CIE x050-OP044 PDF

Over the last decades, a decline in insect populations has been observed. Public lighting infrastructure is both expanding to previously unlit areas, and already existing infrastructure is being replaced LED lighting. Consequently, there is a growing imperative to investigate the impact of artificial light at night (ALAN) on nocturnal insect communities. As the correlated colour temperature (CCT) of LEDs is a customisable industry standard, this paper studies its impact on the abundance of attracted nocturnal insects. Data were collected using three LED light sources switching subsequently between 2700K and 6500K, with a similar luminous flux of 6696 lm and 7440 lm, respectively. A vertically positioned white surface gathers attracted insects and facilitates the image-based assessments. Observations during a pilot experiment of four nights in the Belgian Famenne-Ardenne region currently show that the number of attracted insects was 13% higher at 2700K than at 6500K. Broader tests across a wide range of ecosystems and light characteristics will be performed to confirm to which extent these results may be generalized and can inform the development of insect-friendly lighting.