Porch or entry light
The light at the front door is the most common draw. The plan usually moves the fixture, changes the bulb type or puts it on a timer that turns off before the swarm period begins.
Serving Lafayette Parish
Spring Swarm and Outdoor Light Check in Lafayette, LA
A walk around the house in late April to June, checking which lights draw swarmers, which doors and windows are open and where the wings collect.
- Serving Lafayette Parish
- Formosan termite swarm season
- Safety notes for children and pets
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Light Check
Spring Swarm and Outdoor Light Check: what it covers
Quick answer
Swarmers are drawn to light, and the LSU AgCenter advises turning off outdoor lights at night in May and June. A spring light check walks the house, marks the fixtures that draw insects to the walls and doors, and sets a simple plan for the swarm window without guessing at what is in the walls.
Most homeowners learn about swarmers from the light. A porch fixture that has been on every night for years suddenly collects a cloud of winged insects in late spring, and the wings collect on the step and the sill the next morning. The light is not the cause of the colony, but it does decide where the swarmers end up, which is why the spring check starts there.
This service is deliberately narrower than an inspection. It is a walk around the outside of the house during the swarm window, looking at the lights, the doors, the openings and the spots where wings collect, and it ends with a short plan the homeowner can follow. It does not try to say whether a colony is present. That question belongs to the swarm inspection and the structural check.
The page explains the reasoning behind the check, what the check looks at, which lights are usually worth changing and how the check fits with the rest of a termite plan.
- Service area
- Lafayette & Lafayette Parish
- Availability
- Phones answered 24/7
- Phone
- (855) 974-4733
Warning signs
Signs you need spring swarm and outdoor light check
Keep a light that is needed for steps, entries and garage access on, and use a timer or a motion switch rather than leaving a path dark. When changing a fixture, switch off the power at the breaker first and follow the manufacturer's instructions. Do not climb a ladder to change a high fixture alone, and keep children and pets clear of the work area.
- A porch or garage fixture with a cloud of insects on it every evening from late April
- A pile of wings on the front step or under the light each morning
- A door left open at night with the light on inside the room
- Gaps around a threshold, a torn screen or a window that does not close flush
- Wings on the inside of a window beside a lamp in a room that faces the yard
Our process
How our spring swarm and outdoor light check visit works
Walk the house at dusk with the lights on
The check is best done in the evening, when the lights are on and the insects are most active. The fixtures that draw the most insects are marked, along with the height of each one and its distance from the door and the window.
Check the openings the light draws insects toward
Thresholds, door sweeps, window seals and screens are looked at closely, because the openings beside a bright fixture are where insects get through. Each gap is noted rather than sealed on the spot, so the homeowner knows which ones matter most.
Look for the wing trail
The step, the sill, the floor under the light and the corner of the window are checked for shed wings. A trail that runs to the wall or the slab edge tells the inspector where to look more closely during a later swarm inspection.
Set the lighting plan for the window
The homeowner gets a short list of which lights to switch off or dim during May and June, which to move and which can stay on. The aim is less light near the doors and windows, not darkness everywhere.
Agree a date to look again
A second look a few weeks later confirms whether the wing trail has stopped, whether the gaps were closed and whether the swarm season has ended. The date is set in writing so the check is not left as an open question.
Why do swarmers go to the light?
Flying insects, including the reproductive swarmers of termites, tend to be drawn to bright light, and a lamp near the house can concentrate them against the wall and the openings beside it. That is why the AgCenter advises turning off outdoor lights at night in May and June.
The reason is not fully settled, but the practical result is well known to anyone who has stood under a porch lamp in late spring. Swarmers gather at the brightest point near them, circle it, and then drop to the ground or the nearest surface. A fixture beside a doorway or a window puts those insects exactly where they can find a gap.
The advice to turn off outdoor lights at night in May and June comes from LSU AgCenter, and one local outlet repeated it in 2024. It is advice about reducing the number of insects drawn to the house during the swarm window. It is not a claim that the lights cause the colony, and a homeowner should not expect a light change to replace an inspection.
The effect is also limited to the swarm season. A light that causes no trouble in January can be the main draw in May, which is why the check is scheduled for the spring window and not the rest of the year.
Which changes to the lights are worth making?
The changes that help most are switching off unneeded lights at night during the swarm window, moving a fixture away from the door, and using a lower-attraction bulb where a light must stay on. Each change is a trade-off with safety, so the plan keeps the entry lit where a person needs to see it.
A timer is the simplest change. A fixture on a timer that turns off after dusk in May and June keeps the house safe for the people who come home at night while reducing the number of insects drawn to the walls. The plan should say when the timer is set and when it is removed.
Bulb choice matters too. Lamps with a warmer color and less blue light draw fewer insects than bright white ones, and the check can recommend a lower-output bulb where the light is only for looking at the path. A plan that makes the step safe without turning the front of the house into a beacon is the goal.
Moving a fixture away from the door or the window is sometimes the best change. A light placed on a pole or a post at the edge of the yard can keep the approach lit while drawing insects away from the wall. It costs more than a bulb change, and the plan should say whether it is worth doing in this house.
What does a light check not do?
A light check does not find a termite colony, does not treat the structure and does not replace a swarm inspection. Its job is to reduce the number of swarmers drawn to the house and to show where they are landing, so the next step is clearer.
The distinction matters because a light check can look like a complete job. A homeowner who has turned off the porch light may feel the problem is solved, and that is a mistake. A colony that has already started feeding will keep feeding whether or not the lights are on.
The check also records the trail. If wings are still landing on the step after the lights are changed, the trail is evidence in its own right, and the plan should send the next step to the structure and the trees rather than to the lights alone.
The honest result is a short written note, not a verdict. It describes the lights, the openings and the wings found, and it recommends whether a full swarm inspection is needed.
How does the light check fit with the rest of a termite plan?
It is the first step of a spring plan, not the whole plan. It feeds the swarm inspection with better evidence and it can reduce the number of swarmers entering the house while the inspection and any treatment are planned.
A homeowner who has seen swarmers at a light will usually want to know whether the house has a colony. The light check cannot answer that, but it can gather the first evidence in a way that makes the next inspection quicker. The dates, the places and the wings are recorded in one place.
If a treatment is planned, the light check still matters. Insects drawn to the house during the swarm season can keep bringing the problem back to the doorway, and a plan that reduces that traffic makes the monitoring easier to read.
The check is a small, low-cost step that stands on its own when the evidence is light and the house has no known colony. In that case, the plan is a set of light changes, a sealed threshold and a second look in late June.
Options
Types and options for spring swarm and outdoor light check
Garage or utility light
Garage lights often stay on longer than anything else on the house and sit beside the door to the living space. The check looks at the door seal and the gap under the garage door, because insects get in there as the door opens.
Lights on a fence or in a yard
A string light or a yard fixture away from the house can draw swarmers that then drift to the walls. The check looks at where the insects go after the light, not only at the light itself.
Lafayette Parish
Why spring swarm and outdoor light check is different in Acadiana
Swarm season in Lafayette Parish runs late April to June, peaking in May and June, so the light check is timed for that window.
The AgCenter advice to switch off outdoor lights at night in May and June is the basis for the lighting plan on this page.
Owner-occupied houses make up 65.5 percent of the parish, so the lighting decision is usually the owner's to make rather than a landlord's.
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Where we work
Spring Swarm and Outdoor Light Check across Lafayette Parish
- Light Check in Lafayette
- Light Check in Scott
- Light Check in Carencro
- Light Check in Broussard
- Light Check in Duson
- Light Check in Youngsville
- Light Check in Milton
- Light Check in Breaux Bridge
- Light Check in Sunset
- Light Check in Cecilia
- Light Check in Arnaudville
- Light Check in Cade
- Light Check in Maurice
- Light Check in Grand Coteau
- Light Check in Saint Martinville
- Light Check in Rayne
- Light Check in Leonville
- Light Check in Church Point
- Light Check in Erath
- Light Check in Crowley
- Light Check in Delcambre
- Light Check in New Iberia
- Light Check in Opelousas
- Light Check in Abbeville
Not sure if you're covered? Check your ZIP code.
Related
Related services
Termite Swarm Inspection
An inspection of the house and nearby trees after termite swarmers or shed wings appear, during the late-spring swarm season.
Termite Prevention and Moisture Repairs
A check for the water problems that wet the soil and wood at a house, and a plan to fix or refer each one, from outdoor faucets to roof and pipe leaks.
General Pest Control
An inspection and a written plan for the everyday household pests in and around a home, with treatment chosen for the pest found and the place it was found.
Formosan Termite Control
Inspection and treatment for Formosan subterranean termites, a species a Louisiana survey lists as established in Lafayette Parish.
Guides
Read before you book
When Is Termite Swarm Season in Lafayette, LA?
In Lafayette Parish the termite swarm season runs from late April into June, according to LSU AgCenter, with the peak in May and June and a large peak around Mother's Day.
Do Outdoor Lights Bring Termite Swarmers Into the House?
Outdoor lights do not cause a termite colony, but they concentrate swarmers where they can find an opening.
FAQ
Spring Swarm and Outdoor Light Check FAQs
Will turning off my porch light stop termites?
No. It can reduce the number of swarmers drawn to the door, but it does not reach a colony already in the house or the ground. The AgCenter advice on night lighting is about reducing insects during the swarm window, not about treating a colony.
Which months should the light change happen?
The AgCenter advice points to May and June, which are the peak of the swarm season in Lafayette Parish. A check in late April can set the timer or the bulb before the peak, and a second look in late June confirms the season has ended.
Can I just use a motion light?
A motion light is often a good choice, because it keeps the path lit for people without leaving the fixture on all night. The check can help place it so that it does not draw insects straight at a doorway or a window.
Do I need a light check if I already had an inspection?
It can still help. An inspection looks at the structure, and the light check looks at what draws the swarmers to the openings. The two answer different questions, and the light check is quick and inexpensive to add.
What if I see wings on the step after the lights are changed?
Keep a few and book a swarm inspection. Wings that keep appearing after a light change are evidence that the trail leads to the house or nearby trees, and that should be checked on site.
Is there a charge for this?
Calling is free. Any charge for an inspection, check or treatment is agreed in writing before the work starts, and no figure is given on this site or over the phone before that.