I have observed that in rainy season, more number of bugs hover around white tubelights/ fluorescent lamps than the gloomy electric bulbs.
Why are bugs attracted to ANY kind of light? And why is white light preferred over yellow light?
Is my assumption true?
Is this a Stupid Question? If it is then YAY!! Yippy! 'cause I am trying to celebrate the "Ask a stupid Question Day".
2006-09-30 08:15:10 · 9 answers · asked by Abhyudaya 6 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Zoology
I really had no clue why this is, so I had to look it up. I am relying on the sources I found, including those cited below.
According to this page, http://members.aol.com/YESbutrfly/blacklite.html , most insects are more attracted to blacklight than to either incandescent or white florescent light. The site suggests that it is because of their (the light's) near-ultraviolet wavelength. Light bulbs are mostly incandescent, producing little ultraviolet light but mostly visible light. Fluorescent lights emit higher levels of UV. I understand that "other lights such as mercury vapor globes produce even more UV and are particularly attractive to moths and beetles."
This attraction (or repulsion in the case of cockroaches and other dark seeking bugs) is called phototaxis. Cockroaches have negative phototaxis while moths have positive phototaxis.
An insect's attraction to light MIGHT have to do with the moon. It is thought by many that moths navigate by the moon. When they see light on the porch they fly towards that, thinking it is the moon. When they are circling the bulb, it is because they sense that they have flown past the moon and, confused, circle back.
However, one report, cited below as a source, suggests that no one yet understands why moths fly towards light, but they fly straight to it -- until a certain point. (The experiments this one guy did about this are somewhat comical! -- See straightdope source.) They circle the light in what is referred to as the Mach Band that appears around the light. The Mach Band, apparently, is an area that (because of a gap in the field of vision) appears darker than the other areas around the bulb, thus providing the moth with a feeling of safety as he actually flies in what he perceives to be the darkest place.
Not all insects are attracted to light. Many nocturnal insects are actually repelled by light -- examples being the bedbug and the carpet bug. Mosquitoes are attracted by carbon dioxide, and light seems to have no influence on them.
You didn't say what you were assuming the truth is, but I assume your assumption is right. (You're pretty clever.) I actually had to look all of this stuff up and I've spent three days putting it together. As you know, there are no stupid questions, Batman.
2006-10-02 16:17:26 · answer #1 · answered by home schooling mother 6 · 7⤊ 0⤋
This Site Might Help You.
RE:
Why doesn't yellow light attract as many bugs as white light?
I have observed that in rainy season, more number of bugs hover around white tubelights/ fluorescent lamps than the gloomy electric bulbs.
Why are bugs attracted to ANY kind of light? And why is white light preferred over yellow light?
Is my assumption true?
Is this a Stupid Question? If...
2015-08-12 19:02:08 · answer #2 · answered by ? 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Interesting question...
I'd often heard that moths are attracted to light because they fly long distances and navigate by moonlight. Since moonlight is white rather than yellow this would intuitively explain your observation.
However, I have no idea as to the veracity of this statement, so I went off on a little search. I could find little objective evidence on this but it does seem a very popular theory. Such "flying to the moon" would also explain the tendency of many moths to swarm up very high in the sky - presumably at the limit of their ability to fly at altitude (at these altitudes they are often preyed on by swarms of bats).
I found some data describing how some species of moths prefer white flowers - this may help explain an attraction in some species, but hardly the majority.
There are also a number of recent research papers which describe that hawkmoths in particular have colour vision, which allows for optimal discrimination of light in the darkness - and apparently aids them in identifying white flowers. Such colour discrimination would allow them to discriminate white light from yellow, but doesn't really take us any further on the question of why...
So - that's a long way of saying "I don't know". I still quite like the idea about the moon though. I'll put this question on my watchlist in the hope of an enterprising entomologist finding it!
2006-09-30 09:24:27 · answer #3 · answered by the last ninja 6 · 5⤊ 2⤋
Bright lights attract bugs because the brightness temporarily blinds you, and you cant see what it is, so you are tempted to get closer. As with yellow light, I think they are obviously not as bright, and are a little older, and flys tend to like things that smell or look good, new, or fresh.
2006-09-30 08:23:58 · answer #4 · answered by americanidiot095 2 · 3⤊ 1⤋
If you look at white light through one of those spectroscope (i think thats what its called) things you will see that white light is composed of all the colors of the rainbow.
Bugs multi-faceted eyes are attracted to the colors.
And thus they go towards it!
2006-09-30 08:31:11 · answer #5 · answered by the nothing 4 · 3⤊ 1⤋
bugs are attracted to white tubelights coz tubelights r colder than hot bulbs and tubelights r brighter too.
2006-09-30 08:28:46 · answer #6 · answered by rizwan 1 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Because they can not set the color yellow
2006-09-30 08:22:58 · answer #7 · answered by xyz 6 · 1⤊ 2⤋
because they like bright lights
2006-09-30 08:19:20 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 3⤋
I have often wondered the same thing!
2006-10-05 13:49:15 · answer #9 · answered by the_answer_man 4 · 0⤊ 2⤋