects with the bowl half full of water to 
which a drop of detergent has been added. Bees tend to show up at blue 
bowls, parasitic wasps to yellow and often butterflies to red, although 
red tends to have fewer visitors than the rest.  Oddly insects collected 
in this way make very good specimens- even the butterflies!  Keep in mind 
that these catch day-flying insects, while lights attract night-flying 
insects.

As to your experiment, I don't think that you can be sure what the insect 
is seeing [they do not see with antennae (although these may be sensitive 
to heat), but with their compound, and sometimes simple, eyes.]  You can 
only report a statistical average for each light and then try to explain 
the result.  It may help if you can at least sort the insects to order, as 
different insects have different sensitivities (not all insects are equal 
in their reaction to a given light).  You may find a very interesting 
pattern.  

It is a bit of a difficult time to get insects to come to lights, unless 
you live in Florida, Hawaii or some tropical part of the planet, or the 
Southern Hemisphere.

A possible reference is:

Wigglesworth, V. B. 1964. The Life of Insects.  The World Publishing 
Company, Cleveland, Ohio, 360 p., especially chapter 11, Insect Vision.  
You might also try the Internet for more information.



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