bugs

[vfb2girls]

After reading several posts about the problems with bugs I have a question. Is the bug problem only in the hot summer months or through out the year? Do we need to pack bug spray regardless of the time of year?

 

[BrianD]

We were there in December & February and there were no bugs to be found.

We're leaving tomorrow and know that this time it will be a different story. But we will be prepared for whatever comes our way!

 

[TiggerPiglet]

The only time I went to WDW during what was considered a summer month was back in 1998 during the first week of September and I don't remember bugs being a problem and I definitely would have noticed because I hate bugs. We're going to WDW this August and I hope I have the same experience with bugs as I did before, which was none

 

[daannzzz]

I have been 7 times in May. Once in January and once in August. I have seen lots of love bugs in May but these are not a problem. I have seen an occaisional small bug here and there on all trips but never anything that caused trouble. I just returned from a 2 week trip and there were more bugs than on all my other trips combined though none of them caused trouble for me I did here people say they had been bitten by skeeters and flies. I saw a couple skeeters and was bothered a bit by the flies but not bitten. There were some love bugs but not like usual and there were LOADS of dragon flies. Over at Splendid China in Kissimmee there were a bunch of black grasshoppers. My trip in August I don't recall there being that many bugs. Bring bug spray just in case.

 

[safetymom]

We just got back from WDW and didn't have any problem with bugs.

 

[Virgo10]

I just got back and let me tell you there is something there that bites the heck out of you. Not everyone was getting nailed like me but I did see these bite marks on other people. By the 5th day, the bites were so bad that I was waking up in the middle of the night scratching. I came prepared too with Off and itch medicine.

They seem to be the southern equivelent of black flies. Very small and the bites go thru stages. First you get a dime size red welt, then the itching which I found lasts about 6 days!! then a pustual forms on the top of the bite almost like the chicken pox.

This is the second time I've had this happen to me. The last episode was in 2001. My advice is if you are highly affected by mosquitos at home, you're probably going to be a desired food source for these nasty creatures. Bring spray or cream that will keep them off of you and use it daily. Also bring itch medication.

I won't say it ruined my trip but around the 4th day (on one spot on my leg I bet I had 20 or more bites ) I was ready to live in my hotel room.

Roberta

 

[sci-fi-dreamer!]

We just returned from a 9 day stay and my DH has bite marks all over his legs!! I was bit a few times at Epcot during Illuminations and DH was bit at AKL when we viewed the animals at night! A worker at AKL said the mosquitos were out in force one night! she said they sprayed, but they had to use a non pesticide spray due to the animals! No problem at MK at night - but you do need some type of bug spray on if you go out from dusk on!! Little black flies and mosquitos!!

 

[dizneykid]

my dh and i just got back from a week at the WL, we had a room on the 5th floor. when we got into the room, there was a deer fly (likened to the horse fly, and yes they bite) in the room on the light in the bathroom, but we got rid of him. no big deal. anyway, i was sitting outside on the balcony and another deer fly landed on me and bite me, it felt like a small bee sting. i got rid of him too. after that i just kept an eye on if i saw them flying around. there were not that many at all so don't worry, bugs just seem to like me.

the love bugs were out but they don't bother you. and i live in largo, florida so i know that the mosquitos are out in full force now. you just have to remember that this is florida and we are a tropical state. we have bugs. i think that the bugs are more prevalent in the warmer weather and right now it is starting to feel like summer. we got the heat early this year.

i personally would always bring bug spray whenever you come here, i have seen mosquitos in december.

but like i said i think that WDW sprays and keeps the bugs to a minimum. we really didn't see that many. we also went on a walk from WL to ft. wilderness through the nature path and i put on bug spray. not much flying around. lots of beautiful butterflies though.

so come, have a good time and just bring the bug spray, always.

 

[dizneykid]

Virgo10 - i think the bug that you are referring to as "bitting the heck out of you" are deer flies. boy, i got bit by one and it is still swollen. i didn't know what it was at first and i asked my husband and he saw the one i killed and said that it was deer flies. so i just kept an eye out for when i saw one buzzing around and made sure they didn't land on me. but they sure did sting.

 

[n2mm]

Deer fly bites here too!!! Just got back this weekend and everyone is getting bit. It doesn't matter where you are staying. I have been to WDW over 50 times and go in the spring every year. This was the first time we have ever encountered this problem. Even the CMs are being biten, and nothing helps. Yes, the bites go in stages, red, swollen, and itch like crazy, esp. at night. We go back in July and will try to find something to take with us, especially since we'll be at the CR and the bugs seem worse around the water. We played mini-golf and couldn't get out of there fast enough. Love bugs are not a bother and we expected them, but saw very few of them....I would call them smart bugs, because they didn't stay to fight the deer flys. ugh! Still got scars and its' been almost 2 weeks since the bites.

 

[daannzzz]

Are the Deer Flies the agressive tan colored flies?

 

[Hnymoon@Dixie]

I was bit too @ the WL in October. I had they same symptoms! They didn't bother with my husband! I was on the 4th floor balcony. I stayed off that balcony the rest of the trip! When we go back I will bring a SUPER SIZE BOTTLE OF OFF!

 

[Virgo10]

I saw my share of deer flies too but the bugs I caught biting me were very tiny... no bigger than the head of a pencil and a reddish brown color. One CM said they thought they might be sand fleas. As for the deer flies, those tend to get your attention when they bite and I never felt anything until the deed was done. I wasn't kidding about the area on my leg. There must have been close to 20 separate bites on that spot. They also got me on the back of my left hand. I woke up one morning and it looked like a balloon from swelling. I must have been itching it most of the night while I was asleep.

Roberta

 

[PeterPam]

We were there 5/14 - 5/20 and I have bites all over my legs from deer flies. There were also mosquitos and these little gnat/flea things. We have gone to Disney many times and I have never been bitten or bothered by any bugs. This trip was the exception. The bugs were at their worst around dusk. The gift shop was sold out of bug spray. However, I wasn't so bad that it ruined the vacation, it was bearable.

 

[n2mm]

I would recommend not only spray, but something to help after the fact. corison cream or something to stop the itching and infection would have been nice, but will be packed for the next trip. This is the worse I've ever seen these pesky bugs. I agree, dusk was horrible. But what can you do? go in at sundown?

 

[floridafam]

Virgo10,

Sounds like noseeums to me. They are very tiny. Sometimes you can feel them biting you and sometimes you can't until it's too late.

I was bitten on my back at WL. Was sitting at the pool at night with my back exposed. I never realized it until the next day when my DH said he thought I had the chicken pox.

We had a BIG problem with them at Vero Beach last October.

It really was our own fault. We went to the beach at dusk. This time, I could feel them biting me but barely see them. I looked awful. They itch like you would not believe. I tried everything and sometime just sat straight up in bed in the middle of the night and scratched my legs until they were almost bleeding. Finally, one of the lifeguards at the pool gave me a pack of medicated sticks that you crack open and rub on your legs.

The only thing that really works against these is OFF. We were never big on using OFF because of the DEET but after experiencing these we did buy a bottle and had no further problems.

They are a member of the mosquito family and Vero Beach actually has a little section of the flyer they give you at check-in devoted to these little things.

Just use OFF if you are going out early in the morning ar at dusk or later. The sun really seems to make these things go away for a while.

Other than that, we have never really had a problem with bugs at WDW.

 

[daannzzz]

I forgot about the other bugs this trip. I hardly saw any of them in WDW but loads at the Gaylord Palms and Portofino Bay. They were mostly along walkways where there was shrubbery and they came out at dusk but were swarming clouds of gnats but they were a little bigger and heavier than regular gnats. I first walked into them outside the Gaylord Palms and not having seen them ahead of time, ingested a couple!!!! Once I figured out they were not Mosquitos I found that the swarms stayed in the same spot and you could walk right around them. They were not at all interested in anyone so were not really aporblem, just another bug I had not seen before.

 

[jeannej]

perfume attracts these biting flies. Any kind of perfume including certain shampoos.

jeannej

 

[married2grumpy]

This is our 4th visit in the springtime and have always seen the love bugs. They were not a problem this year but I've never seen so many other bugs before. There were so many dragonflies and those brown biting flies. I saw some people who were bit so badly. Their legs were covered with bites. We were fortunate enough to only get bit a few times in the 2 weeks we were there. We had a problem keeping the bugs from flyin into our room. The kids kept opening the door and they would fly right in. It was annoying. Almost as annoying as the pests a few rooms down from us. Those pests were 2 kids who would sit and stare into our window and knocked on our window one morning and woke us up. I wish I had a spray to keep them away!

 

[hightown]

Roberta, I got the same bites you did in November. I was the only one in my group that did! The bites also last a long, long time. A little souvenier to take home.

I was the only one in the group who used the Mickey lotion on legs plus I was the one going out at dawn and dusk to have a smoke outside! Luckily the weather cooled down for the 2nd half of the trip. Thank goodness the hotel gift shop sold hydrocortisone!

This year it's OFF!!

What are ''love bugs"? do you mean ladybugs? Rolly pollys?

Sharon