It is common that it is attracted to ticks, mosquitoes, mosquitoes, blind and other animals, and others are pushing the clothes of some colors. We decided to find out if this belief is confirmed by scientific data. 

Similar statements Publishing Both the media and medical portals, however, there is no consensus on what color the clothes will save a person from a bite. For example, some sources writethat ticks attracts White color, others - that it (as in whole Light tones) them, on the contrary, scares away. Flies are supposedly more willing Flying In blue and avoid yellow. Very popular (and varied In the content) Similar Notes on mosquitoes: some authors claim that these insects are beckoning the clothes of red, orange, black and blue, and they are indifferent to green, purple, blue and white. Other resources Reportthat mosquitoes Avoid red, yellow and white, but adore blue And blue. In some sources Approvedthat even blind insects have their own color preferences.

Classes of blood -sucking are not only unpleasant, but also potentially dangerous. So, mosquitoes of some types capable To transfer malarial plasmodes causing malaria. Also, through mosquito bites can be transmitted Bacterial diseases (for example, tularemia), viral fever (Western Nile, Zika, Denge, Japanese encephalitis) and parasitic infections (dirophilariosis). Due to itching caused by mosquitoes, there is a risk of secondary combination infection. Sleeps, flies and bugs can transfer even more diseases - for example, Siberian ulcer Sleeping disease, Shagas disease, typhoid And even polio. Ticks capable infect a person with tick -borne encephalitis, borreliosis and a number of other infections. By data WHO, from diseases that are transferred by ticks and blood -sucking insects, more than 700,000 people die annually.

In 2022, scientists from the University of Washington Published An article, in which they talked about the results of the study of color preferences of mosquitoes of the type of Aedes Aegypti (yellow -barking nurse). The hungry insects were placed in the experimental chamber of the tunnel, on the floor of which two circles were placed: white (control) and changing color (stimulus). At first, mosquitoes showed no interest in the stimulus regardless of its color, but studied mainly the ceiling and walls of the tunnel. Then the scientists injected carbon dioxide into the camera - insects are guided by it to find the victim. After that, mosquitoes began to fly more willing to the construct circle. The most attractive colors were red, orange, blue and black, the least green, purple and blue.

Scientists recognizeWhat is still unknown whether mosquitoes are perceived in the same way as people, but they definitely prefer waves of a certain length. The color of human skin, regardless of its pigmentation, looks like a long wave in a red-orange range for mosquitoes. Therefore, the authors of the experiment explain, mosquitoes are most susceptible to these shades. The researchers also checked whether a disguise will help a person to protect themselves from these insects. To do this, one of the scientists placed his hand (in the first case - naked, and in the second - with a green glove, worn on it) in an experimental camera for hungry mosquitoes. Before in injection of carbon dioxide, they in both cases were not interested in the researcher’s hand, and after they were attracted only by naked.

Commenting on the results of the study, Entomologist Timothy Best NotesThe mosquitoes are low in visual acuity, so when searching for food, they rely more on the sense of smell and thermal receptors, and not for color perception. However, since these insects prefer to hunt at dawn or at sunset, they are more sensitive to dark shades, and their bright, on the contrary, repel. Therefore, light clothes can give a person some protection against mosquito bites. However, the Best emphasizes, scientists examined only one type of mosquitoes, and what colors others prefer - it has yet to be found out.

In 2015, American scientists discoveredthat mosquitoes of the type of aedes aegypti show more interest in high -contrast objects. In the tunnel chamber, scientists placed two spots on a white background: dark and barely distinguishable light gray, and both were heated to +37 ° C, then cooled to room temperature. Mosquitoes were launched into the camera and carbon dioxide was injected. It turned out that the dark warm spot was interested in insects more than almost indistinguishable the same temperature. However, when choosing between a warm light gray spot and the same room temperature, the mosquitoes strove for the first. This experiment has shown that in these insects, the vision, although participating in the choice of the victim, does not determine it - even barely distinguishable warm objects for them are much more attractive. Scientists also found out that mosquitoes capture water vapor molecules (for example, from evaporating sweat), which helps them distinguish dark and heated by the sun, but inedible stone from a potential sacrifice. Therefore, exclusively with the help of clothes of a certain color or certain contrast, it will not work to protect against blood -sucking insects.

In 2005, Swedish scientists Studied Color preferences of ticks. Researchers asked ten volunteers to walk through the forest, where the increased activity of these arthropods was recorded. Each volunteer took 12 walks: six times he put on a light set of clothes, completely closing his arms and legs, and six times a similar dark one. After each promenade, scientists examined their clothes in search of ticks. In total, they discovered 892 ticks: six adults and 886 of the so-called nymphs-teenage ticks, which also tolerate diseases, but more dangerous due to their small size. Five adult ticks and 547 nymphs were collected from white sets, one adult tick and 339 nymphs from the dark.

Scientists have also checked, on which color the ticks are easier to detect. Researchers placed several individuals on one volunteer, and the other asked them to find. In total, this experiment was conducted 26 times. It turned out that on average participants find 91% of blood -sucking on light clothes and 93% on dark. This result refutes Popular Recommendation wear In the season of ticks, white clothes, since it is easier to find these animals on it - in this sense there is no noticeable difference between light and dark objects of the wardrobe (although, as the study showed, there really were more component from light sets of ticks than with dark ones).

In 2019, scientists from the University of Florida found out Color preferences of flies of the species Musca domestica. To evaluate attractiveness, they used two methods at once: an analysis of insect behavior and an electroretinogram - the registration of biopotentials that occur in a retina for light irritation. It turned out that for these insects the most attractive blue and white colors are most attractive, but the yellow, used in many traps,, on the contrary, repels them. The addition of a black pattern against a blue background increased the interest of animals even more, but the yellow lines “spoiled” even his favorite blue color - and he stopped attracting flies. 

In 2010, Hungarian researchers StudiedWhat color the blind people like more. Three realistic full -size models of horses: white, brown and black - covered with a special colorless sticky substance so that the blind people who sown on them could not fly away. For 54 summer days, the figures of horses "grazed" in the field, and the experimenters once every two days updated the "glue" layer. As a result, the least of all the insects sat on the white model, the brown turned out to be 15 times more attractive, and the black one - 25 times. However, scientists consider to transfer the results of their experiment to people without additional checks. According to the researchers, the preferences of the blind are explained primarily not the color of the “wool”, but of the different intensity of the reflected sunlight. In the case of clothing, this indicator will play a substantially less significant role.

Thus, some few experiments show that ticks and blood -sucking insects, when choosing a victim, can be guided, including the color of clothing. However, data in order to consider the wardrobe items of certain shades by reliable protection from mosquitoes, blind and other animals is not yet enough. In addition, the color of clothing itself is not the only and not the main marker by which they choose the victim.

Image on the cover: IDEOGRAM AI

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