The secret of flowers that attract mosquitoes has been revealed

A group of researchers from the prestigious University of Washington (USA) conducted a series of experiments to determine which clothing colors attract mosquitoes the most. As biology professor Jeffrey Riffel explains, mosquitoes respond not only to human breath, sweat and body temperature, but also to certain color cues.

“Their visual system forces insects to look for sources of odors associated with specific shades,” says the scientist.

To identify the color preferences of mosquitoes, the researchers conducted an interesting experiment. They offered insects different aromas of human exhaled air in combination with displaying objects of different colors. As a result, it was found that mosquitoes are much more attracted to colors with long wavelengths of the spectrum - red, orange, black and cyan blue. At the same time, these annoying bloodsuckers practically do not react to green, purple, blue and white.

This selectivity is explained by the peculiarities of the mosquito visual system. These insects have specific photoreceptor cells that are most sensitive to certain wavelengths. Evolutionarily, this helps mosquitoes detect blood sources more efficiently by focusing on the characteristic color signals of a person.

Knowing about these color preferences of bloodsuckers, you can easily protect yourself from their attacks while walking in nature or working in the country. It is enough to give preference to clothes in light, neutral shades - green, blue, white. And, of course, you should avoid using bright, saturated colors such as red, orange and black, which are especially attractive to mosquitoes.

However, the color of clothing is far from the only factor influencing the level of mosquito activity around a person. It is known that these insects are also strongly attracted to the specific odors released by our bodies. Therefore, it is recommended to avoid the use of scented products, especially perfumes, lotions and creams with intense scents.

The discovery of American scientists about the color preferences of mosquitoes has become an important contribution to the study of the behavior of these annoying insects and methods of protection against them. Understanding their visual preferences allows us to create more effective means of preventing bites without the use of chemical repellents. This is especially true considering that some of them can cause allergic reactions or negatively affect the body.

In addition, taking into account the color characteristics of mosquitoes can also be useful in developing protective clothing for workers who often encounter these blood-sucking mosquitoes in their work - foresters, agricultural workers, and military personnel. Proper use of knowledge about the visual preferences of insects will allow us to create more reliable means of protection.