Heat and humidity, that’s the perfect combo to watch colonies of mosquitoes flourish happily… Bad news for those who like to sleep with the window open and laze around in the garden at the end of the day. And if we are not all equal when it comes to mosquito bites, simple tips do exist to avoid being bitten. One is to carefully choose your outfit for going out to dinner. Indeed, certain colors would attract these dreaded insects more, reveals the scientific journal Nature communications.
Natural tips to avoid bites
Do you want to put an end to ultra-chemical mosquito repellent sprays? Fortunately, simple and natural tips make it possible to act as a barrier to these insects (at least in part). To start, it is recommended to wear covering clothes legs and arms to limit the surface of temptation.
Also focus on mosquito nets on your bedroom windows and place allied plants in front of windows and in the garden. Geraniums, lemongrass and lavender have the advantage of effectively repelling mosquitoes. And especially, eliminate rainwater retention areas such as pots and planters where they tend to lay their larvae.
Colors to avoid to repel mosquitoes
According to a study conducted by researchers at the University of Washington in the United States and published in February 2022 in the scientific journal Nature Communications, four colors would tend to attract mosquitoes. These are black, red, orange, and cyan (blue).
The researchers focused on three types of mosquitoes: Temples of the Egyptians, Anopheles stephensi et Culex quinquefasciatos (vectors of diseases such as dengue or the Nile fever), from which they selected the female specimens in search of blood for their reproduction. “They then made a tunnel with colored spots imitating human skin and its shades, combining them with different shades of other colors. Mosquitoes were attracted with CO2 and scientists were able to study their trajectories”precise NEWS on his site.
As a result, insects would be attracted to red-orange colors and black, probably in correlation with the natural hues of human skin. On the other hand reveals the study, mosquitoes would not be attracted by green, blue and purple.
So you know how to dress to avoid the worst!