The good weather has come! It has also brought dinners on the terrace, open windows, and bugs (unfortunately)! Before discovering artificial lights, insects used to navigate on moonlight.
But, with technological development, such as outdoor flickering light bulbs, they are attracted to these lights.
Undoubtedly, this is a very annoying situation that needs proper solutions, especially in the summer. Moreover, these insects may carry viruses or other harmful germs that can be dangerous.
So, we have selected for you the five effective methods to keep bugs away from porch lights.
How to Keep Bugs Away from Porch Light: 5 Useful Tips
We have gathered a few natural and unusual tips to get a solution. Let’s dive in:
The spices
It is one of the oldest tricks in the book. For generations, people have used spices that have insect repellent properties.
Some of such spices that are effective against many types of insects are:
- Nutmeg
- Bay leaf
- Lavender and
These spices have specific properties that produce a special odor. These odors are very repulsive to insects. As a result, insects usually try to avoid these.
Place a small bag of these spices near the porch light. These spices keep the insects away and give a pleasant smell to you.
Use a fan
This is probably one of the most apparent and accessible methods to keep the bugs away from the porch light. A fan produces strong winds that will prevent the insects from flying around.
But the powerful air from the fan isn’t the only reason it repels insects. It also sheds carbon dioxide (CO2), which humans release. Carbon dioxide is one of the particles that attract insects.
Once a ceiling fan is placed near the porch light, we can disperse the carbon dioxide away from the porch by turning it on. Thus, we can divert the attention of the insects toward the CO2 distributed in the environment.
The trick is to install the fan close to the light to ensure the effectiveness of this method.
Scented candles
That’s right; you can repel bugs with scented candles. This might seem counterproductive, as a candle also generates light that attracts insects. But what keeps them away is the smell emanating from the affected candle.
The best anti-insect fragrances are:
- Lavender
- Eucalyptus
- Peppermint
- Thyme
- Lemongrass and many others.
The essential oil of these plants is recognized worldwide as effective against insects.
When looking for ways to keep mosquitoes out of your porch light, you may want to opt for citronella candles.
Use electric anti-insect lamps (mosquito killer lamps)
The electric bug light is another appliance that you can use to “keep” these flying insects away from the porch light. This electric household appliance electrocutes insects, which are always attracted to light. These lamps kill insects with electricity transmitted from the grid.
We recommend the use of this electrical appliance only in extreme cases. They are pretty annoying for the noise they produce. Also, it is less recommended for the unethical condition of killing any insect, such as innocent butterflies.
Here’s how it works:
First of all, this mosquito killer lamp attracts insects through ultraviolet light coming from inside. The insect, for biological reasons, is attracted to this beam of light. Once the insect is brought close to the lamp, it electrocutes it with a high voltage.
Households often have electric mosquito repellent lamps placed on the floor. But, since the light is placed on top, you can hang these devices near your home lights.
The good thing about these electric devices is that they come in different designs and sizes. So with an attractive design and small size, it can reduce the visual clutter.
DIY mosquito repellent
Among the most hated insects, there are certainly the annoying mosquitoes. Every summer, they come back to our homes.
The first piece of advice we give you about it is to prevent mosquitoes from reproducing. To do this, it is necessary to avoid the formation of stagnant water.
One way to keep mosquitoes away from your homes is to make a mixture of water and minced garlic. Add some mineral oil. Then place the homemade compound near the windows of your home.
Bonus tip: keep the lights off when you don’t need them
This may not be an efficient solution because we use porch lights overnight for safety reasons. But this is the simplest idea. If you can opt for any of the remedies stated above, simply keep the lights off. Then, use the lights only when needed.
Also, some lights use sensors or timers. They can reduce the hassles for you.
Another solution might be using certain colored bulbs—for instance, lights with higher wavelengths. Yellow bulbs have the highest wavelengths among all the colors. This makes it difficult for bugs to detect.
Conclusion
Insects are one of the fabulous creations in this world. But sometimes we have to take precautionary measures to live together without harming both. These five are just simple ways to keep bugs out of the reach of your home.
There may be other methods you know to help with the problem.
Don’t forget to share if you know how to keep bugs away from porch lights. There is always something to learn from anyone.
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