Blue LED light Kills Mosquitoes & Fruit flies

To stay healthy, it is also necessary to have insects free atmosphere altogether quality foods. In Africa, mosquito kills 500,000 every year just by spreading Malaria. If human being is able to control mosquito population then all worries will be gone. There are lots of study are running regarding insect control. Here research plays a vital role.

All insects are not really harmful to us but some do lots of hazards. Harmful insects like pests are causing damages to farmers. There are lots of solutions to be there but still poor farmers are using chemical (insecticides) to kill pest. Insecticides are toxic in nature so again using it is not a smart step. So farmers must have source that is economical and not health hazardous.

A latest Japanese research conducted in Tohoku University about lethal effects of short-wavelength visible light (using LED) finds out new benefit of blue LED light. Visible light around the blue part of the spectrum (without UV) kills eggs, larva, pupa, and adults of Drosophila melanogaster (insects). Blue light in visible spectrum with exact wavelength of 467 nm kills 100% mosquitoes and fruit flies, while ultraviolet light with wavelength of 378 nm just kills 40% only. In short, right colour and right frequency can be an effective, safe, clean, and may be a cheap way to kill insects.

Different Lights kills different insects

The chart shows that, wavelengths of light from ultraviolet (378 nanometers) to visible blue-green (508nm) killed off the bugs. However wavelengths red and yellow light had essentially no effect on them.

• Fruit flies dropped dead with under a 467nm wavelength light
• Mosquitoes (Culex pipiens molestus) became weaker in a more violet/indigo (417 nm) wavelength light

Conclusion: Every species have own unique wavelength limit. At that limit they died easily.

How does it work?

The question always rise in everyone’s mind how just a light colour that is not so harmful can even kills insects. Let’s check the truth behind the research.

Insects’ puparium or cell reflects many relative wavelengths and some they just have to absorb. Some absorbed light substance with exact wavelength can stimulate the production of a type of molecule called reactive oxygen species (ROS) that will result in tissue damage or changing the formulation of cell that result in death.

Reference:
http://en.rocketnews24.com/2014/12/12/tohoku-university-team-discovers-blue-light-is-effective-at-killing-insects/
http://www.nature.com/srep/2014/141209/srep07383/full/srep07383.html#results
http://www.zmescience.com/ecology/insects-light-13012014/