Blue light in visible spectrum with exact wavelength of 467 nm kills 100% mosquitoes and fruit flies, while ultraviolet light with wavelength of 378 nm just kills 40% only. In short, right colour and right frequency can be an effective, safe, clean, and may be a cheap way to kill insects.
The usual UV light used to kill insects may be replaced by LED lights. This is because the UV light, though effective enough for your summer BBQ, does not work for farmers trying to protect their grains from insects.
To reduce the possibility of a mosquito biting you, you could consider wearing white, green or blue. Lighter colors are less interesting to mosquitos than darker shades like navy and black, red or orange. However, clothing color alone is unlikely to keep mosquitos away for good.
Short-wavelength visible light (blue light: 400-500 nm) has lethal effects on various insects, such as fruit flies, mosquitoes, and flour beetles. However, the most toxic wavelengths of blue light might differ across developmental stages.
The best colors for repelling mosquitoes, according to researchers at the University of Washington, are white, green, blue and purple. That isn't because mosquitoes don't like these colors, but because they reflect heat and light, which mosquitoes really don't like, which is why they start to emerge at dusk.
Mosquito Prevention & Control
Although mosquitoes are attracted to light, many people find that yellow bulbs are the best choice. Since light at this wavelength is less visible to the pests, they are less successful in using it to locate a meal.
Yellowish, pinkish, or orange (sodium vapor, halogen, dichroic yellow) are the least attractive to most insects. When white incandescent bulbs were all that was available, the advice was to change them to yellow incandescent bug bulbs.
TIKI® Brand BiteFighter® LED String Lights allow you to enjoy season-long proven mosquito repellency* without the mess and odor of sprays and creams. These outdoor string lights are one-of-a-kind that offer a silent and invisible zone of 330 square feet of protection.
Field and laboratory investigations into mosquito response to artificial light have shown, that blue and green light is often more attractive than that in the yellow-orange and red regions of the visible spectrum8.
'Mosquitoes aren't any more attracted to LED lights than any other kind of lights,' says Charles van Rees, Ph. D. Conservation Scientist and Naturalist. Though, while mosquitos are drawn to LED lights, Charles explains that mosquitoes aren't as attracted to light as other insects that may be drawn to a LED glow.
So, if you're looking to avoid the itchy bites, researchers at the University of Washington say to avoid colors like cyan, orange, red and black. Instead, you should focus on wearing colors mosquitoes ignore like white, blue, green and purple.
LEDs on the other hand—both “cool‐white” and “warm‐white”—were the least attractive to insects. Yellow-hued light bulbs are worth trying, too. “Yellow lights—and red lights—do not attract insects as much as regular white lights,” Russell says.
Red and yellow lights don't actually repel mosquitoes and other bugs. However, they do attract fewer bugs. Yellow lights have a lower color temperature, which makes it harder for bugs to see it. This means yellow light bulbs can make you less visible to mosquitoes.
As the name suggests, mosquito repellent outdoor string lights look like regular hanging lights, with one important difference — they actively fend off mosquitoes. Some infuse select bulbs with a mosquito repelling liquid like citronella, while others repel bugs simply with their yellow hue.
You can also apply insect repellent, use specialty candles, and pretreat the garden with a backyard repellent. If nighttime mosquitoes are bothering you indoors, install fly screens to keep them at bay, and sleep under a mosquito net for extra protection.
Blue light irradiation was lethal to mosquito pupae, although their tolerance was higher than that of D. melanogaster pupae", researchers write. Researchers also suggest that different wavelengths could kill different bugs, and that this technology could actually be used practically in many environments.
We can be short and sweet about it: No mosquitoes are not attracted to light! Mosquitoes are virtually blind and have difficulty orienting themselves in the light. That's why mosquitoes are less active during the day than in the evening. That's why these critters only appear when it starts to get dark.
We find that day-biting mosquitoes are attracted to a wide range of light spectra during the daytime, whereas night-biting mosquitoes are strongly photophobic to short-wavelength light during the daytime," said principal investigator Todd C.
Mosquitoes hate the smell of lavender, citronella, clove, peppermint, basil, cedarwood, eucalyptus, peppermint, lemongrass and rosemary. They also hate smells such as smoke, for further insight, see our exploration on, does smoke keep mosquitoes away?
Are bugs less attracted to yellow light bulbs than blue light bulbs? The simple answer is yes. Insects see a smaller portion of the Visible Light Spectrum than humans.
Amber lights emit light in the 590-nanometer range, which is less attractive to insects, as compared to blue or white lights that emit light in the 450-nanometer range, which does attract insects.
Bugs naturally are attracted to vibrant colors such as orange, yellow, or white. Colours such as blue and green will not register as vividly when viewed in the ultraviolet spectrum, which deters bugs away from those colored items.
The study found that mosquitoes were most attracted to four colors: red, orange, black, and cyan. The presence of these colors caused them to remain in an area longer. These colors have longer wavelengths, and colors with orange and red tones are present in human skin, which may be why mosquitoes are drawn to them.
Lavender – Lavender is not only an effective mosquito repellent, it's also touted as a powerful ointment to relieve itchy mosquito bites. This oil has a pleasant floral scent and is the safest choice for children.
Citronella oil is a natural mosquito repellent that will kill mosquitoes and drive them out of your house. Look for citronella candles or use citronella essential oil in your vaporizer or oil diffuser.