Studies on the Responses of the Female Aëdes Mosquito. Part VI.—The Attractiveness of coloured Cloths to Canadian Species

Abstract

A series of 32 cloths, including 8 flannels dyed to Munsell standard colours, seven coloured satins and 17 service fabrics, were tested for their attractiveness to northern Canadian Aëdes mosquitos, and were assessed for their reflectivity of visible and ultra-violet light.Their attractiveness was found to vary inversely with their reflectivity or brightness, although the different textures represented in the series tended to obscure the generalised relationship.When comparisons were made within a series of identical texture, the correlation was good in the range between 475 and 625 mμ wave-length, but was not present in the red or infra-red, nor in the violet and ultra-violet ranges of wavelength.Green tended to be less attractive, and white more attractive, than was expected from this relationship. For colour values of similar lightness or darkness, the order of attractiveness to Aëdes punctor and associated species was black, red, blue, brown, green, white, yellow.