How does a light trap work?

Before knowing how an insect light trap works, it is imperative to know what a light trap really is. A light trap is a device that kills insect through electrocution. It is being installed to strategic outdoor locations especially in farms and parks. Light could be purchased or made depending on your budget and your skills. Using light traps is an effective way to control the number of insects and the potential infestation and damage that they might cause to humans or other properties.

Insects are attracted to light trap because of the light in it. The mechanism in organisms that makes them react to light is called phototaxis. Phototaxis is an organism’s automatic movement toward or away from light.

There are two types of phototaxis depending on the movement and reaction of the organism to the stimuli which is light. It is called negative phototaxis when the organism moves away from the light while it is positive phototaxis when the organism moves toward the light. An example of an organism with a negative phototaxis would be cockroaches since they move away from the source of light and prefers dark place while an organism with a positive phototaxis would be moths since they move towards the light source and can often be seen flying around light bulbs at night.

There is no definite answer to how organisms get in their system the mechanism of phototaxis, though there are still several theories yet to be proven. Some of these theories say that it is because the organisms think the light is the sun while some other theories says that some organisms use the moon as compass for traveling. When these organisms see a strong light in darkness they think that it is the moon.

Are you enlightened now? 😉


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