(건강) 빈대들이 싫어하는 색깔로 빈대 쫓아낸다

출처: http://www.bbc.com/news/health-36128646

Bed bugs repulsed by certain colours 빈대들이 싫어하는 색깔로 빈대들을 쫓아낸다

By Michelle RobertsHealth editor, BBC News online

• 25 April 2016
 
• From the sectionHealth

Image copyrightSPL

Bed bugs appear to have a strong preference for particular colours - a quirk that could be used against the troublesome pests, say scientists. 빈대들은 특별히 좋아하는 색깔이 따로 있다. (quirk: 기이한 점) (pest: 해충)

According to the work in the Journal of Medical Entomology, the blood-sucking insects love black and red but hate yellow and green. (Medical Entomology: 위생 곤충학) (blood-sucking: 흡혈의)

This information could help make better traps to lure and catch the bugs.

But it is too soon to say if yellow sheets can stop them nesting in your bed, say the US researchers.

Image copyrightSPL

Bed bugs are tiny and they like to live close to their next meal - your blood. They can hide in the seam of your mattress or a joint in your bed frame. They tend to prefer fabric and wood over plastic and metal. (seam: 솔기, 이음매) (bed frame: 매트리스 없는 맨 침대)

But Dr Corraine McNeill and colleagues wanted to find out if colours affected where bed bugs might dwell.

They carried out a series of experiments in their lab, placing bed bugs in dishes with different colour shelters made out of card.

Rather than taking cover at random, the bugs appeared to select the shelters according to their colour, showing a preference for black and red.

Image copyrightSPL

Dr McNeill said: "We originally thought the bed bugs might prefer red because blood is red and that's what they feed on.

"However, after doing the study, the main reason we think they preferred red colours is because bed bug themselves appear red, so they go to these harborages because they want to be with other bed bugs."

The bugs appeared to dislike yellow and green shelters, possibly because these bright colours remind them of brightly lit areas that are less safe to hide in, say the researchers.

Past studies have found these two colours are unattractive to other blood-sucking insects such as mosquitoes and sandflies.

Dr McNeill said: "I always joke with people, 'Make sure you get yellow sheets!' But to be very honest, I think that would be stretching the results a little too much.

"I don't know how far I would go to say don't get a red suitcase or red sheets, but the research hasn't been done yet, so we can't really rule that out completely."

---

How to spot bed bugs: (spot: 발견하다)

Inspect the crevices and joints of your mattress and bed frame for any visible bugs - they are flat, oval-shaped and up to 5mm long and are red or brown in colour, depending on when they last fed

Look for black spots on your mattress - dried faeces from the bugs

Adult bugs can produce an unpleasant musty odour that you might be able to smell

Check your sheets for blood spots from squashed bed bugs 

Look for any skin rash or itchy bump from bed bug bites