A friend is wanting to light his patio. Is there any research that shows mosquitoes are less attracted to areas lit with yellow lights?
As a side note, what does work?
From here (.pdf)
Presented without looking it up: Don’t put a bug-zapper near the area you don’t want mosquitoes to be. The light attracts them. Instead, put it far enough away that the insects are not attracted to you, but not so far that they don’t ‘see’ it from where you are.
Citronella candles, chemical repellent, and bug zappers work.
They do work provided that you are surrounded by other non-yellow lights. If you have no neighbors and the only light that will be out there are yellow lights, mosquitoes will go.
I lived in a development that was built with all exterior lights yellow. The whole place smelled of bug spray.
Bug zappers are definitely the way to go. As said above, don’t put it in the middle of the people. Put it a way to the side.
If you can stomach the smell, those burning spirals are definitely effective. There are newer variations on the theme (little squares you put on top of a candle lamp) but nothing like the spiral.
People have mentioned bug zappers a few times. I thought conventional wisdom was that traditional light-based bug zappers don’t work on mosquitoes.
They make great house-warming gifts for new neighbors.
I don’t believe mosquitoes are attracted to light much if at all. And the first few web sites I found agree with me. It’s mostly warm, moist, carbon-dioxide laden air (like your exhaled breath) and some specific chemicals (that are usually found in mammal breath). At very close range, there seems to be a preference for landing on dark colors, rather than light ones.
If you don’t want to attract mosquitoes, don’t breathe. And wear light clothes (while making your companion wear dark clothes). But I don’t think lights will make much difference, unless they’re so bright that they start heating up the skeeters.