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I just attempted to replace an outdoor light fixture on my porch. When I unscrewed it, a couple of spiders and gnats ran/flew away from under the light fixture.

I'm very new to home repair, so I have no idea whether or not I should be concerned about the fact that bugs could get in there. Bugs are going to be outdoors, of course, but there are places you don't want them, and I feel like a hole in your porch that leads God-knows-where is one of those places. I don't plan on replacing these fixtures again for a long time, so I'd like to do it right the first time.

Is there something I can/should do to prevent bugs from getting up underneath the fixture? Should I caulk around the base of the fixture, maybe? Or is it just an unavoidable thing that shouldn't bother me?

EDIT: As requested, here's a picture of the fixture in question. The light fixture that contained the bugs

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If you see indications of a sloppy installation such as a hole being cut too large there may be some steps you can take, but otherwise I'd probably just leave it alone. (Though it would be useful if you could post a picture or at least describe what type of light fixture it is.)

Bugs are going to get into all sorts of places regardless of what you do. Even indoor, fully-enclosed light fixtures in my house get bugs in them. It's not a big deal to clean them out when you notice they need it.

If you do try to seal them off, make sure you're not creating a fire hazard in the process. Some gaps may be desirable to allow heat to escape, and certain materials may catch fire when in close proximity to a hot light bulb.

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  • I edited to include a picture. Now that I'm looking at it again, it seems like that ridge running under (or "above", I guess?) the light would make it impossible to totally bug-proof the thing.
    – dshapiro
    Commented Oct 21, 2012 at 18:29

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