Mosquito Protection With Light Vs. Dark Clothing

During spring and summer, many people spend their outdoor time fighting off mosquitoes. In order to ward these creatures off, we are often told to wear light colored clothing as opposed to dark clothing.

Preference

• Mosquitoes are shown to prefer darker colored clothing over lighter colors, as in a research project funded by S.C. Johnson. The preference is not as strong as once believed, but still notable.

Reasoning

• Scientists believe that the reason this occurs is because darker colors absorb heat while lighter colors reflect it. The mosquitoes are attracted to this body heat and thus bite people in dark clothing more often than those wearing lighter colors.

Patterns

• The pattern of clothing plays a part in bite counts as well. Clothing with stripes or floral patterns were less attractive to mosquitoes, while a dark-colored solid green shirt attracted the most.

Materials

• Materials and the way clothing fits makes a difference as well. Light-colored, loose fitting cotton clothing works best to repel mosquitoes, as opposed to tight, dark colored clothing made of synthetic materials.

Other Factors

• Tucking light-colored clothing in helps prevent mosquitoes from biting as much. Mosquitoes may also be drawn to certain scents, such as particular perfume, detergents or sweat.