Image caption:  Lights at night turn nocturnal pollinators off. Credit: Dark Sky International

Pollinators and street lights
We’re probably all aware that street lighting has an effect on native birds, but it also interferes with the work of nocturnal pollinators.

INSECTS CAN become confused, thinking the artificial light is starlight or the moon, and lose their sense of direction. This distracted flying tires them out and makes them less effective.

A Swiss study found that plants in artificially lit areas had 62 per cent less pollinator visits than plants growing in dark areas. Such a deficit can’t be made up by day pollinators.

A pilot study undertaken in Lahti, Finland, has used pollinator friendly street lights that automatically filter out the blue spectrum during night hours. It’s been used along a 500m footpath in a nature reserve where there are lots of pollinators. The blue is taken out of the colour spectrum because pollinators are known to be drawn towards this colour. Without it, they are less likely to confuse street lights for night sky and so concentrate more strongly on the important work.

This is a salient reminder to householders that outdoor lights are not helpful to our wildlife and every effort should be made to reduced or eliminate running them overnight.