LED lights are a popular choice for home lighting, as they’re more energy-efficient than traditional incandescent bulbs. But are these lights attractive to spiders?
LED lights don’t necessarily attract spiders, but they attract bugs that are food for spiders. So if you have LED lights in your home and notice more spiders, it may not be the lights drawing them but rather the increased availability of food.
This article will explain a few things surrounding the relationship between LED lights and spiders, including why LED lights may attract spiders and what you can do to deter them. Keep reading.
Spiders Hang Out Near LEDs Because Bugs Like the Lights
It’s in the nature of most light-emitting devices to attract all manner of critters, including insects and arachnids. LEDs emit some blue light waves native to the spectrum that bugs can see. And that makes them more capable of attracting insects than other forms of artificial lighting, such as a standard incandescent bulb or a low voltage halogen.
So, the hungry spiders wander nearer to the LED, looking for an easy meal, and you end up with a spider problem on your hands. That’s especially true if you let them multiply, as one spider can lay up to 3,000 eggs in its lifetime! While not all spiderlings will reach adulthood, you’ll still end up with an infestation after a short while.
The key question is, how much activity will happen close to your particular LED light setup? If you’re using an outdoor installation where people might rest on benches under the fixtures or children might play nearby, spiders could become a substantial problem over time.
Are Spiders Smart Enough to Spin Their Webs Next to LEDs?
There’s no evidence that spiders are smart enough to spin their webs next to LEDs. They don’t necessarily know how to recognize the difference between an LED light and any other type of light. They likely know that the webs they build where bugs hang out can effectively help them catch prey.
That said, it’s no surprise if you find spiders spinning their webs near your LED lights.
Still, it’s worth noting that spiders don’t have only one web-building strategy. Some of them build their webs close to the ground, where they can easily ambush prey. Others make their webs in high places, which are less likely to be disturbed. So, even if your LED light attracts spiders, it’s not guaranteed that they’ll build their webs nearby.
Others will have multiple webs in different parts of the house, and the spiders usually only occupy one at a time. So, if you see many webs in your home, it’s likely that a cluster of spiders has moved in because food is abundant nearby.
Do Different LED Colors Attract Different Spiders?
Different LED colors may attract different spiders. For example, blue LEDs may be more likely to attract orb weavers, while white or yellow LEDs are more likely to attract jumping spiders.
However, this isn’t a surefire way to prevent spider infestations, as some spiders aren’t particularly picky about the color of light they hunt under.
Some people recommend changing the color of your LED lights to discourage spiders, but there’s no scientific evidence that this works. It’s more likely that any change in a light color will only confuse the spiders and make them even more challenging to find.
How to Prevent LED-Spider Interaction
Below are tips for preventing spiders from getting close to your LEDs:
- Install LED lighting fixtures away from where people will sit or play. This is the best way to prevent spider incidents from happening in your home or business. You also want to mount the LEDs high enough so that spiders don’t dangle near people’s heads.
- Spray pesticides or bug repellants in the areas around the LEDs. Doing so will help keep the spiders away from your lights and, hopefully, deter them from building webs. See also: Does Raid Kill Spiders?
- Use spider traps to catch the spiders before they have a chance to build a web. You can place the traps near LED lights or in other areas where you see a lot of spider activity. And you have to empty them after every few days, which is additional work for you. Another thing to consider is that they might not blend well with your decor.
Are There Natural Ways to Get Rid of Spiders?
There are a few natural ways to get rid of spiders. One way is to make your home less appealing to them. You can do this by reducing the air moisture, keeping your room clean, and using natural bug repellents like peppermint oil.
Spiders don’t like the strong scent of peppermint oil, so you can use it to deter them from building webs in your home or business. You can buy this oil at most stores, or you can make your own by mixing water and peppermint leaves. Another option is to place a few drops of peppermint oil on a cotton ball and place it in the areas where you see the most spider activity.
You can also use lavender oil to repel spiders. It has a sweet, floral scent that spiders don’t like. Like peppermint oil, you can buy lavender oil at most stores or make your own by mixing lavender flowers with water.
Diatomaceous earth is another option. It’s a natural substance made of fossilized diatoms, a type of algae. And it works by dehydrating the spiders when they come in contact with it. You can get it at most stores or online.
You might also want to read: How to Keep Spiders Away From Bed While Sleeping
Final Thoughts
The issue of whether LED lights attract spiders is up for debate. But there are many things you can do to prevent LED-spider interaction from happening in the first place.
It starts with installing lighting fixtures away from where people will sit or play. You can also spray your LEDs with bug repellants; that way, it’ll be hard for spiders to build their webs near the lights.
Traps are also a great way to kill spiders without spraying chemicals in your home. However, these traps might not blend well with your decor, so that’s one thing to consider.
