Like black wires they can also be. The 2011 national electrical code required a neutral in.

3 Way Switch Wiring Electrical 101
Wire colors for light switch. Blue and yellow. A ground wire can. White and gray wires are normally used as neutral conductors. These wires usually come in pairs and pulled in conduits. Take off the cover and note the color of the wire insulation for the wires that connect to each side of the switch. Youll see white wires at one side of the switch and black wires attached at.
Yellow wires are used as switch legs to ceiling fans structural lights and outlets paired with light switches while blue wires are usually used as travelers for three or four way switches. Blue wires are generally used in a three way and four way switch applications by travelers. In 220 volt circuits red wires are the secondary live wires. Yellow and blue wires. On the other hand yellow wires are used as switch legs. Aside from using it for neutral connections red wires can be used in three way switch configurations.
That means it connects to an electrical panels neutral bus bar. A simple standard electrical circuit has a black or red hot wire that carries power from the power source to the device eg switch fixture outlet appliance a white neutral wire that carries the power back to the power source and a green or bare copper ground wire that connects the device to the homes grounding system. They are used as hot wires and control electrical items like lights switched outlets and fans. Copper and green wires. White and gray electrical wires the colors white and gray indicate a neutral wire. What the individual electrical wire colors indicate green green with a yellow stripe and bare copper wires can only be used for grounding purposes.
This color of wire is used to transfer power to switches and outlets in all types of circuits. What the color of an electrical wire means black electrical wires.