Amber 1800 K LEDs cut insect attraction at German Dark Sky railway stations

Researchers led from the Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change found that commercially available amber 1800 K LEDs attracted fewer insects than high-pressure sodium lamps and 4000 K LEDs at rural railway stations, Phys.org reported on a Biological Conservation study. Field work at six stations inside a German Dark Sky Reserve across 2023 and 2024 compared commercial lighting with unlit controls using traps for insect numbers, biomass, and species diversity. Compared with HPS and cool-white LEDs, amber lights cut total insect numbers by approximately 39% to 51% and insect biomass by 51% to 77%, the paper found. HPS lamps were about as attractive as cool-white LEDs, challenging the idea that any warmer-looking light is safer for insects. The authors noted any light still attracted more arthropods than darkness. Platform lighting at all six studied stations has been converted to 1800 K LEDs. The paper lists DOI 10.1016/j.biocon.2026.111964.