Clothing colors that attract mosquitoes the most, according to University of Washington research

The arrival of summer brings with it many good things, such as: a well-deserved vacation after a long period of work or studyan ideal time for a beach or mountain holiday and deep-rooted traditions, especially in more countryside, access to fresh air. But along with this, this summer season also comes a well-known enemy: mosquitoes.

Because there are a lot of people who seem to have a special relationship with them. They come to them repeatedly during the night. “I will have sweet blood” is one of the most frequently repeated comments trying to explain this. obsession with certain people. Research published in the journal Nature it turned out that another reason could be clothing colors.

This way they will be attracted to certain colors and will ignore others. If confirmed, can be used to develop new traps or repellents against them.whose presence is irritating and leaves bite marks on our skin. Not only that, but they can also transmit diseases such as malaria, dengue or zika.

Attracted by carbon dioxide

A preliminary understanding of why mosquitoes they are attracted to some colorodor or other similar characteristics could be used to develop new defenses in the future. Previous research has shown that mosquitoes sense attraction to the smell of carbon dioxide on our breath. And in this study, researchers from the University of Washington looked at how this smell prepares them to search for food.

To do this, they designed their experiments with female mosquitoes of the species Aedes aegyptiby monitoring their responses to visual and olfactory signals. The test was to see how they reacted to different colors, with or without CO2 spray. And in doing so they discovered that They flew to the spot if it was red, orange, black or blue, if they first smelled carbon dioxide..

Without this gas, insects do not exist at all. They ignored the dots, regardless of their color.Of course, they ignored the points. green, blue, white or purple, even though they were “ready” to feed after the CO2 spray. “Mosquitoes seem to use odors to help them recognize what is nearby, such as a bite victimsaid Geoffrey Riffell, lead author of the study.

The biologist explained that when you smell certain compounds, such as CO2, your eyes are stimulated “to look for certain colors and other visual patternsrelated to the potential host and target them.”

Preference for red and orange colors.

Regarding these two tones, experts assure that It has to do with human skin.– Regardless of hue and pigmentation, it emits a strong red-orange signal to mosquitoes. In these tests, the researchers also used maps of different colors of human skinor bare hand. They found that the insects flew toward them if they first smelled CO2. However, they ignored it if the hand was wearing a green glove..

At the same time, they conducted the same experiments with genetically modified mosquitoes. If the genes responsible for smell CO2 or see long-wave colors, insects did not react to the presented stimuli, indicating that both senses are needed to “detect” the food. The study also suggests that there is other animals that may also have color preferences during feeding.