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I’ve been thinking about hanging a few solar lights with yellow bulbs from the lifelines to give much needed light for the cockpit and was wondering if the yellow bulbs would help keep away bugs. It seems that when we open the hatch with the light on in the cabin it draws the bugs right inside. Is there any expertise out there on this. I saw a few boats at the marina with solar lights and they give off a nice ambiance but not sure if it will help with the bugs.

They really wont keep them away. They dont repel them, but insects dont tend to see yellow as well as blue spectrum, so they tend to standard lights over yellow lights.

Out on a boat, there arent other lights around, and they will be drawn to the yellow lights anyway.

I have seen lots with the solar lights, and all were white, and have a few of my own to install later, I also have a blue bug battery powered zapper that I hang on the fore stay - the problem with bug zappers is they attract the bugs so you want them a ways away.
Now I am going to have to take apart the solar light and see if I can replace the LED with a yellow one.

Tang, does a bug zapper use alot of battery power

I got it a bed and bath 2 years ago, it has a ac charger like and about the size of a phone charger. The light lasts as long as I want it to 3-4 hours max. My son would use it for light in the cockpit while he and his friends did the pier party stroll, till he figured out it was supposed to draw the bugs - we then just tied a shoe lace to the top and hung it with a clove hitch to the jib furler as high up as we can reach. The charger is ac, I suppose you could find a dc version - I think it is 6 or 9 volts dc out but I haven't seen it this season yet, probably in a cooler somewhere.
I probably should have just googled it to begin with but here it is

Thanks. I like it. If only they were solar I would buy four and hang them on the life line instead of the yard lamps. Then once all the fish realize that is where the dead bugs fall into the water I can just drop in a line and have fresh fish for breakfast.

I have solar lighting on my boat but it only works during the daytime.

The same goes for our solar powered clothes drier.
Bugs? What bugs?

ive been using those solar powered yard lights for a while now and i b thinkin they're all right! yes they draw bugs....keep em over water so the bugs drown after beatin their head and fallin.
bugs in cabin ....it happens, harbor freight has an electronic fly swater that reeeeaaaaallllly kicks ass! I debugged a 26x cabin full of hours of skeeters in 30 min. ! i try and clamp cloth screen over the hatch when the vampiric lil buggers are really bad(twilight usually). I also made a mini throw net out of cloth screen and fishin weights for the front hatch too. both work well and use very lil space in storage.
does anyone know if those Green Lanterns work? theyre supposed to keep bugs back 30 ft or so.

also lights next to fans make big bug piles!!!

Dawgfish wrote:ive been using those solar powered yard lights for a while now and i b thinkin they're all right! yes they draw bugs....keep em over water so the bugs drown after beatin their head and fallin.
bugs in cabin ....it happens, harbor freight has an electronic fly swater that reeeeaaaaallllly kicks ass! I debugged a 26x cabin full of hours of skeeters in 30 min. ! i try and clamp cloth screen over the hatch when the vampiric lil buggers are really bad(twilight usually). I also made a mini throw net out of cloth screen and fishin weights for the front hatch too. both work well and use very lil space in storage.
does anyone know if those Green Lanterns work? theyre supposed to keep bugs back 30 ft or so.

I'll totally second the hand swatter as a last line of defense! Having an admiral that's determined to keep me awake until the last mosquito in the cabin is sent to Valhalla, we have taken ours as standard boat gear for four years now. Initially, we got our first as a gift from some friendly boaters who found a new model in a dollar store, in the little town we were both docked in. Since then we've carried on the tradition twice and never heard anything but total acclaim for these very effective devices.
I attached a closet battery LED to the handle for some stealth hunting.

Was just at Harbor Freight and saw that they had a solar powered bug zapper!
http://www.harborfreight.com/3-in-1-sol ... 68322.html
Super cheap, and might do the trick.

Knot Tied Down wrote:Was just at Harbor Freight and saw that they had a solar powered bug zapper!
http://www.harborfreight.com/3-in-1-sol ... 68322.html
Super cheap, and might do the trick.

According to this article, bug zappers don't work and can make matters worse.

I'd stick with Deet.

wow thanks for posting that. I know there are loads of gimmicks out there, and its hard to know what works without trying it...but as for the bug zapper..I guess people do pay to hear the zaps and see the flashes! I thought about buying a couple of the solar powered ones, but now I won't bother with it. I'll invest in a good ol fly swatter and long sleeved shirts!

*Dustin*

There are some that work. Propane powered bug zappers produce CO2, moisture, and heat (all products of combustion) that attract mosquitoes specifically, and they do catch mosquitoes. If you must.

Or locate yourself near a dockmate with bright lights. He’ll get bugs, you’ll get light.

When on the boat, keep the interior lights dim as possible at night until you can close the openings to bugs with screens or whatever. If some do get inside, then use a technique like Ross suggests. Doesn’t have anything to do with its being fun either, does it Ross?