One of the most common questions I'm asked is, 'What can I do to stop mosquitoes from biting me?' 'I used to say there are three major cues that attract mosquitoes: your breath, your sweat and the temperature of your skin.' In this study, we found a fourth cue: the color red, which can not only be found on your clothes but is also found in everyone's skin.
The shade of your skin doesn't matter; we are all giving off a strong red signature. Filtering out those attractive colors in our skin, or wearing clothes that avoid those colors, could be another way to prevent a mosquito biting.
The study, released in 2022, was conducted by tracking behaviors of female yellow fever mosquitoes, Aedes aegypti, when presented with different types of visual and scent cues.
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