A study conducted by the Department of Life Sciences at Aberystwyth University in the United Kingdom has revealed that biting flies are drawn to the color blue, as they mistake it for their desired prey. This intriguing finding has led to the widespread use of blue traps in various locations worldwide.
The researchers employed artificial neural networks that mimic the visual processing in the brain of biting flies, enabling them to unravel the mystery behind the flies’ strong attraction to the color blue. Notably, flies captured in blue traps were more likely to have not fed recently, indicating their active search for hosts.
This research, which has undergone rigorous peer review and been published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B journal, challenges a previously held belief that blue objects represented shade to the flies. The new findings hold significant implications for combating diseases endemic to sub-Saharan Africa, which currently lack effective treatment options and often result in fatality.
In particular, the team’s conclusions could prove vital in the fight against diseases like human African trypanosomiasis, commonly known as sleeping sickness, as well as the control of stable flies that primarily target cattle and horses. The World Health Organization reports that over 98 percent of reported cases of sleeping sickness are caused by the parasite Trypanosoma brucei gambiense, prevalent in 24 countries across Western and Central Africa. The remaining cases, caused by Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense, are found in 13 countries across Eastern and Southern Africa.
