Are Water Bugs Attracted To Light

Regularly cleaning your home may not always help keep away all bugs. 

After all, pesky insects such as water bugs may continue to invade your space and won’t flee so easily. Anyhow, you might be wondering whether turning off the lights can keep them and other similar bugs, such as cockroaches, away. 

That’s why I’m here to clear your confusion with this guide on “are water bugs attracted to light?”. So, let’s begin. 

Facts About Water Bugs 

Since we’re discussing water bugs here, it’s worth noting that they are different from cockroaches. After all, the two can often be confused with each other owing to their similar appearance. 

However, there are a few major differences between them. First off, while water bugs infest damp and moist areas, cockroaches tend to cluster around water sources — that’s how the latter has earned the nickname “water bugs.” 

While water bugs prefer living in water bodies outside, they might sometimes be attracted to a damp indoor environment, such as a bathroom or kitchen. In comparison, cockroaches generally inhabit all nooks and crannies of your home and are more likely to be scurrying around under a fridge. 

Also, note that water bugs adopt a nocturnal pattern by leaving their nests at night to search for water and food. Interestingly, cockroaches display similar behavior in this regard. 

Now let’s move on to answering the main question. 

Are They Attracted To Light? 

Yes, water bugs might be attracted by outdoor lights and open windows while flying from one water body to another. But fortunately, they are of a more solitary nature and won’t sit on human food or clothes. That’s why you can rest assured they won’t contaminate any food or be found in any clothes. 

At the same time, water bugs sneaking in through windows or open spaces and continuously swarming around can be a headache. And, of course, you can’t always keep your windows shut. 

So, in the next section, I’ll briefly discuss a few tips you can use to keep these bugs out of the way. 

Keeping Away Water Bugs 

1. Keep The Lawn In Good Shape 

Water bugs can sometimes inhabit long and moist grass blades and fly into your home later on. As such, you must make sure your lawn doesn’t overgrow to a point where it’s difficult to control the nuisance of water bugs hiding among them. 

2. Use Traps 

You can set traps so that if the bugs manage to enter a hole, they won’t get further. So, get hold of a chemical roach-bait trap, put it around your home, and you’re good to go. 

3. Eliminate Moisture 

Water bugs obviously love moisture, so if there’s a moist spot that’s easily accessible, they may get attracted to it. Hence, make sure you fix leaky pipes, don’t leave the sink wet, and don’t keep leaking trash boxes or bags in one place for too long. 

Final Words