How To Keep Bugs Away From The Porch Light [5 Ways!]

If you’ve ever been sitting on your porch or have come home at night to bugs swarming around your porch light and entering into your home when you open the door, you know how annoying that can be.

So how can you keep bugs away from the porch light? We’ve researched this question and more to give you some possible solutions.

If you want to keep bugs away from your porch light, try one or all of these five methods.

• Choose a different type of lightbulb.
• Spray a natural insect repellent.
• Install a screen.
• Purchase a bug zapper.
• Light citronella candles.

Turning off the light is the most effective solution but not always the most ideal, especially when you’re eating outside or doing something else on the porch that requires you to be able to see.

So let’s look at each of these more effective solutions for keeping bugs away from the porch light.

Try a different type of lightbulb

If you have many bugs swarming around your porch light, one of the easiest and cheapest solutions is to use a different type of lightbulb.

Commonly used lightbulbs, such as incandescent, halogen, and compact fluorescent lightbulbs, emit UV radiation. 

Bugs are drawn to the UV light emitted by traditional porch lights because they navigate using moonlight. Switching to LED bulbs not only extends the lifespan of your porch light but also reduces its visibility to bugs.

Additionally, special yellow-tinted bulbs are available that are less visible to bugs, helping to keep them away.

Spray a natural insect repellent

You can use essential oils to create a natural insect repellent and spray it around the porch light to keep bugs away.

It is important to note that you should NOT spray it directly onto the porch light. Doing so can cause the light to short out, which is unsafe for both you and your home.

To make an essential oil spray, mix a few drops of lavender, mint, rosemary, thyme, eucalyptus, or cloves with soapy water in a spray bottle.

Apply this solution around the light area, repeating a few times daily, especially in humid summer conditions.

Install a screen

This method can be a little costly but is very effective at keeping bugs away from your porch light. Screens create a barrier that is too small for bugs to fit through.

Screens can be installed by a professional in as little as one day for a few hundred dollars, or you can attempt to install a screen yourself and save a little money.

Purchase a bug zapper

Bug zappers emit a blue light that is attractive to insects. Installing one on your porch can draw bugs toward it and away from your porch light. Hang the bug zapper a couple of feet away from the porch light. 

Light citronella candles

If you’re only going to be sitting on your porch for a short time, citronella candles may be a good option for temporarily keeping bugs away.

While most commonly known for keeping mosquitos away, citronella candles can also keep other kinds of bugs away. Place a few on a table or flat surface underneath the porch light.

Note: Avoid leaving candles lit to deter bugs around your porch light, as it poses a fire risk. Ensure any candles used are securely placed in a jar or candle holder to contain the flames safely.

What color do bugs not like?

There aren’t really any colors that bugs don’t like, but there are some colors that bugs find more attractive than others. These colors are blue, green, and white. Yellow, red, and orange aren’t attractive to bugs because they can’t see them as well.

It is rumored that certain paint colors can help repel bugs, but that has never been proven to be true.

However, a paint color that is very reflective of sunlight can attract more insects because of the high amounts of UV light emitted. 

What smells do insects hate?

We mentioned earlier that citronella and other essential oils can help repel insects. Many other scents are also thought to repel insects.

Some scents are more effective for repelling certain bugs than others. Let’s look at which scents are known to repel which insects.

• Cinnamon- repels wasps, spiders, and silverfish.
• Citronella- repels mosquitoes, gnats, moths,  and ticks.
• Citrus (orange, lemon, and grapefruit)- repels ants, cockroaches, moths, silverfish, and weevils. 
• Lavender- repels mosquitoes, flies, gnats, ants, and ticks.
• Lemongrass- repels chiggers, mosquitoes, fleas, and flies.
• Peppermint- repels moths, ants, fleas, fruit flies, and stink bugs.

See More: How to Keep Bees Away from Your Porch

What outdoor lights don’t attract bugs?

While no kind of light is 100% effective at keeping bugs away, some light bulbs greatly reduce the number of bugs attracted to them.

While yellow-tinted “bug lights” do reduce the number of bugs that swarm around your porch light, the best kind of light bulb to use is an LED light that produces a warm color. This type of light bulb will produce a yellowish-orange hue when lit, which bugs find unattractive.

How do you keep bugs off the front porch?

Besides the solutions that are listed above, there are other ways that you can keep bugs off of the front porch. Most of these are simple solutions that can be done cheaply and easily. Let’s look at a few more ways to keep bugs away.

Turn off any lights that aren’t necessary

Unless you need to see to unlock your door, try to keep your porch light turned off. Even if you need to turn the porch light on to see, try to turn it off as soon as you are done using it.

Leaving it on for the shortest amount of time possible will attract fewer bugs. 

If you leave your porch light on at night for safety, installing a timer or using special lightbulbs that only come on from dusk until dawn can help ensure that it is on only when necessary. 

Install a ceiling fan

Installing an outdoor ceiling fan on your porch can help circulate the air and blow away any bugs that fly around there.

This is a more expensive solution, but one that may be worth the expense because it also helps keep you cool and disperses odors and other particles in the air.

Hang a bird or bat house near the porch

Birds and bats eat insects, so hanging up a bird or bat house is a natural way to repel insects.

Hang it on a tree or mount it on a post in the ground near the porch, but far enough away so that the birds and bats don’t find their way onto your porch. 

Hang spices near the porch light

Hanging spices that produce a smell that insects don’t like can also help to keep them away.

Fill coffee filters with cinnamon, citrus zest, or bay leaves and hang them from the porch light to keep bugs away from the light. Replace them every few days when they start to lose their smell.

Remove standing water

Standing water is a breeding ground for mosquitoes and other insects. Use gravel or dirt to fill in any low areas where rain collects, and empty any pots and containers that hold water after it rains.

See More: How to Keep Lizards Away From the Porch

In Closing

Bugs can be annoying, especially when there are ways to prevent them. Trying any of the above methods may greatly reduce the number of insects that swarm your porch and porch light.

You may have to try some in combination with others, but hopefully, you can find an effective solution that works for you.