Lighting and Insects

[dchurch]

Our old galley light fixture started to fail so I looked for an upgrade.
I was hoping to find one we could dim and switch from white to red to help reduce insects.

I found a nice dimmable light but it only adjusted from bright white to a warm slightly amber light.
While experimenting with the old LED fixture I discovered a very easy way to colorize the LEDs.


No kidding, this really works just as shown in this 2 minute video:



Here's the new dimmable dual color (white/warm) LED fixture.
I don't show the color mod for this light (yet) but it's easy to imagine.


It's odd, I've been working with electronics and LEDs for years, long before LED fixtures and flashlights were available.
I've used color film, swapped LEDs, and even painted lenses... I don't know why it took so long for me to think of trying this. Old dog/new tricks.

[Tom&Shelly]

Wow! Great idea, and just what we were looking for. Thank you for sharing!

Our porch lights came with clear and amber filters, but many bugs don't seem to be aware of the fact they aren't attracted to amber light



I was going to buy some Rit dye and try coloring the clear ones red, but your solution was faster and cheaper (since we have red/pink nail polish)



The last shot is with the amber filter, which I like with the pink nail polish. (Also, I seem to have misplaced the clear filters.)

We never used the porch lights for bright illumination of the area to the side of the teardrop anyway. They are darker now, but, hopefully, not only will they not attract as many bugs, but will preserve night vision during late night bathroom runs, while checking out the stars, etc.

Thanks again!

Tom

[dchurch]

That's fantastic Tom! Nice work:)