WHEN BUGS ARE REALLY INTO LIGHT
No one enjoys being dinner for bugs. Worse yet, no one wants to become infected by disease-carrying mosquitoes. Fortunately, light-emitting diode (LED) technology is making some great strides in protecting us from these threats. Lighting Science Group is a Florida company that applies LED technology to better approaches with lighting and our environment. The company’s Web site affirms:
“ we believe lighting should work with our bodies and the environment, not against them. ”
Lighting Science Group has some exciting products and approaches in the works. Corinne Iozzio reports that the company’s technical strategy (“Into the Light” Fortune . June 1, 2016, p. 44):
“ has led to highly tuned LEDs that disinfect water, keep astronauts on alert, and steer infant sea turtles away from highways. The effort is all about finding the perfect light to attract–and distract–insects. ”
Different insects are attracted to or repelled by different wavelengths of light. Therefore, controlling the wavelength controls the bugs. And the more that the bugs are into the light, the less they will be into you and me. I like that idea!
The research is ongoing and promising. The company has plans to tune LEDs to specific insect species and do field testing to confirm efficacy. As the processes become better defined, anti-bug products will show up on the shelves. That is when we will enjoy doing a better job avoiding contact with the hungry throngs.
