The swarms of insects that plague light bulbs at night could be about to become a thing of the past . Scientists have invented a bulb that emits less blue and green wavelengths , which they claim is 20 per cent less appealing to moths and other bugs . The technology could also save lives in the tropical regions of the world , where insects carry a multitude of potentially fatal diseases . A bright idea : Scientists claim they have invented a bulb that emits less blue and green wavelengths , which doesn ’ t appeal to insects as much as conventional LED light bulbs ( shown ) Light emitted by conventional bulbs - particularly the blue wavelengths of LED bulbs – is attractive to a range of insects , drawing them out from the night and straight to people ’ s homes . The problem with this is that insects such as mosquitoes , sand flies and ‘ kissing bugs ’ that fly towards the light , increase the risk of catching vector-borne diseases . Six million people worldwide , mostly in Latin America , are infected with Chagas disease , which is transmitted by ‘ kissing bugs ’ that are attracted to lights . Sand flies infect people with a protozoan parasite responsible for 20,000 deaths annually , while mosquitoes , which are also drawn to the light , carry malaria which kills more than 600,000 people a year . Light emitted by conventional bulbs - particularly the blue wavelengths of LED bulbs – is attractive to a range of insects , drawing them out from the night and straight to people ’ s homes . Here , a vast number of bugs flock towards a floodlight in Australia . Graphene is set to make its commercial debut in the form of a light bulb in a ‘ matter of months ’ . The bulb contains a filament-shaped LED coated in the super-strong carbon and is set to go on sale late 2015 . British researchers behind the bulb claim it will last longer and be cheaper to make than conventional LEDS , as well as slash energy use by 10 per cent . It looks like a traditional light bulb , but the graphene coating enables it to conduct electricity and heat more effectively , to facilitate the improved performance , meaning users wo n't have to change their bulbs as regularly . It was designed at the University of Manchester , where graphene was discovered , and will be made by Graphene Lighting PLC , a UK-registered company that ’ s a spin-out from the university . The university said in a statement : ‘ It is expected that the graphene light bulbs will be on the shelves in a matter of months , at a competitive cost. ’ This implies that the graphene bulbs may cost less than LED bulbs , which can be priced at around £15 . While you may imagine that the brightness of a light bulb may dictate how many insects are drawn towards it , scientists from the University of Southern California say it ’ s the colour of the light that matters most . Travis Longcore , associate professor of spatial sciences at the university , said future LED bulb designs could be customised to be less attractive to specific insect species . All insects are attracted to ‘ white ’ light , which is a combination of all colours , but different insects are sensitive to particular combinations of these wavelengths . For example , blue , violet , and ultraviolet wavelengths are especially attractive to moths and some other insect groups , so these wavelengths were turned down in experimental light bulb . However , the light it emitted , still appeared white to humans . Professor Longcore led a team , with help from Philips Research in the Netherlands , with the aim of reducing the number of insects an LED bulb can attract while still maintaining white light for indoor use . Dr André Barroso , a senior scientist at Philips , said : ‘ For the purpose of this study , we created unique and one-off LED lamp designs that can be customised to emit different colour wavelengths to reduce the attraction of insects . ‘ This is where lighting meets health and well-being. ’ The bulbs were tested against off-the-shelf commercial LED bulbs , compact fluorescent bulbs and a control with no bulb . Professor Longcore ’ s research team fixed each bulb over traps in several locations in California – two in the Santa Monica Mountains to represent rural locations and one in the city of Los Angeles . Sand flies infect people with a protozoan parasite responsible for 20,000 deaths annually , while mosquitos , ( pictured ) which are also drawn to the light , carry malaria which kills more than 600,000 people a year . In just over a month , they collected 5,579 insects in the traps , it was reported in the journal Philosophical Transactions B . The order Diptera , which mosquitoes belong to , represented almost seven in every 10 insects caught . They found that despite the customised bulbs being brighter than the LED bulbs , they attracted 20 per cent fewer insects . He said : ‘ The research provides proof in concept that LED lamps can be customised to avoid specific areas of the spectrum that could have adverse environmental consequences , while still providing light for indoor use. ’ ‘ For places in the world where glass windows and screens are uncommon , reducing insect attraction to indoor lights is a big deal. ’ ‘ Future research is needed into the light attraction of individual vector species and with the current configurations in the tropics , but the current results indicate a viable path forward . ’
Travis Longcore was created by the University of Southern California and Phillips . Emits less green and blue light to be less appealing to insects . Light still looks a normal 'white ' to humans so it could be used in the home . Could save lives by discouraging bugs carrying disease entering homes .