Aedes Aegypti Mosquitoes (Photo by: IMAGE POINT FR/NIH/NIAID/BSIP //Universal Images Group via Getty Images) SEATTLE - A new study shows that mosquitoes are attracted to certain colors — including red, orange, black and cyan — while ignoring other colors like green, purple, blue and white.Scientists from the University of Washington published their findings in Nature Communications.
They hope their data will explain how mosquitoes find hosts, especially since human skin emits a strong red-orange "signal" to their eyes.
They also hope their findings will help design better repellants. RELATED: Schumer calls for federal help to kill mosquitoes in NY amid cases of West Nile VirusResearchers studied the behavior of the female yellow fever mosquitoes, also known as Aedes aegypti.
They presented the insects with different types of visual and scent cues. Only female mosquitoes drink blood. Researchers also tracked individual mosquitoes in a chamber, sprayed specific odors and presented different visual patterns such as a colored dot or a tasty human hand.Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced Sunday a new push to zap one of the worst mosquito seasons in New York.The findings revealed that without an odor, mosquitoes ignored a dot at the bottom of the chamber, regardless of the color.