Wearing One Of These Four Colors Can Help Keep Mosquitoes Away

While many people across Minnesota and Wisconsin can't wait for summertime to arrive, the warmer weather, unfortunately, brings with it those pesky winged bloodsucking insects that can get so bad sometimes they drive people indoors.

When it comes to repelling mosquitoes, the first thing that comes to mind for most is a bug spray. An insect repellant containing DEET is considered one of the best methods to ward off mosquitoes to avoid bites, but there are other things you can do to try to make yourself less interesting to these little insects.

Along with some plants you could plant around your yard that will help repel mosquitoes, what color clothing you wear can also have an impact on how interesting (or uninteresting) you appear to mosquitoes.

One of the major ways mosquitoes sense their prey is through scent and carbon dioxide. This is one of the major reasons insect repellants and even the plants mentioned above work - they throw mosquitoes off your scent. Researchers have also recorded a link between the color of clothing worn and the level of attraction as well.

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As a general rule of thumb, dark-colored clothing should be avoided. Colors like red, orange, black, and cyan tend to be more interesting to mosquitos. Meanwhile, a few specific colors appear to have more of a repelling effect, with the insects being more likely to ignore people wearing them.

So, what colors are most likely to cut down your appeal for mosquitoes? Generally, lighter colors are a good idea. Specifically, there are four colors considered most effective.

Blue

I know, you're thinking "You just said dark colors are a bad idea!" While dark blue colors like Navy Blue are not a great option, lighter blue hues are actually disinteresting mosquitoes. Darker blue colors tend to absorb heat, which plays a role in attracting mosquitoes, while lighter blues will actually reflect heat, making them less interesting to mosquitoes.

Green

Like blue, lighter greens are likely to have the best effect, but researchers noticed that mosquitoes seemed to ignore subjects wearing green, when compared to a number of other colors.

Violet

If you know anything about the visible light spectrum, you might be noticing a bit of a trend here. All three of these colors so far are on the higher end of the visible light spectrum, with shorter wavelengths than darker colors like reds, oranges, and yellows.

Violet is at the high end of the visible color spectrum, grouping shades of purple with the other colors that seem to be less interesting to mosquitoes.

Again, a really deep, dark purple that will be more apt to absorb heat is less preferred over lighter hues.

White

At the top of the visible light spectrum is white. Not surprisingly, this is also at the top of the list of colors that tend to repel mosquitoes. Light colors like white reflect the most light and heat, playing a major role in making the wearer less interesting to mosquitoes. Even when other attractants like carbon dioxide were introduced in the study, white was one of the least appealing colors, with mosquitoes seeming less interested.

Anyone with experience with mosquitoes knows that what you wear alone won't keep mosquitoes away, but research indicates it can help! Experts say the best way to avoid mosquito bites continues to be a repellant, which actively aims to make you smell unappealing to mosquitoes.