Ants

[we3luvdisney]

There have been some posts concerning ants/bugs at some DVC resorts. My thoughts on this subject is that if we are paying (points) for the rooms we should have them "critter" free. Some feel that this is a part of Florida and there should be minimal concern. Listed below is an article I found, concerning a 3-month old little baby. For those members that have little ones you may want to read this.

Infant Killed By Ant Bites While Sleeping
Babysitter Too Late To Save 3-Month-Old

A 3-month-old Phoenix infant has died after being bitten by hundreds of ants, an Arizona newspaper reported Tuesday.

According to the Arizona Republic newspaper, the baby girl was put down from a nap by her babysitter Monday afternoon and was covered with black ants when the caregiver checked on her a half-hour later.

Officials told the Republic that Autumn White had "hundreds of ant bites" on her legs and her throat was swollen. The child was not breathing when firefighters arrived at the home.

She was flown to a local hospital in Phoenix where she was pronounced dead, apparently from an allergic reaction to the ant bites. The baby-sitter was so distraught over the news that she was taken to an emergency room for treatment, the Republic reported Tuesday.

 

[trishy]

That is absolutely horrible! Truly sad story. However, I don't believe it happens often enough to be a legitimate threat to the average DVC traveller. I was one who posted about an ant problem at BWV. I thought management handled it pretty well. It was an inconvenience but I don't blame BWV for the problem. I think bugs in general are a part of life and that includes vacation. What happened to that child could occur anywhere I'm sure, but I've never spent sleepless nights worrying about ants crawling on my little ones. That's a freak "accident" and very sad.

Edited: Holy Cow - I just read TwinMom's report and just about flipped. Now, in that case it was no ordinary few bugs got in - that was a nightmare and it occurred in two different rooms. That's another story. So I guess I would say DVC needs to look into that particular building for a bigger problem. My generalization was for my measley little problem which probably consisted of 100 ants (med. size black ones - not the tiny buggers)

 

[CK1]

I'd have to believe that Disney / BCV would know they have a problem -- I just don't think they've managed to solve it. Greater minds than theirs have battled this problem. It's just too bad that this has happened at BCV. Ants can be particularly insidious to get rid of. Chances are very great (based on the tales of biting and high ant activity or swarming response) these are a type of fire ant. There are many types of "fire ant", and they luv that Florida weather; most are aggressive when encountered and stubborn to deter or remove. These a re not your average "sugar ants" (the tiny squishables that make a beeline for a cracker crumb) nor are they the big black "crazy ants" (the big stray "panicked" ones that dart in from outside sometimes like they took a wrong turn in Albequrque). Fire ants are most notable when there is disruption, such as recent construction (gee, construction at WDW? Ya think?) They probably have a home right under the foundation. You can kill the ones that come up to the surface, but until you get to the nest(s), they will continue to surface over and over again. My sister lived in Florida for 10+ yrs; I remember sleeping in her guest room in her first condo on the 3rd floor and waking up at 3 am to find myself covered and being bitten like mad. Had blisters all over us. These were little buggers (no bigger than a chigger, so to speak), but they had found their way up the wall and in through the window casing and man they pack a mean bite! My mother (living in St Aug, Fl) has had tremendous problems with carpenter ants. (These guys don't want you, though -- they are after your home investment!) Nonetheless, they're also creepy, yet very hard to remove. You can't just tackle one room or condo -- you must treat the whole building. And not all ant remedies work for all ants.

So while I agree that Florida has its bugs (as do any warm-climate places), this may well be an ant problem of a whole other magnitude, in which case mgmt may have a problem treating if they continue trying to do this on a room-by-room, case-by-case basis. These are ants with attitude! Hopefully a few of them are managing to take the bait being offered them, and then getting back home, which will in turn begin to destroy the nest(s). Otherwise, it would require a total fumigation of some sort. Doubt BCV wants to do that.

Cindy

 

[Dean]

Fire ants are a problem over now much of the country. They can be dangerous in certain situations and there's no way to irradicate them it appears only try to control them. I don't know the numbers but I'm sure there are death's every year from fire ant bites.

 

[Pa@okw95]

I stayed 76 nights so far at OKW and never saw a bug inside. One night when were on the porch this bug the size of a bomber dove down to the light that was on the porch. That was the only time I saw a bug. If you are staying in a resort at WDW you should not have a bug problem. At the price we pay for rooms there, we should not have the problems I have been reading about. Let us not forget these rooms for cash run pretty high, points or cash it should be the same concerning bugs and service. These places are not $49 a night joints on the side streets of Orlando. WDW gets top dollar for its product, we should not expect to have to accept bugs in the room.

 

[PammyK]

When it comes to the tiny sugar ants we all need to be doing our best to combat the problem. Even with regular pest control service, these suckers will get in if there is something for them to eat. Remember, when we stay on points, we don't have daily housekeeping to clean up after us. So we need to thwart the pests by making sure that we don't leave unwrapped food out on the counters or in the cupboards, thoroughly cleaning any spills in the room when they happen and taking out the trash regularly. Trust me, if everyone makes just a minimal effort to do this, it will make a huge difference.

 

[twinglefam]

Let's not forget that even though it's Disney - it's still reality. In real life there are bugs. As much as I clean, you can still find a bug or two in my home on occasion, and those are just the ones I've seen. They say the average person swallows a number of bugs in their sleep during their lifetime; I don't remember the number. Point being, while the infant story is a tragic one, as are the stories of deaths at the parks, life goes on at Disney because it is - real.

 

[icydog]

My BIL died a couple of months ago from bites from fire ants in Palm Beach FL. I won't fool around if I see them. I am moving out!!

 

[zulaya]

I keep telling myself that there have only been 3 reports of ants here on the DIS and how many stays have there been at BCV so far? Are we truly only hearing the minority because people can't wait to tell us the bad stuff, that it isn't as magical as they tought? Or if this only the tip of this iceberg?

It is a little disconcerting to wonder if there will be ants when you have a vacation coming up.