The University of Washington has found that mosquitoes are more likely to bite people wearing black, orange, and red clothes. Moreover, the insects were attracted to any skin color. These findings give people more ideas on protecting themselves from mosquito bites.
Mosquitos have been known to carry many diseases. A bite from the insects could cause diseases like malaria and the zika virus, which are sometimes deadly. For this reason, scientists have devised ways to protect people from getting bitten. This new study provides another way people can keep off mosquitoes.
Mosquitos track people by smelling carbon dioxide
Scientists agree that mosquitoes detect humans by smelling the carbon dioxide they exhale. Once they sense them, they fly towards specific colors of clothing. By wearing the right kind of clothes, you could avoid them. These findings come during summer and spring, when the number of mosquitoes is maximum.
According to Jeffery Riffell, a biology professor at the University of Washington and a lead study author, mosquitoes detect the presence of hosts through smells. Once they catch the smell of carbon dioxide from human breaths, they focus on specific colors and patterns to find them.
These findings answer why mosquitoes don’t attack some people even when they are all in one room. The insects preferred to focus on black, orange, and red. They also seemed to detect cyan and aqua.
Other things that attracted mosquitos
However, mosquitos would be attracted to human skin despite the pigment. The reason was the human skin produces an orange-red glow to the mosquito. Moreover, mosquitoes’ sense of smell was directly related to how they reacted to visual signs.
Riffell also believes that knowing this information could help humans make better traps and repellents for mosquitos. Riffell states that he has always faced the question of how to keep mosquitos from biting people.
Riffell’s answers are usually based on three known factors. These include skin temperature, sweat, and breath. This study shows that there is another way mosquitoes can track their host. While their study found that the insects focused more on carbon dioxide smell, the team found that the color of your clothes could make a significant difference.
