Some of the lights on the Mount Maunganui side of the Port of Tauranga are changing colour.
It's part of an experiment to see if yellower lights will drive away the insects drawn to feed on the port's vast log stacks.
The lights along the nearly two kilometre length of the Mount Maunganui wharf have been changed to yellow and white to see if they will drive away the insects.

A change of colour at Port of Tauranga.

Project leader entomologist Steve Pawson says if successful the yellow lighting will also be introduced at other log and timber facilities.
'There aren't any other places where we can do a trial like this with such a long wharf and with lighting towers that we can manipulate for scientific purposes,” says Steve.
The lights normally used by the port attract millions of insects every night, says Steve. Certain wavelengths of light in the yellow spectrum have the completely opposite effect for some insects.
'For a busy port like Tauranga, being able to operate at night is essential, but, as most people know from their own homes, standard light bulbs are highly attractive to insects,” says Steve.
'The bright lights are like a ‘smorgasboard open' sign to insects such as the burnt pine longhorn beetle, who could end up booking themselves a free trip on forest product exports,” says Steve.
The six week trial intends identifying which type of yellow light is most effective in deterring insects, reducing insect contamination and the need for fumigation.
Because pest contamination can result in the loss of export markets, forest products are typically treated with methyl bromide to meet strict quarantine controls.
'If New Zealand is going to reduce methyl bromide and other chemical use, we have to start by reducing pest populations at processing sites, which involves taking completely new approaches to pest control,” says Steve.