Mosquito Repellent?

[efam]

Disney releases millions of bugs every year that prey on mosquitoes so getting bitten in WDW is not going to happen. I live 25 miles from WDW for the last three years and I have gotten about three bites total. I live right next to a canal. The Zika virus isn't an issue. All twenty cases in Florida came from people who traveled to get it.

What?!? What kind of bugs? I've never heard of this....

 

[thornton0511]

My DH and DD are mosquito magnets and we live in Texas. Literally DH will go outside to take the trash out and come back in with 5 bites, no kidding. But never once have either of them had one mosquito bite in WDW...ever. We do not pack repellent at all either. I have heard also that Disney uses a combination of insects and plants to keep away the pests, like dragonflies for example.

 

[Mousemommy1]

I've never been bothered by mosquitoes at Disney, and they are definitely super attracted to me!!

 

[Tomh]

Been to Disney World many times in July and August, never had a single mosquito bite. Hard to believe Disney keeps those little buggers at bay even though they are in the middle of a swamp. I've seen more gators (only one) and snakes (more than one) than I have mosquitoes in Disney.

 

[biondagirl]

There are no bugs in Disney. Seriously. I never see them. We went to Legoland last summer and the bugs were horrible. I wish I had spray.

 

[jettagirl]

I am a bug magnet, that being said, the only times I got bites was sitting on my balcony at night, especially at AKL. I was eaten alive! If you plan to spend time on your balcony I would suggest bringing it.

I totally agree with this, although we stayed at the Polynesian not AKL. We were there last July and sat on the balcony every night - my legs were covered in bites and I even reacted to them (swelling and uncontrollable itching) so I had to make an emergency run to the gift shop for some Benadryl. It was awful and embarrassing when going to the parks after they swelled up so much. I have ever had a bite from any of the parks though.

 

[SeilerBird]

What?!? What kind of bugs? I've never heard of this....

Bats
While bats eat mosquitoes, they are far more effective at locating, catching and eating insects other than mosquitoes.

Birds
Many birds will eat mosquitoes. The more important among these are purple martins, swallows, waterfowl (geese, terns, ducks) and migratory songbirds. Bird predators usually eat both the adult and aquatic stages of mosquitoes.

Fish
Goldfish, guppies, bass, bluegill and catfish prey on mosquito larvae. But the most important fish predator, by far, is the Gambusia affinis, commonly known as the mosquito fish. This is probably the most effective predator of mosquito larvae and is used by many mosquito control agencies to augment their control efforts.

Frogs and Tadpoles
Most adult frogs and tadpoles do not include mosquitoes as a large part of their diet. Tadpoles infrequently feed on mosquito larvae and instead generally feed on small, suspended particles of plant-related materials. However, mosquito larvae predation is known for three species of North American tadpoles – the spade foot toad, green tree frog and giant tree frog. While not a direct act of predation, tadpoles may compete with mosquito larvae for food.

Turtles
The red-eared slider turtle is generally thought to be the most voracious turtle that feeds on mosquito larvae.

Insects that prey on mosquitoes include:

Dragonflies
Dragonflies are often referred to as “mosquito hawks.” Though they do eat mosquitoes, they do not eat enough mosquitoes to do much harm to wild populations. One feature that favors dragonflies as mosquito predators is that in the dragonflies’ aquatic stage, most of its food consists of mosquito larvae.

Damselflies
While damselflies are not as effective in controlling mosquitoes as dragonflies, their aquatic stage also consumes many mosquito larvae.

Predacious mosquitoes
Some mosquitoes prey on other mosquitoes. The most notable being the predatory mosquitoes in the genus Toxorhynchites. These mosquitoes provide a double benefit since the larvae are predacious on other mosquito larvae and the adults are not known to transmit disease.

Both adult and larval species of aquatic beetles will consume mosquito larvae and pupae. Two beetles that readily eat the aquatic stages of mosquitoes are the predaceous diving beetle and the water scavenger beetles. However, they will consume many types of aquatic insects other than mosquitoes.

Spiders
Spiders become mosquito predators when a mosquito inadvertently flies into a spider’s web where it is encased and eaten.

I have heard that what Disney uses are Ladybugs.