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

_Sunday, August 2, 2026 at 3:20 PM EDT · Science · Latest · Tier 2 — Notable_

![Amber 1800 K LEDs cut insect attraction at German Dark Sky railway stations — Primary](https://scx2.b-cdn.net/gfx/news/hires/2026/how-simple-amber-light.jpg)

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.

## Sources

- [Phys.org](https://phys.org/news/2026-07-simple-amber-nights-safer-insects.html)

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