冬去春来，天气转暖，再过一阵子蚊虫又要开始“上班”了。假如你是招蚊体质，穿衣记得避开蚊子最喜欢的颜色，以免被蚊子“独宠”。
[Photo/Pexels]
While there are plenty of factors that go into how attractive you are to mosquitoes, new research has found the colors you’re wearing definitely play a role.
很多方面都可能致使你成为“招蚊体质”，但新研究发现，你穿的衣服颜色也起到了肯定用途。
That’s the main takeaway from a new study published in the journalNature Communications. For the study, researchers from the university of Washington tracked the behavior of female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes when they were given different types of visual and scent cues. The researchers put the mosquitoes into small test chambers and exposed them to different things, like a colored dot or person’s hand.
这是发表在《自然·通讯》期刊上的一项新研究得出的主要结论。来自华盛顿大学的研究职员在这项研究中追踪了雌性埃及伊蚊在被给予不同视觉和气味线索时的行为模式。研究职员把蚊子放在小试验箱中，然后让它们接触不一样的东西，譬如一个彩色圆点或一个人的手。
In case you're not familiar with how mosquitoes find food, they first detect that you’re around by smelling carbon dioxide from your breath. That prompts them to scan for certain colors and visual patterns that could indicate food, the researchers explained.
假如你不知道蚊子是怎么样觅食的，这里要对你说，蚊子最开始知道到你的存在是由于闻到了你呼出的二氧化碳。研究职员讲解道，这促进它们寻觅和食物有关的特定颜色和视觉形态。
When there was no odor like carbon dioxide in the test chambers, the mosquitos pretty much ignored the colored dot, not matter what hue it was. But once researchers sprayed carbon dioxide in the chamber, they flew toward dots that were red, orange, black, or cyan. Dots that were green, blue, or purple were ignored.
假如试验箱里没二氧化碳的气味，蚊子非常或许会对彩色圆点视若无睹，不论是哪种颜色的圆点。但研究职员只须在试验箱里喷洒二氧化碳，蚊子就会飞向红色、桔色、黑色或蓝绿色的圆点。同时，蚊子对绿色、蓝色或紫色的圆点视若无睹。
“Light colors are perceived as a threat to mosquitoes, which is why many species avoid biting in direct sunlight,” entomologist Timothy Best says. “Mosquitoes are very susceptible to dying by dehydration, therefore light colors may instinctually represent danger and prompt avoidance. In contrast, darker colors may replicate shadows, which are more likely to absorb and retain heat, allowing mosquitoes to use their sophisticated antenna to locate a host.”
昆虫学家蒂莫西·贝斯特说：“浅色被蚊子视为威胁，这是各类蚊虫不在太阳直射下叮咬是什么原因。蚊子比较容易脱水而死，因此浅颜色可能代表着危险，促进蚊子本能地避开。相比之下，深色与阴影更接近，更容易吸收和保留热量，这让蚊子可以动用它精密的触角来锁定叮咬对象。”
If you have the option of wearing lighter or darker clothes when you know you'll be going into an area with lots of mosquitoes, Best recommends going with the lighter choice. “Dark colors stand out to mosquitoes, wheras light colors blend in.” he says.
当你了解自己要去一个蚊子不少的地方时，假如你有浅色衣服和深色衣服可以选择，贝斯特建议你选择浅色的衣服。他说：“蚊子可以辨别深色衣服，但却辨别不出浅色衣服。”
How to prevent mosquito bites
怎么样预防蚊虫叮咬
Apart from avoiding colors mosquitoes like when you’re going into areas wher these bugs are known to lurk, there are other things you can do to lower your risk of being bitten by a mosquito, which include:
当你去蚊子多的地方时，除去防止穿蚊子喜欢的颜色（红色、桔色、黑色、蓝绿色），还有其他几种做法可以减少被蚊虫叮咬的几率。
Using insect repellent
用杀虫剂
Wear long-sleeved shirts and pants
穿长袖衬衣和长裤
Get rid of standing water around your home or empty items that hold water like bird baths, toys, and planters weekly
每周按期清理住宅附近的死水，或倒掉鸟池、玩具和花盆等容器里的水
Use screens on your windows and doors
安装纱窗和纱门
Each of these protective measures will contribute in decreasing your likelihood of getting bitten. And, if you're able to wear something other than red or dark colors, even better.
这类防护手段都能降低你被蚊虫叮咬的几率。当然，假如你不穿红色或深色的衣服就更好了。
英文来源：雅虎新闻
翻译&编辑：丹妮
