LED light vs. attracting insects

Yes, that's all true, but a bit beside the topic here?

The BBL is only used as a reference for low CCTs.

How do you measure? There is always soms variance between individual LEDs.

Yes, if you take the black body spectrum as the reference, it is always CRI 100 whatever the CCT but the spectrum varies with the temperature.
A CRI100 light can have a lot of blue light with high CCT and zero blue light with very low CCT.
Black body visible spectrum at different CCT :

Using a Sekonic C-800-U. I’ve taken probably over 1,000 measurements of various light sources.

There are some slight variations between LEDs of the same flux and tint bin, mainly CCT and DUV differences but usually not a whole lot and amount of blue light is pretty similar.

you did not marvel at the brilliance of my repartee? lol!

short version

1. more insects are attracted to cool lights that have blue spectrum outputs

example, typical 6000k Cool White LED
.
.

2. less insects are attracted to warm lights, that do not have blue spectrum outputs

example, typical 3000k Warm White LED

you mean less blue spectrum output. Some 3000K I’ve tested have quite bit of blue output.

Thanks
Can you share specific examples of no blue light hazard 3000k w high cri?

Eg How are the 3000k High Cri 219c, 219b, sst, lh351, e21a?

There are no 3000K with no blue light. Even E21A 2000K has some blue in it but it’s less than incandescent bulbs. Here are some of the warm white LED flashlights I’ve tested. I also tested a bunch of LED strips and light bulbs but I have no idea what emitters some of these use so I’m not going to post them.

How about monochromatic LEDs?

Do they have no blue lenght at all? Red is working great in terms of insects but how about green? Amber?

Now I’m curious.

Do we need to really aim for “no blue” or we just need to produce significantly less blue than whatever your neighbors are using?

Say, my neighbors are using 70 CRI 6500k light while I’m using 90 CRI 5000k. How much less insects I would attract compared to the neighbors? Assuming both they and I operate the light at the same time.

I think it’s more about your comfort when walking and holding/wearing a light. It does make a diffrence if you feed like a target for 100 000 bugs, or not. At least this is how this thread started…

You’re right that the diffrence in white light may be neglible at least to those working as blue light+ thru phosphor layer.

thanks for sharing your tests

another question
I know that the 4000k N219b is some “medical” flashlights, claim “No Blue Light Hazzard”

I dont know what that means… since as you say, there IS some blue light.

I suggest you do an experiment with two of your own flashlights… stand them up outdoors, a few feet apart, and watch to see which one attracts more bugs :slight_smile:

“I don’t have to run faster than the bear. I just have to run faster than you.”

It’s all relative. 6500K vs 5000K, bugs will go to the former. 5000K vs 2200K, again, bugs will go to the former. 2200K vs monochromatic amber, yet again, bugs will go to the former.

There might still be blue light in X, but as long as X has less blue light than Y, they’ll head on over to Y instead.

It certainly has a blue spike (= not free of blue light hazard) but probably/hopefully limited.


I guess that the more the blue spike curve match the blue light hazard function (curve) the more it is considered to be blue light hazard.

thanks Tally-ho, I like that chart

fwiw, here is a light that claims
the output has an RG0 rating to eliminate blue-light hazards
https://www.amazon.com/Nitecore-MT06MD-Flashlight-Batteries-Organizer/dp/B06XCKNFSN

here is a similar light, without the “no blue-light hazzard” marketing spin
https://www.amazon.com/LUMINTOP-Penlight-Rendering-Diagnostic-Waterproof/dp/B07C9XP692/

That’s advertisement BS or they have no idea what they talking about. 4000K is very high in blue light content unless it uses a violet pump but violet light is higher energy so it might contain other dangers that we are not yet aware of. 3000K would be the cutoff for acceptable level of blue light IMO. However, I don’t doubt 4000K 219B 9080 makes for a good medical light due to it’s very good color rendering and near BBL tint, and is still a good NW.

One thing I notice is that when I get blasted in the eye by a 2000K, it is less painful and it takes much less time for my eyes to readapt to the darkness than a cooler temp light.

Growing up, I was taught to use an actual yellow or orange incandescent light as a porch or outside door light. This was anecdotally taught and became accepted as fact that the purpose for using such such colored lights was to provide light while not attract bugs, and seemed to work.

When my wife and I bought our house, she just didn’t like the yellow colored bulb above our side door and had me change it out for a normal incandescent lamp.

I did notice a change in the amount flying insects with the change of lamps. Yellow attracted many less insects than white.

good info
I agree

I suspect moquitoes also become more mellow under yellow light

maybe someone will do a test with a pair of flashlights, a warm and a cool
I look forward to the enlightening results

I somewhat recall reading someone posted on BLF that from their real life experience, the insects would flock to the cooler light and ignore the warmer light but once the cooler light was turned off, the insects would swarm the warmer light. I don’t know what CCT they were.

Night Strategy, cool decoy, warm user

Flyers also targer our breath, especially daytime flyers. , co2 is bait
Smoke is repellant(incense, etc)

A flashlight tailstanding on a picnic table during the day, or a glass of water in sunlight, keeps flies away. They navigate by the sun, additional light sources are repellant (hanging CD’s also repel daytime flies)