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[00:00.41] Glow-worms are beetles that live in gardens, hedgerows, and heathlands.

[00:06.26] Emitting a bright green light at night, the females climb up plant stems and glow in order to attract males, who have large eyes sensitive to that type of light.

[00:16.88] Zoologists, though, say the glare of white, artificial lights is putting the females in the comparative shade.

[00:24.85] In order to verify their suspicions, the researchers did a little test – placing male glow-worms in an LED-lit, Y-shaped maze, they gradually made the lights there brighter until the males could no longer find a decoy female.

[00:41.32] The glow-worms, they believe, were unable to move towards the decoy because they were dazzled.

[00:47.69] The spread of bright lights, then, could have devastating consequences for glow-worm populations around the world.

[00:55.13] And some studies suggest they're disappearing altogether.

[00:59.38] And a widespread decline in insects could have serious consequences for agriculture and the ecosystems that depend upon those insects.