Mosquitoes are Seeing Red: These New Findings about Their Vision Could Help You Hide from These Disease Vectors
Published:08 Feb.2022 Source:University of Washington
Beating the bite of mosquitoes this spring and summer could hinge on your attire and your skin. New research led by scientists at the University of Washington indicates that a common mosquito species -- after detecting a telltale gas that we exhale -- flies toward specific colors, including red, orange, black and cyan.
The mosquitoes ignore other colors, such as green, purple, blue and white. The researchers believe these findings help explain how mosquitoes find hosts, since human skin, regardless of overall pigmentation, emits a strong red-orange "signal" to their eyes.