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Black light, white light, and ladybugs

N

Nick Hull

Jan 1, 1970
0
The literature and web info led me to believe that ladybugs would be
attracted to black light (UV). I tried black light bulbs in a twin 40
watt shop light with disappointing results. Although a few ladybugs did
land on the black lights, many more landed on the regular white
flourescent shop lite fixtures and most landed on glass windows in
sunlight or the walls above.

Am I using the wrong kind of black light, is there a special kind that
is used to attract bugs at night? I have no objection to the light
output of a flourescent at night, I don't require darkness, but why are
the commercial units for restaurants etc sold with black lights when
they are normally used in lighted areas?

Any info on attracting ladybugs with light is appreciated.
 
V

Victor Roberts

Jan 1, 1970
0
The literature and web info led me to believe that ladybugs would be
attracted to black light (UV). I tried black light bulbs in a twin 40
watt shop light with disappointing results. Although a few ladybugs did
land on the black lights, many more landed on the regular white
flourescent shop lite fixtures and most landed on glass windows in
sunlight or the walls above.

Am I using the wrong kind of black light, is there a special kind that
is used to attract bugs at night? I have no objection to the light
output of a flourescent at night, I don't require darkness, but why are
the commercial units for restaurants etc sold with black lights when
they are normally used in lighted areas?

Any info on attracting ladybugs with light is appreciated.

I don't have any info about ladybugs, but the restaurant unit you
refer to are designed to attract and kill flies, mosquitoes, and
similar insects, not ladybugs.
--
Vic Roberts
http://www.RobertsResearchInc.com
To reply via e-mail:
replace xxx with vdr in the Reply to: address
or use e-mail address listed at the Web site.
 
D

Don Klipstein

Jan 1, 1970
0
The literature and web info led me to believe that ladybugs would be
attracted to black light (UV). I tried black light bulbs in a twin 40
watt shop light with disappointing results. Although a few ladybugs did
land on the black lights, many more landed on the regular white
flourescent shop lite fixtures and most landed on glass windows in
sunlight or the walls above.

Am I using the wrong kind of black light, is there a special kind that
is used to attract bugs at night?

As for failure to attract ladybugs at night: I suspect they don't fly
at night.

As for light types most attractive to insects: I have done a bit of
experimentation in that area, and insect-visible UV I have found to be not
quite the holy grail! I did better with light sources that better
approximate blue sky as seen by an insect!

Fluorescent lamps that tried: BL (unfiltered blacklight), BLB
(filtered blacklight, and BLB stands for "Blacklight Blue", B (blue) and
D (daylight).

I got best results from B (blue). My guess is that this was broadband
and somewhat approximating the color of blue sky. D (Daylight) was not
especially bad, but was more lacking in the UV present in daylight that
flying insects see. BL was in third place and BLB was in fourth place.

I have heard that 350BL ("blaclight peaking at 350 nm") is supposed to
be good. I believe it could be better than the usual BL that peaks at 350
nm, but I suspect the reason is that the 350 nm fluorescents have a wider,
more-daylight-like UV band than many 360 nm ones do.

One thing to consider: Insect eyes have four color sensors - with peaks
in the UV, blue, blue-green and yellow or yellow-green. To attract
light-attracted flying insects, you want to stimulate these four color
sensors in proportions either like daylight or else deviating from
daylight in a manner that the insect finds attractive.

-----------------------------------------------------------

More notes on my experimentation with homebrew bugzappers:

Not all flying insects are attracted to lights!

Mosquitoes are disappointingly moderately low on the list of flying
insects attracted to lights, and the ones on a mission to get some blood
are even less so!

Higher on the list are leafhoppers and other flying insects that attract
some natural enemies of mosquitoes (such as bats), as well as lacewings -
which I doubt many want to zap, since they mostly eat what ladybugs mostly
eat - aphids!

If you need ladybugs, then I believe you have to go out and catch them
and learn how to farm them!
I have no objection to the light
output of a flourescent at night, I don't require darkness, but why are
the commercial units for restaurants etc sold with black lights when
they are normally used in lighted areas?

Supposedly flying insects are attracted to those, but I don't consider
that the whole truth and nothing but the truth!
Any info on attracting ladybugs with light is appreciated.

I suspect light is not the way to catch ladybugs...
 
D

David Lee

Jan 1, 1970
0
Don Klipstein wrote...
As for failure to attract ladybugs at night: I suspect they don't fly
at night.

As for light types most attractive to insects: I have done a bit of
experimentation in that area, and insect-visible UV I have found to be not
quite the holy grail! I did better with light sources that better
approximate blue sky as seen by an insect!

Fluorescent lamps that tried: BL (unfiltered blacklight), BLB
(filtered blacklight, and BLB stands for "Blacklight Blue", B (blue) and
D (daylight).

I got best results from B (blue). My guess is that this was broadband
and somewhat approximating the color of blue sky. D (Daylight) was not
especially bad, but was more lacking in the UV present in daylight that
flying insects see. BL was in third place and BLB was in fourth place.

I have heard that 350BL ("blaclight peaking at 350 nm") is supposed to
be good. I believe it could be better than the usual BL that peaks at 350
nm, but I suspect the reason is that the 350 nm fluorescents have a wider,
more-daylight-like UV band than many 360 nm ones do.

One thing to consider: Insect eyes have four color sensors - with peaks
in the UV, blue, blue-green and yellow or yellow-green. To attract
light-attracted flying insects, you want to stimulate these four color
sensors in proportions either like daylight or else deviating from
daylight in a manner that the insect finds attractive.

-----------------------------------------------------------

More notes on my experimentation with homebrew bugzappers:

Not all flying insects are attracted to lights!

Mosquitoes are disappointingly moderately low on the list of flying
insects attracted to lights, and the ones on a mission to get some blood
are even less so!

Higher on the list are leafhoppers and other flying insects that attract
some natural enemies of mosquitoes (such as bats), as well as lacewings -
which I doubt many want to zap, since they mostly eat what ladybugs mostly
eat - aphids!

If you need ladybugs, then I believe you have to go out and catch them
and learn how to farm them!


Supposedly flying insects are attracted to those, but I don't consider
that the whole truth and nothing but the truth!


I suspect light is not the way to catch ladybugs...


AFAIK night flying insects are NOT really attracted to light but rather
disoriented when the light is effectively a point source. An insect will
use moonlight (when visible) as a reference direction in order to fly a
straight course by flying at a constant angle to the source of light. If
the dominant source of light happens to be a point source, such as a candle
or moth trap, then maintaining a constant angle will cause it to fly a
spiral course around and towards the light, giving the impression of being
attracted to it.

I would expect that the reason that mosquitos (particularly when hunting)
are not stongly "attracted" by light is because they are navigating by
scent, up a chemical concentration gradient towards the hapless victim
rather than trying to fly a straight course.

David
 
I

Ioannis

Jan 1, 1970
0
David Lee wrote:
[snip]
I would expect that the reason that mosquitos (particularly when hunting)
are not stongly "attracted" by light is because they are navigating by
scent, up a chemical concentration gradient towards the hapless victim
rather than trying to fly a straight course.

AFAIK, mosquitos in particular navigate based on Carbon Dioxide
concentrations. One reason why the are able to "enter" in room windows
when one sleeps.
 
I

Ioannis

Jan 1, 1970
0
TimR said:
I have been told, by an entomology graduate student, that mosquitos do
not really navigate by CO2.

Instead, it simply speeds their activity up, making it more likely
they'll get close enough to bump or smell you.

Also that repellents do not repel, but do interfere with their ability
to smell you, so if they are thick enough you are out of luck.
This was some time ago, there may be more recent information.

They are strange creatures, indeed :)

http://users.forthnet.gr/ath/jgal/writing/OnMosquitos.html
 
D

Daniel J. Stern

Jan 1, 1970
0
I have been told, by an entomology graduate student, that mosquitos do
not really navigate by CO2. Instead, it simply speeds their activity up,
making it more likely they'll get close enough to bump or smell you.

Which means those expensive and wasteful devices that burn propane to
produce CO2 to attract and kill mosquitos are about as useful as Neodymium
Oxide in lamp envelope glass.
 
K

Ken Seggerman

Jan 1, 1970
0
Nick said:
Any info on attracting ladybugs with light is appreciated.
My halogen floor lamp really seems to attract ladybugs. I don't know the
entomoligical details or the spectral properties of a 300 watt halogen
bulb from the hardware store.

They get into the house to overwinter. I don't blame them it's -17
degrees F outside today. I can see them crawling up and down the window
panes on a sunny day. They drink condensation from the window pane

The halogen lamp is torchère style with the halogen bulb in a bowl
pointing at the ceiling. The ladybugs fly up there presumably attrated
by the light and they stay for the heat.

Every couple of days, enough ladybugs collect up there that they start
to smoulder and give off a foul smelling smoke, at which point I turn
off the lamp, empty the toasted ladybugs onto the floor and sweep them up.

Ken
Walton, NY USA
 
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