Light and mosquitoes: what really attracts them in the evening

Turn off the cool white, keep the 2700 K. The mosquito does not head for your lamp: it follows CO₂ and the heat of your skin. What really changes an evening on the terrace is the wavelength you send out and the light that leaks around the table.

Does light attract mosquitoes?

No. The female mosquito navigates by CO₂, body heat and skin odours. She does not fly towards a bulb in order to bite. Light plays another role: it illuminates your skin, warms the air above the table and above all wakes up flying insects which really do follow it.

Does light attract mosquitoes at night?

At night, it is the darkness that makes you visible, not the lamp. Your body gives off CO₂ and heat continuously, and the mosquito picks them up from several metres away, in complete darkness. Switching off the terrace therefore protects you from nothing. A well thought out terrace lighting project settles the matter differently: the light serves the table, not the skin.

Why do mosquitoes bite at night?

Because the night protects them. The female needs blood for her eggs, and darkness shelters her from predators and from the sweep of a hand. She comes out when the air calms down and the daytime heat falls away. A human body then becomes the easiest source to find.

Does blue light attract mosquitoes?

Yes, and it is measurable. Flying insects react to short wavelengths, around 350 to 500 nanometres: blue, violet, ultraviolet. A cool white at 6500 K packs in a lot of them, a warm white at 2700 K very few. To understand the mechanism, see what blue light is.

Does red light attract mosquitoes?

Hardly at all. Beyond 600 nanometres, most flying insects no longer perceive much. Amber or red lighting leaves them indifferent, which explains its use on some terraces. Be careful: not attracting them does not mean not getting bitten. The mosquito does not come to the lamp, it comes to you.

Does UV light attract mosquitoes?

It attracts insects, but not primarily biting ones. A UV trap mostly catches moths, midges and chironomids, which bite no one. A few mosquitoes go in too, but the result stays far from that of a CO₂ trap. Our article on mosquitoes and light details this gap.

Should you switch off the light to stop being bitten?

No, that changes almost nothing. The mosquito finds you by CO₂ and heat, two signals that do not go out with the switch. On the other hand, cutting a cool white reduces the activity of flying insects around the table, and the evening becomes more bearable. The useful move is not to switch off, but to change the bulb.

How do you light a terrace in the evening without attracting them?

Lower the colour temperature and stop lighting upwards. A 2700 K emits little blue, so it attracts far fewer than a cool white. Point the beam at the table, a wall or the ground rather than at the sky, where it is lost and crosses everything that flies.

The right approach comes down to two or three low points and an outdoor light chosen for outdoors. A wall light, a bollard on the ground, a lamp on the table. Never a single spotlight above the plates.

Which colour temperature should you choose outdoors?

2700 K is the right benchmark. It is a warm white, close to the old filament bulb, which keeps faces readable without harshness. 2700 K bulbs come in E27, E14 or GU10 depending on the fixture. 3000 K remains acceptable; at 6500 K, the light becomes frankly cold and far more visible to insects.

If you are still hesitating between the two shades, our comparison white or yellow light settles it according to use and room.

Which protection rating for an outdoor lamp?

IP44 is enough under a canopy, IP65 is needed in the open air. On a survey of 250 references from our catalogue as of 5 October 2026, IP20 covers 94% of the survey, IP65 4% and IP44 2%. The current range is therefore designed for indoors: outdoors, you have to filter. The socket follows the same logic, with E27 on 30% of the survey and LED on 19%. The 2 year warranty applies to 96% of the survey, CE certification to 100%.

These figures come from our own product sheets, not from an estimate. If you want to check the company behind them, the shop's Google listing is public.

For the wall, an IP65 wall light is mounted high and only lights downwards.

For the ground, terrace lamp posts replace a spotlight fixed too high.

Once evening comes, the terrace empties and the house takes over. A LED ceiling light in warm white keeps the living room readable without turning it into a waiting room.

Next to the sofa, a floor lamp is enough for reading. The rule does not change: little blue, plenty of warm.

That is also what prepares the night. Our article on evening light and sleep returns to this point.

If you are redoing the lighting on your terrace, take two minutes to describe your terrace to the team: we will reply about the right temperatures and the right heights for your space.

What do mosquitoes dislike?

Wind, cool air, smoke and certain plant odours. The mosquito is a poor sailor: beyond a light breeze, it can no longer hold its flight. It also avoids dry, open areas, preferring the damp shade of foliage. Your best defence remains a fan, not a plug-in device.

How do mosquitoes see?

They see poorly, but they see movement. Their vision picks up contrasts and moving silhouettes, not details. A terrace where people move about therefore attracts them more than a calm terrace. They compensate with other sensors: CO₂ from several metres away, heat at short distance, skin odour on contact.

What is the mosquito's worst enemy?

Cold and wind, before any predator. Below 15 °C, its metabolism slows and it stops flying; a steady breeze prevents it from landing. Then come bats, dragonflies and web spiders. No lighting replaces these conditions, but a warm atmosphere outdoors is built with a few well placed light points.