Any Ideas for Bug Spray?

[jaye614]

I've never used bug spray. I'll be visiting WDW early June. Will I need it and are there different types?

[snuggles]

This would be great over on our Disney Tips board. I'll move it over for you. Thanks for posting. :)

[ContempoSMT]

bugs didnt bother me last June in Wdw. I would not wear Bug spray in Disney ever becasue of the s,e;;/

[LKS]

I've never used bug spray at WDW and never needed it there. You need it in my neighborhood in GA, but I never needed it the whole time I lived in FL.

[Rhonda]

Same here. We've been going to WDW for years, and I don't remember ever using bug spray! And that's including when we've camped at Fort Wilderness! :D :D

[chell]

I haven't tried it yet, but we just recently bought some Avon Skin-So-Soft towelettes. They are a bug repellent and sunscreen all in one neat little towelette! No messy bottles!

I can't wait to get to the parks to try them out!

[goofygal531]

Last year DH got a bag bug bite in AK right after the safari. I wish I had the After Bite stick in my bag, but it was in my luggage. I would keep one of those handy in your park bag - just in case.

[crusoe2]

On our last trip we went to the Polynesian one nite to watch the EWP. We sat on the lounge chairs on the beach and got bitten by sand fleas. I only had one or two bites but my poor DH had about 8 or 10 and they drove him crazy with the itching. I don't know if regular bug spray repels sand fleas but, if you are planning to spend any time on the beaches at the resorts, you should definitely take something to keep them off and something to put on the bites. Hope this helps.:) :D

[littleducksmom]

i agree with crusoe2. the sandfleas got me big time at the poly beach. i dont know if bug spray will help............but it sure cant hurt. i always use off bugspray. it is packed for next week's wdw trip.

goofygal .....thanks for the tip on the after bite stuff.....i am gonna have to go find this before we leave.

[wdwguide]

I've never felt the need for bug spray at WDW, but if you want some effective stuff, get some with lots of DEET in it - there's nothing that works better.

[Magickndm]

I can't believe someone said they lived in Florida and never needed bug spray! Though, it is true, Disney doesn't seem to have a problem with the bugs. When we do use spray we use Cutter...smells better than Off! to me.

[DVC-LEROY]

I never had a problem with bug bites at WDW - until last fall. We did go to the beach at WL to watch the water parade. That may be part of it. It seemed like I was getting bit at other times though - at AK for sure. Now I'm wondering the same thing as all of you- I hate putting chemicals on but there isn't much choice. I think I'll be using skin-so-soft.

[babsaroo53]

I recommend using Avon Skin-So-Soft Insect repellent. It doesn't have the harmful chemicals. There is also an Avon Skin-So Soft Insect Repellent with SPF 30 Sunscreen. They work well and don't smell bad.

I don't sell Avon...I have children with sensitive skin and we go camping frequently. I also recommend Neutragena Sunblock Stick for the face.

[hydster]

we live in Utah and we go camping all the time in the mountains here. We have all kinds of bugs (except Sand Fleas of course) but we have wicked mosquitos and other flying type bugs. We have tried several brands of insect repellant and most have worked fairly well but I hate the smell and stickiness of them and I hate the fact that my kids will have that stuff on them and my small one rubbing his eyes or something after being sweaty so we have found what works for us is to buy the Dryer Sheets such as Downy or Snuggle. You wipe yourself and your clothing down with the sheet (smells SO much better than Off or Cutter) and then we discreetly place the rest of the sheet on our belt loop on our pants or shorts. So far using them every summer here for the last 8 years and havent been bit once! It might be worth a shot!! We love the smell of it, it is a little bit harsh to rub on your arms at times but nothing serious to make my 3 year old cry but we havent been bit yet! I usually attract all kinds of bugs but I take the sheets with me whenever we go outside and havent been bit since! I also agree with the after bite stick in case you do get bit. My mother in law swears by that as well since she hates to use insect repellant and doesnt like the smell of Downy sheets but she uses the stick for after bug bites and swears by it as well!

Just thought I would add in what we do for some thought!
Heidi:wave:

[Poohbear123]

Anybody ever heard of: "Bug-B-Gone" bracelets? I read about them HERE about a Month ago, but still have yet to find them!:rolleyes: If anyone finds them on-line, let me know!;)

[bobcat]

If you think you might need bug spray bring it from home! I paid over $6 for Off last year at FW because we forgot to bring ours from home. I had the Burts Bees natural spray that we use at home but the bugs were wicked and that didn't help. It's better safe than broke so it is already packed for our next trip this summer.

The bug bracelets are available at Walmart and Target in the same place as the spray.

[buddy&wooz]

I had a chance to test out the bug bracelet while camping this past weekend. Lots of little annoying gnats, but once I put on the bracelet they mostly stayed away. Once in awhile I'd wave my arm past my head to frighten the braver ones, but it did make a huge difference. I plan to get more for the rest of the family now.

[skeezixspud]

K-Mart, and also Bed, Bath, & Beyond. About $2 ea.

BB&B also had 4-pks that were a savings over individual purchase. (These are like telephone cord coils, so you can easily slip them over shoes.)

[cinmell]

We go every September and the bugs are terrible. Mainly around the water. A cast member suggested Off Deep Woods and that seemed to work fine.

[MissingMickey]

I like the wipes/towelettes myself. Growing up -- we always used Skin So Soft. If you have the manly type that doesn't want to go that route and smell pretty and be soft, try Cutter. They have wipes -- and they work great, too. Can buy at Wal-Mart or CVS.

I know the sprays work great -- especially for spraying around clothing openings like sleeves and waistlines -- but the wipes are easier to carry and don't end up my nose like the sprays do. I promise I don't intentionally spray the inside of my nose!

If you have kids, make sure you read the label. Some types shouldn't be used on small children.

[DancinSeff]

I use a heavy duty spray, used by the US Army, you can pick it up at most Army Surplus stores, or here,

http://www.uscav.com

They also make a bug spray/sunscreen combo. This works the best around where I live, in Massachusettes near wetlands, and it seems to do the trick in the parks.

[MattsCath]

Yes, I have seen them in Christmas Tree Shops ( a discount chain)
and Target. My nana buys them for her grandkids :)

[faith]

Thanking those that posted about the after bug bite stick. I bought one and stuck in my purse in case the grandkids needed it here in Michigan. Well, I ended up with a small bite from something...not sure what, and the stick worked great! Available at Kmart here.

[SueM in MN]

We've really never seen mosquitoes at WDW. But, I come from the state with mosquitoes big enough to carry you off, so it may be that we just didn't notice those Florida bugs.
This is a link to a story about a study of insect repellants (http://www.startribune.com/stories/484/3036571.html) that was recently completed. It does say DEET provides the longest protection. The one thing that was in the newspaper article that isn't in the on-line version is that combination sunscreen/repellants might not be the best idea. The article pointed out that sunscreen should be applied often and on as much skin as you can, but DEET should be applied sparingly, especially on kids.
The study was for mosquitoes, so some of the things they tested that didn't do well on mosquitoes, may be OK against gnats.

[jbthi]

The rest of my family doesn't need bug spray but all biting insects make a bee line for me.:confused: -especially sand fleas or no-see-ums. By far the best thing I have found is Florida Swamp Spray. It doesn't really smell good but after it tries it doesn't really smell much at all.

[hogie1]

Any brand names ?? I 'd like to know what I'm looking for! :)

[SueM in MN]

This link (http://abcnews.go.com/sections/wnt/DailyNews/bug_repellent020703.html) has a graph that lists the products that were tested, the active ingredients in them and how long they protected against mosquitoes. A lot of doctors suggest children should use a product with 10% or less of DEET.
3 of the products in the study had less than 10% DEET and worked for at least one hour:

OFF! Skintastic with DEET, 6.65%
protected for 112.4 minutes ±20.3 minutes

Bite Blocker for Kids with Soybean oil, 2%
protected for 94.6 minutes ±42.0 minutes

OFF! Skintastic for Kids with DEET, 4.75%
protected for 88.4 minutes ±21.4 minutes