Citizen science reveals temporally structured insect attraction and mitigation efficacy under artificial light at night.

Tailored and shielded LED road lights reduce insect attraction most effectively during peak nocturnal activity hours, with limited impact during twilight and late night.

• Why it matters: Understanding how insect attraction varies over the night is crucial for developing effective mitigation strategies, as most studies assume uniform exposure during "night-time."
• What they did: Using citizen science, the study tracked insect attraction across five nightly intervals along a lakeside road, comparing conventional high-pressure sodium lights with tailored and shielded LED lights, and analyzed insect abundance and composition.
• The result: Mitigation measures were most effective during peak insect activity, highlighting that incorporating temporal patterns enhances targeted strategies to reduce light pollution impacts on nocturnal insects.