Has this ever happened to you? It’s a lovely spring morning and you decide to head outside and start your day. Suddenly you notice a bunch of dead bees on your porch. You don’t see any live bees flying, but there are dozens dead on the porch.

Later on that night you return home from work. You notice about a dozen bees circling around your porch light. As you brave past them, through the front door, you tell yourself you will call a bee removal company tomorrow.

The next morning arrives. You go outside. Low and behold there are more dead bees on the porch! You look around for signs of a hive or a swarm, but there are no live bees flying anywhere! You ask yourself “What the heck is going on with these bees?”.

Wanna know why this is happening? The answer is simple. Have you ever heard of the phrase “Like a moth to a flame? Sure you have! It’s used to describe a situation where someone is drawn and attracted to another person or object. The website phrases.org defines it as being “Irresistibly and dangerously attracted to something or someone”.

So we all know bees are attracted to citrus scents and honey, but did you know they are attracted to light? It’s true. It’s called Phototaxis. Just like the moth, bees have what is called a “positive phototactic” reaction to bright light.

Bees are generally active during the day and stay in their hives at night. So why do they come out at night to your porch light? The answer is that the porch light may be triggering a positive phototactic response in the bees. This response interrupts their normal behavior pattern of being dormant at night and causes them to seek out the light. 

By now you may be thinking to yourself “So what can I do to stop this from happening?”. Over the counter pest deterrents are rarely effective in this situation. Here is a short list of things that may solve the problem:

1. You can try to replace the bulbs with special lights that produce color outside the bee’s color vision.

2. Disconnect or turn off the light at night. This usually stops the problem immediately. Try reconnecting the bulb in a few weeks to see if the problem still exists.

3. Try to find out where the bee colony is located and have it removed. Perform a thorough inspection of your home and property. Look and listen for bee activity. It may be difficult to find. The bees may be on an adjacent property next to your home. Be sure to ask your neighbors if they have noticed any bees on their property.

Ever had bees come after your porch light at night? Share your story with us below!