Attracting Fireflies To Your Garden?

Trying to attract fireflies to your yard or garden?

Pyractomena borealis, male

If you are interested in attracting them to your property:

1. Cut down or eliminate using chemicals on you lawn.

2. Reduce any "extra lighting" (photic noise) on your property, as this light interferes with the fireflies luminous signals (i.e., it is harder for fireflies of many species to locate mates in such areas). Also many firefly species are active only during a certain period of the evening. These insects determine when they will flash (i.e., the time of night) by the intensity of ambient light. This is why you don't see many fireflies flashing on clear nights when the moon is full.

3. Additionally, low overhanging trees, tall grass or similar vegetation will provide adult fireflies a place to rest during the day and remain cool.

While these tips may not guarantee you success in attracting fireflies to your yard, they may certainly improve the odds....

Copyright 1998. All rights reserved. Marc Branham.

They snack on slugs and snails

Sandy Gerber

June 7, 20060 found this helpful

Sorry, I don't know how to attract them, but I read this little ditty in Women's World. Male fireflies are the ones flying around. Female fireflies sit on the tall grasses and signal from there.