With the weather warming up, there’s nothing more frustrating than mosquitoes buzzing around the home or yard.

According to scientists from the University of Washington, there are certain colours that repel mosquitoes and others that attract them. Their study published in Nature Communications revealed that the mosquito’s sense of smell (olfaction), influences how it responds to visual cues/colours. However, this colour preference only occurs in the presence of carbon dioxide (CO2), which we exhale when we breathe.

Considering mosquitoes are known to be attracted to darker colours, the study revealed blue was unpopular with pests.

Unlike the heat-absorbent, navy blue tones, lighter blues actually reflect more heat and light — which mosquitoes do not like.

Similarly, purple was also ignored by the mosquitoes.  This is mainly because violet has the shortest wavelength of any colour on the visible light spectrum. And since they have a preference for long-wavelength, red and orange tones, they won’t come anywhere near it.

Generally, mosquitoes keep away from light colours that reflect heat — making white the ideal deterrent.  In fact, white was the control object used in the study. The aim was to pair every colour in the test chamber with a white object to compare the results.

Research showed that even with CO2 sprayed in the test chamber, mosquitoes avoided the white object in favour of the colours they preferred.

During the study, a researcher held their bare hands outside the test chamber, which the mosquitoes were drawn to. However, when the same researcher inserted their hand into the test chamber wearing a green glove, mosquitos ignored it and flew right past it.  This was the case even when it was sprayed with CO2 to attract them more.  It seems that mosquitoes are not fans of the colour green after all!

Although these results are promising, experts recommend you should still take other preventative measures. Citronella is a good deterrent as the citrus smell is offensive to mosquitoes, and often found in mosquito repellent sprays. You can also try a mosquito trap device, which tends to lure and trap mosquitoes using a combination of light and suction. Devices such as the Katchy Indoor Insect Trap ($44.99, Amazon), could work in those trouble areas.

Typically, dark colours attract mosquitoes, such as navy/dark blue, red, orange and black. This is because darker hues trap heat, and wearing such colours will make you sweat more — providing a host for pesky mosquitoes.