4 Colors to Avoid Wearing in Colorado Unless You Love Mosquitos

Colorado's mountain hiking trails generate a serious buzz - and it's usually from larger-than-life mosquitoes. Anyone getting ready to hike the Grand Mesa or visit campgrounds on the Uncompahgre Plateau is going to encounter some hungry skeeters.

Forgetting to bring bug spray stinks, but did you know you can make things much worse by wearing the wrong colors? Some of the colors you wear around mosquitos can be like ringing the dinner bell. Keep scrolling for some blood-saving tips. You'll be glad you did.

Ringing the Dinner Bell for Colorado Mosquitoes

OMG, these people are going to be eaten alive. They are all wearing colors that attract mosquitoes. Just like red, orange, black, and Navy blue are all colors that make you easily detectable to mosquitoes, there are colors and scents that mosquitos tend to avoid. Scroll through the gallery below to find out what colors are ok wear in the buggiest parts of Colorado, and which ones to leave at home.

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What Makes Colorado Mosquitoes Tick

The experts at MosquitoJoe.com say that mosquitos rely on a series of cues to detect you. As you exhale carbon dioxide, mosquitoes know that it comes from living things. Once they sense carbon dioxide, they follow it. Your heat signature is another clue. White, teal, light blue, beige, and khaki are the safest colors to wear when in a mosquito-infested area as they help you blend in and reflect heat.

More Tips: Keep Mosquitoes at Bay

The EPA still approves repellents with DEET, picaridin, and oil of lemon eucalyptus as safe and effective against mosquitos. Old-fashioned hacks like wearing long sleeves and pants leave less skin exposed. Perfume, floral, and fruity scents all attract mosquitos, as does standing water.

Good luck avoiding the skeeters this year. May the force be with you.