Fashion Critic Mosquitoes
Did you know that mosquitoes have strong opinions about what you wear? And not just because you may live in Short Hills or Livingston. Seriously!
We all know that dark colors are slimming and make us look great. But did you know you may be getting noticed by more than you bargained for? Mosquitoes are attracted to the lactic acid and ammonia found in perspiration, so darker color clothing that retains heat and generates sweat like black and navy is more appealing to these pests.
Remember learning about the colors of the rainbow back in elementary school? ROYGBV (Red-Orange-Yellow-Green-Blue-Violet)? Mosquitoes are fashionistas that prefer the longer wavelength colors (ROY), which explains why red and orange also attract mosquitoes while violet, with the shortest wavelength of any color, is typically ignored–despite often being considered a darker color.
So, when dressing for the outdoors, do your best not to attract nature’s fashion critics. Light colors–and white in particular–reflect the heat and sunlight making these choices more of a deterrent for mosquitoes.
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Erica G.
