Biting Flies Attracted To Anything Blue, Study Finds

Scientists have found that biting flies are attracted to anything that is blue. But what does this actually mean?

A report on Phys.Org said some international researchers have utilized an artificial neural network (ANN) to imitate the processing of the brain of a biting fly in order to make an understanding about its fondness for the blue coloration.

The experiment showed that the flies were actually not mistaking blue objects for shady or water areas. The ANN, however, experienced trouble in telling the difference between blue objects and animals.

Results of the study showed that the reason for the biting flies' attraction towards blue objects was the inability to identify the distinction between anything blue and animals or those which they could preyed and feast on.

Earlier studies indicated that most biting flies caught in blue traps have empty bellies. The observation suggested that the biting flies have found their way there while looking for food.

Food, making traps

A report on The Guardian said this latest finding could help in the fight against diseases that are usually spread by flies by making traps more effective.

One illness caused by flies is sleeping sickness.

According to Dr. Roger Santer, the one who led the research on biting flies, entomological field studies have long proven that flies are attracted to blue.

This finding has led to traps across the world being made in that color.

"If we can understand the mechanisms that attract flies to coloured traps, we can improve the colour of those traps so that they more efficiently catch flies. This is a really important aim because different species of biting flies spread diseases of humans and animals, so fly control is an important part of disease control," Santer said in the report.

Meanwhile, the conclusion of this latest research was backed by field experiments that have found that flies caught in blue traps tend not to have eaten recently, suggesting that they are actually seeking hosts.

Santer also said that aside from sickness, this latest discovery might help in controlling the very common stable fly, which is considered as damaging global pest of livestock.

Before it was discovered that biting flies mistakenly identify blue for food, there were a lot of theories on why they love the color.

Some theories include that flies mistake blue for shady areas, which can be good for resting because shadows can have a blue tinge to them.

The other one was that blue traps resemble animals to a fly's eye, however, this had not been proved.

Prevent sicknesses

An Al Jazeera report said the recent finding could be the key in eradicating diseases like human African trypanosomiasis, which is also known as sleeping sickness, as well as controlling stable flies, which primarily attack cattle and horses.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 98% of the reported cases are caused by the parasite Trypanosoma brucei gambiense, which is found in 24 countries in Western and Central Africa.

The second form, Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense, is responsible for less than 2% of cases and is found in 13 countries in Eastern and Southern Africa.

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