Bugs naturally are attracted to vibrant colors such as orange, yellow, or white. Colours such as blue and green will not register as vividly when viewed in the ultraviolet spectrum, which deters bugs away from those colored items.
Insects generally see 3 colors of light, Ultraviolet (UV), blue and green. Bright white or bluish lights (mercury vapor, white incandescent and white florescent) are the most attractive to insects. Yellowish, pinkish, or orange (sodium vapor, halogen, dichroic yellow) are the least attractive to most insects.
Bugs are naturally attracted to bright colors like white, yellow or orange. Colors like green and blue won't register as vividly when seen in the UV spectrum, deterring bugs away from these colored objects.
To reduce the possibility of a mosquito biting you, you could consider wearing white, green or blue. Lighter colors are less interesting to mosquitos than darker shades like navy and black, red or orange. However, clothing color alone is unlikely to keep mosquitos away for good.
In general, insects perceive colors through the UV spectrum, which means that they heavily favor bright colors. The main reason for this is that their food is brightly colored or surrounded by vivid colors since it usually consists of pollen, leaves, nectar, or smaller insects.
LEDs on the other hand—both “cool‐white” and “warm‐white”—were the least attractive to insects. Yellow-hued light bulbs are worth trying, too. “Yellow lights—and red lights—do not attract insects as much as regular white lights,” Russell says.
Since black is the darkest “color,” this shade will attract flying insects. However, other dark and bright tones will also attract mosquitoes. Q: Why are mosquitoes attracted to dark and bright clothes?
Basically, to avoid being a mosquito-target you should stay as scent-free as possible, wear light clothes, avoid bogs and use an effective repellent (such as those containing DEET or icaridin).
Mosquitoes hate the smell of lavender, citronella, clove, peppermint, basil, cedarwood, eucalyptus, peppermint, lemongrass and rosemary. They also hate smells such as smoke, for further insight, see our exploration on, does smoke keep mosquitoes away?
Black. Since black, navy blue, and other dark hues trap heat, these insects are more likely to bite people wearing these shades. Wearing dark colors also makes people sweat more, especially when combined with exercise. And mosquitoes love the excess CO2 released when you perspire.
The color that spiders tend to hate is light blue. People don't just paint their porches light blue for the aesthetic. Painting your porch ceiling in this shade is a pretty effective way of keeping spiders away. The color is also known to repel wasps.
By contrast, spiders seem to hate the colour blue, especially light blue. It is not completely clear why this is, but there are a couple of theories. Blue is the colour of the sky, and it may make spiders feel vulnerable to predators by making it seem that they are not under any protective cover.
A scientific report, that researchers at Tohoku University wrote, found that certain species of insects were killed by wavelengths of visible light. For example, blue light at a wavelength of 467 nm was nearly 100% lethal to fruit fly pupae, while ultraviolet light at a wavelength of 378 nm was only 40% lethal.
Which Paint Colors Repel Insects? Because bugs see colors on the UV spectrum, they cannot register hues of green or blue. Painters even use blue paint to repel bees and wasps. Painting your porch ceiling in a blue tone could repel wasps, leading to fewer wasp-eating spiders around your home!
Essential Oils
Lemongrass, citrus, peppermint, eucalyptus, tea tree, citronella, catnip, and lavender oils all possess properties that repel bugs. The oils can be used individually or combined to make a simple anti-bug potion. Mix about 1 cup of water with 25-30 total drops of oil into a small spray bottle.
While mosquitoes are always going to be attracted to our skin due to the orange and red hues, try wearing purple or green clothing to try and keep them away, since they aren't as attracted to those colors.
1. Lavender. A soothing favorite for centuries, lavender repels fleas, moths, mosquitoes, and many other insects. While oil extracted from the flowers makes an effective mosquito repellent, the plant itself can also ward off unwelcome insects.
As has been found in previous studies, more mosquitoes seemed to prefer people whose scent contained a blend of carboxylic acids, the oily secretions that hydrate and protect our skin. Two of those carboxylic acids are also found in Limburger cheese, McMeniman notes, a known lure for mosquitoes.
Mosquitoes are attracted to the smell of lactic acid, uric acid, ammonia and other substances your body releases when you sweat—all of which affect your body odor and can make you a more appetizing snack for mosquitoes.
Mesh bug suits and netted headwear can block the bugs when they come on strong. This is much more effective than wearing multiple layers of clothing, as some people do, or by applying buckets of bug repellent. Make sure your exposed skin is covered and eliminate all gaps in your mesh suit and headwear.
And as Zahid Adnan from The Plant Bible explained to Homes & Gardens, white clothing is cooling to the skin in a way that repels mozzies. “Dark colours tend to retain heat, and mosquitoes are drawn to heat and carbon dioxide, which we naturally emit,” he said.
Researchers used a 3D tracking system and wind tunnel along with visual and scent clues to test the mosquito biting behaviors, concluding the pests are more attracted to people wearing red, orange or black clothing. They also tend to ignore green, purple, blue and white.
The study found that mosquitoes were most attracted to four colors: red, orange, black, and cyan. The presence of these colors caused them to remain in an area longer. These colors have longer wavelengths, and colors with orange and red tones are present in human skin, which may be why mosquitoes are drawn to them.