Which colour LEDs for bug-proof campsite lights?

[TheOtherLeft]

Good evening ladies and gents,

I am building camp-area lighting using LEDs.

This weekend I was camping and using my headtorch discovered that the red coloured LEDs didn't attract the bugs unlike the white LEDs... either that or being red I couldn't see the bugs at all.

I think yellow LEDs doesn't attract bugs either. Is it just the case of using yellow cellophane over white LEDs?

Which colour would be best - warm white or cool white?

Thanks,
Ben

[Tiny]

Generally yellow is sold as bug free, red may well be just as good although probably much harder on the vision than yellow

[rockcrawler31]

Out of pure interest value, and maybe of bug value.

We used to use red light in the military to map read at night for two reasons. First was because it doesn't destroy your night vision as badly and second because for the same lumen output a red light doesn't carry as far at night. I mean sure we still used light discipline but if there's absolutely no choice then we use red light. I think it had something to do with how well white light reflected or summat, i'm sure there's a scientific reason.

But by christ it was still hard to read a map by red light

I wonder if the reason red or yellow light works for bugs is because of something in the bug's make up or in the nature of the light itself?

[tweak'e]

i run red interior light in the work ute for that reason. insects don't see the red so much as they usually see UV rather then the red end of the spectrum. i don't know with moths tho.
also you don't loose night vision every time someone opens the door ! which is important as i find it easier to work at night by starlight than trying to use lights.

[RED60]

Maybe set up a simple test.... 3 (or more) lights in the back yard/scrub... 3 different colours, leave them for 15 mins or so and see which has the most bugs flying around it..... not all that scientific but practical and cheap.... let us know the result..

[grimbo]

Have used yellow camp lights with no major bug issues.
Have used white fluros which attracted heaps of bugs
Currently use a very white LED strips in my trailer and bugs are very rarely attracted to the point I dont bother with yellow camp light

My Sierra used to have a red interior light for night vision reasons and worked well for that use

[80's_delirious]

I also have very white LED light for camping, the bug attraction factor varies, I have had swarms of little bugs attracted to it at times, but mostly it hasn't been a big issue

[lancalot76]

yeah yellow is the goods, the red ones are so you can keep your nightvision and probably wouldnt light up as much

[gu town]

warm white is yellower than cool white and will be better with bugs from my experience.

red is the best

Yellow is the best vision/bug compromise