Advice needed for front porch area with spiders and dead insects

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wahoowad

wahoowad

Minister of Fire
Dec 19, 2005
1,669
Virginia
I have a small, covered front porch that is really nothing more than an entranceway. I live on a very wooded lot in a dark neighborhood so keep my porch light on all the time so the wife can come home after dark and not feel nervous approaching the dark house. I use a 7W CFC bulb since I run it 24x7. My problem is the light attracts a lot of nighttime bugs like moths and beetles which then attracts spiders. The spiders eat the insects and my porch becomes littered with dead insects. I am more concerned about the insect debris but also the spider webs and spiders themselves become unsightly.

I periodically spray the porch area with a broad spectrum insect killer but it doesn't seem to help very much. I like keeping the porch light on as we often come home at varying hours. I do have a motion light that is activated in the driveway but still like to keep the porch light on as it really is intimidating given our dark neighborhood and location. Any ideas to keep the spiders at bay or otherwise prevent the dirty insect debris from building up??
 
There are sprays that will kill spiders, you spray the area they are in, no need to hit the spiders directly. Available in hardware stores, it works for me. I HATE walking into their webs!
 
I installed a lamp post in my driveway 40 feet or so away and let my porch set on a motion detector = porch light goes off and driveway light stays on = spiders somewhere else but front porch.
 
CTwoodburner said:
I installed a lamp post in my driveway 40 feet or so away and let my porch set on a motion detector = porch light goes off and driveway light stays on = spiders somewhere else but front porch.
Click to expand...

Good idea. Is there a way you can move the light fixture to another spot to cast the ligh on the porch but not inside?
Also, is the porch screened/enclosed? (We have a screen porch and there are little to no bugs inside)
As much as I am going to sound like a wuss...I hate coming home at night when my wife leaves the outside light on near the door...there are always about 100 moths (some as large as morthra) and I get freaked out when they are all landing on me)
 
Find an osage orange tree. We call the fruit hedge apples around here. Spread them around the area. They repel spiders.
 
I had the same problem. Solution was easy.
1.) Buy yellow "buglights" for your porch. Most flying insects like moths, etc, do not see this color/wavelength of light and therefore do not become attracted to the light, which in turn keeps the spiders away.
2) Spray about every third week during the spring and summer for the straglers.
This solved 98% of the problem.
 
Try an LED light instead of a CFL. Insects don't like the LED light nearly as much
 
I just blow the crap out of them with the handheld leaf blower during clean-up after mowing the lawn (every 4 days in spring, once per week the rest of the summer), and find that keeps them at bay on my rural but lighted porch. Are you finding a ritual weekly cleaning is not sufficient?
 
How about something like a remote controlled LED bulb. Heres just a result of a quick google search. you get a remote with it and can turn it on and off. Keep the remote with you in the car and turn it on when you pull up. you can even set it to whatever color you find attracts the bugs the least.

http://www.lightinthebox.com/b22-3w...CsGxamgl24xD1_if8f-e7sSpqsS0AlYW6UaAqdA8P8HAQ

and heres a link for some wifi bulbs you can change color and turn on and off from your cell. quite pricey but a nifty party trick -

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/philips...QYqniPtGw2AHNod-cG_SHiuu91xt2KIKb0aAlRn8P8HAQ
 
Go for an exterior LED or yellow CFL bulb that does not attract insects and consider putting a 24 hr timer on the switch so that it can turn off when not needed.

Or go for the motion triggered lamps. This is what we have. They come on quickly and stay on for about 3 minutes unless further motion is detected.
 
Remote controlled or motion sensor bulbs are the way to go rather than making the area so toxic that insects cant approach it. Most of the insects attracted to a light are flying to it from a distance, thus spraying isn't going to affect them. The spiders are there for a free meal and generally don't hurt anyone but will build webs to catch the bugs flying from away. Killing the spiders doesn't get rid of the flying bugs.

Motion sensor lights can be adjusted to go off from a distance, alternatively there are several remote control lighting systems that can be set off by a remote or an app on a cell phone. I have an ancient X-10 system that has a dedicated remote, if I want to I can turn on several halogen floods remotely from my car or anywhere in the house.
 
Motion sensor lights . . . I bought three sets a few years back and kicked myself for not having bought them before. My wife wanted them for security reasons and we have them set up so that just about every approach to the house is covered.

However, I discovered that for me these work incredibly well in the winter while working outside in the snow or getting firewood in the woodshed. As mentioned, you can adjust how long they stay on, coverage area and sensitivity.

I will admit that one set seems to go off pretty easily (I think the sensitivity is a bit higher than the others) as a nearby tree moving seems to set it off when it is windy, but overall I really like them.

This is the same brand and similar model to the ones I bought at a local electric supply shop:

http://www.amazon.com/RAB-Lighting-...5803&sr=8-4&keywords=RAB+motion+sensor+lights
 
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