Lights attract insects, so our cities have been sucking them up for decades, like a vacuum cleaner. Consequently the country has become increasingly sterile. So what you might ask? Well, any decline in insects will have a concomitant effect on higher order consumers, and because of this we are now seeing serious declines in spiders, amphibians, reptiles, common birds and small mammals.
As if city lights pull all the country insects toward the lethal concrete jungle where the self-destructive humans live , like a giant bug zapper? And when this happens, there aren't any left in the countryside, they've all come to the city to meet their doom.
I can't tell you how totally silly this sounds. Do you have any idea how many offspring a single insect can produce? Let a bucket of standing water persist for a while, and the mosquitoes will carry you off and mug you in the woods.
So you think I’m being silly? A single bright light left on all night every night can kill thousands of insects. I have seen it happen so I know what I am talking about. Large cities have thousands, if not millions of lights of all kinds, consequently they will inevitably have an effect on surrounding areas. Large cities will have a greater effect than smaller ones, and the effect is greater if they are bunched together into conurbations. Lighting mainly affects those insects that are active at night. Those that are active in daytime are less likely to be affected, so obviously you will still see them, but if the lighting is really intense, they can be affected as well. Again I have seen this happen. We must never forget insects, as they play an invaluable role in the ecosystem. Not only do they function as pollinators for our crops, but they serve as decomposers and food for higher order consumers such as birds and small mammals. Regretfully, many of these are now in decline because they can’t obtain enough food, either for themselves or their offspring.