# Mosquitoes and clothing color

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mosquitoes-and-clothing-color/26019>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [July 18, 2000, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mosquitoes-and-clothing-color/26019 "2000-07-18T20:31:04Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Sn-man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@Sn-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sn-man)\
**Post date:** [July 18, 2000, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mosquitoes-and-clothing-color/26019/1 "2000-07-18T20:31:04Z")

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Our family is going on a trip to mosquito haven (Canada). I have heard that mosquitoes are attracted to dark clothing. Is there any truth to this vile rumor? 😃

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**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\
**Post date:** [July 18, 2000, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mosquitoes-and-clothing-color/26019/2 "2000-07-18T20:38:25Z")

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Yes.

Read [New Jersey Mosquito Home Page - FAQ’s on Mosquitoes - Why are some people more attractive to mosquitoes then others?](http://www-rci.rutgers.edu/~insects/mosfaq.htm#q4)

You can also read this thread from the General Questions Forum:  
[Mosquito preferences for bite victims](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=14974) - 13 replies

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**Author:** ![Sn-man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@Sn-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sn-man)\
**Post date:** [July 18, 2000, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mosquitoes-and-clothing-color/26019/3 "2000-07-18T20:50:05Z")

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Thanks AW. I searched the archives, but not the boards. Still a newbie:o

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**Author:** ![siva](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7c8e57/32.png) [@siva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/siva)\
**Post date:** [July 18, 2000, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mosquitoes-and-clothing-color/26019/4 "2000-07-18T21:45:09Z")

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I thought mosquitoes were attracted to carbon dioxide. That way it can easily find blood. Everything with blood exhales carbon dioxide

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**Author:** ![brachyrhynchos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brachyrhynchos/32/376_2.png) [@brachyrhynchos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brachyrhynchos)\
**Post date:** [July 19, 2000, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mosquitoes-and-clothing-color/26019/5 "2000-07-19T01:02:55Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Arnold Winkelried \*  
> Read [New Jersey Mosquito Home Page - FAQ’s on Mosquitoes - Why are some people more attractive to mosquitoes then others?](http://www-rci.rutgers.edu/~insects/mosfaq.htm#q4)
> 
> You can also read this thread from the General Questions Forum:  
> [Mosquito preferences for bite victims](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=14974) - 13 replies

Wow. Arnold beat me to the punch by citing my own website. Twice. I am impressed and more than gratified to see it being used to fight ignorance.

Yes siva, carbon dioxide is used as a guide by female mosquitoes to hunt for their bloodmeal. Once they’ve found a potential host, they use other cues to determine if that’s the kind of blood they need. Some mosquitoes are quite particular about the host - some will only feed on birds or reptiles while others are less discriminating and will feed off of a variety of animals.