Color paint to repel insects.

[Peter Jason]

Some yellow lights are supposed to repel mosquitoes etc.

Is there a color that will repel or dissuade insect pests? I'm thinking of painting stakes or trellises any suitable color.

Peter

[David Hare-Scott]

I don't think that is right. The way I think it goes is that many insects' eyesight works best in the blue and ultrviolet region of the spectrum and so yellow light is invisible (or less visible) so they are not attracted at night to a yellow light as much as a white one. Nothing about repelling them.

I think this is mission impossible.

David

[Billy]

It's not that yellow repels mosquitoes, it just doesn't attract them, and other insect, like white lights do.

[Frank Miles]

With hummingbird feeders - word is you should avoid yellow because yellow jackets are attracted to it (and find the yummy syrup). So red is preferred there.

Of course, maybe a yellow fence would be good, they're not going to find much syrup there!

Insect visual systems vary a lot, depending on what it eats, when it breeds,... If you have a _specific_ insect that is problematic for you, find out more about that. I don't think you'll find a one-size-repels- all.

[Peter Jason]

Thanks. I live in town and I want to grow a tomato plant in a pot with a special wooden stake I've invented... (in the corner)

bugs are quite voracious and have damaged a cumquat tree and my Tahitian lime tree. Only pelagoniums and cycads seem to survive. I thought to paint the stake some suitable colour.

[David Hare-Scott]

I suspect it is not the same bugs damaging your tomato and citrus. You need to find out what specifically is doing it so you can beat it. There are many methods (spraying, trapping, exclusion, providing predators etc) but to work out the best in your case you need to know the culprit. Colour coding won't work.

D