My porch light used to be a bug convention center. Every summer night, the wall around it turned into a swarm. Then I swapped the bulb for a yellow one, and the difference was not subtle. The bugs did not vanish, but the crowd shrank by a solid ninety percent.

Why bugs prefer white light

Many flying insects are drawn to the blue and ultraviolet end of the spectrum, which white and cool bulbs put out plenty of. Yellow and amber bulbs emit almost no blue light, so they are far less attractive to moths, flies, and beetles. It is not that yellow light repels them. It just stops calling them over.

What to buy

You are looking for a bug light or an amber bulb, usually labeled bug light or insect repellent on the box. It fits a standard porch socket, so no fixture changes needed. I use a yellow LED bug bulb and it draws almost nothing all night. Warm white bulbs help too, but dedicated bug lights are even less attractive to insects.

Yellow is not for every spot

Keep yellow lights for entrances and seating areas where you actually spend time. If you need light for security cameras or reading a house number from the street, white light is easier to see by. Yellow light is noticeably dimmer for human eyes, so pick the spot based on what the light is for.

Other porch bug fixes that pair well

• Move the light away from the door. Bugs gather where the light is, not where you are.
• Use a motion sensor light so it is not on all night.
• Keep the area around the door dry. Standing water attracts mosquitoes.
• Turn off unnecessary lights when you are not outside.

The yellow bulb cost a few dollars and took thirty seconds to install. It is the cheapest bug control I have ever bought. My porch is still lit at night, but now the light is mine instead of the insects’.