One more silly question....Is it really necessary to use insect repellant in the parks? No one in my family is allergic to insect bites, but no one likes to have bugs flying around them in hot sticky weather either. Do any of you feel it would be a bad thing not to mess with repellant? I just hate the sticky feeling of being all greased up....on top of the sunscreen that we will be using. Thanks!

I just hopped on here to ask pretty much the same question :p So, I thought I'd jump in to let others know that I'm wondering the same thing. Florida is notorious for mosquitos, but are they really an issue in the pakrs? We're going to be there next week. Thanks everyone :)

There could be mosquitos.

WDW does a really complete job of eliminating mosquitos.

But one night I was in line at BTM, you know that line that winds through, and I got attacked by horrible mosquitos. The really bad ouchy kind.

So you probably won't need bug stuff, but you might want to take some of that wipe on in the little packets.

I tried to get some in the gift shop, but they don't carry it. The lady just said something like "well, you know this is Florida".

I'm with mzloolue - throw some of the Off Wipes in your park bag (or other brand of your choice) and don't worry about it. IF you do end up needing some, chances are it's only going to be in the evening (after the need for sunscreen).

Bullfrog does make a sunscreen with bug repellant in it, but I wouldn't bother with that unless you were doing a swamp tour or something like that.

We've never had any issues with bugs at WDW, never used any repellant. Mzoolue & Drince's idea of a few Off wipes couldn't hurt though. I don't think too long and hard about why there are virtually no bugs there :eek:, guess it's the pixie dust :p

Now the Everglades in June, that was a whole different story!!

Another vote for no repellant. I've never used it at WDW or anywhere else - maybe bugs just don't like me?

but I wouldn't bother with that unless you were doing a swamp tour or something like that.

LOL!!!! Thanks for the tips guys!!

The only time I've ever had a problem was while waiting for Illumnations to start at EPCOT; I'd bring a small bottle along just in case; nothing worse than getting attacked by mosquitos.

I took a bottle, but thankfully never had to use it.

I've really never had a problem with mosquitoes @ Walt Disney World--at the parks or the resorts. One of the things I love to do is walk around the lake @ CBR (very lush landscaping), but even so, no problem with bugs.

Only BUG problem I've ever noticed is the "love bugs." Although they are totally harmless, they can be quite annoying if you're visiting during their "season." :|

Only BUG problem I've ever noticed is the "love bugs." Although they are totally harmless, they can be quite annoying if you're visiting during their "season." :|


......so don't keep me in suspense.....when is the season??:confused:

They do a great job on the mosquitoes.

Already here at home the mosquitoes are out and hungry.
And it only gets worse as the summer progresses.
And I'm lucky enough to be one of those people that mosquitoes will choose out of a crowd.
DH can be standing right next to me unmolested while I am being swarmed.
I have been told that they really go for the 0+ folks and it may be true.
It seems to be true anyway for me.

I have seen the fogger trucks running through the resorts at night.
And I wish they could do my neighborhood!

......so don't keep me in suspense.....when is the season??:confused:

I've never totally figured out love bug season (we get them around here, too) - I think it's basically May through Sept/Oct - or maybe just May and Sept/Oct. The only thing they hurt is the finish on the front of your car if you kill a bunch of them and don't wash it off in a reasonable time frame.

And mzloolue, you don't have fogger trucks in your neighborhood? We have them here (I think West Nile was the driving reason for it)

Are they a big deal all year round? Up here (in Seattle) it's usually only the summer and early fall that we really have to worry. Since we are going to Cape Canaveral first, I think I WILL be bringing some repellant. I'm sure our little eco-boat ride around the islands there will be a reason for repellant, if anything.

I LOVE the idea of the Off Wipes. I didn't know about those! I'll keep an eye out and get some. Good to keep in the pack, just in case!

There is an historic thread somewhere about love bugs if anyone's interested but I am too search engine challenged to find and attach it :|

I've never totally figured out love bug season (we get them around here, too) - I think it's basically May through Sept/Oct - or maybe just May and Sept/Oct. The only thing they hurt is the finish on the front of your car if you kill a bunch of them and don't wash it off in a reasonable time frame.

And mzloolue, you don't have fogger trucks in your neighborhood? We have them here (I think West Nile was the driving reason for it)

I have experienced the Love Bugs.
The sound of them spattering against the car is gaggy.

They have the fogger trucks in areas where there are more houses.
What I think does me in is all the hobby ponds, you know the .5 acre+ fishing ponds.
They have put in a bunch of those mosquito factories in the neighborhood.
The Health Dept doesn't have time to check them.

The only time we ever took insect repellent to Disney World was when we stayed at the Fort Wilderness cabins. And then only I needed it in the mornings when I sat outside on the deck waiting for everyone else to get up. But I wasn't bothered by mesquitoes, just some other kind of annoying bug.

Love bug "season" is typically May and September. When we went over this past Memorial Day weekend, we saw maybe about ten all together. Other years, we've seen swarms.

BUT - a really big note on the love bugs. Repellent does absolutely no good whatsoever. You will just end up smelling and feeling gross all day while the love bugs do their buggy little things.

Avon makes an insect repellant/sunscreen wipe. It smells GOOD!

I agree with the other posts; no need to take anything. I did take a couple of the wipes and shoved them in the bag just in case, but never used them.

I'm another one who has had little trouble with inescts at WDW.

Its tough to be a bug at WDW

Its tough to be a bug at WDW
LOL!
Cute :p

EW! I just looked up love bugs on Wikapedia to see what everyone is talking about. I know they are pretty harmless, but ew! Acid that harms car paint? EW!! I'm such a bug-wimp. If you live in Seattle, you know what I mean. We are pretty bugless around here. Sure, a fly here and there. Maybe some bees, wasps and hornets in the summer, but no cockroaches or nasty swarming things. We don't have many bad spiders either . . . I say this as I sit here with mysterious bug bites on my back. Ok, maybe we DO have bugs, but not like other places. I think thats why I'm so into the mosquito repellant question. :)

One of my biggest memories of WDW from 1990 is that there was a lack of bugs! They seem to put something in the fountains that keeps them away from the water . . . do they still do that? (And THEN we drove up to Mobile . . . cockroach heaven . . . I was so grossed out when my grandma stepped on them. YUCK!)

And yes, it IS tough to be a bug . . . anywhere!

Wow!! Thanks everyone I never thought about bug spray. Going to WDW for the first time in March 2009 with 3 little ones. We have a terrible time with mosquitoes here in Canada and never thought of them being a problem where it is so hot. One more thing to put on my packing list.

I heard of people packing it, but didn't take any when I went two weeks ago. We survived. Back at home, I have a few now...lol. But, we aren't the kind of people that ever get covered in bites. But, I don't think any of the three of us got a single bite. The most annoying thing were the love bugs, didn't bite, probably gone now.

EW! I just looked up love bugs on Wikapedia to see what everyone is talking about. I know they are pretty harmless, but ew! Acid that harms car paint? EW!! I'm such a bug-wimp. If you live in Seattle, you know what I mean. We are pretty bugless around here. Sure, a fly here and there. Maybe some bees, wasps and hornets in the summer, but no cockroaches or nasty swarming things. We don't have many bad spiders either . . . I say this as I sit here with mysterious bug bites on my back. Ok, maybe we DO have bugs, but not like other places. I think thats why I'm so into the mosquito repellant question. :)

One of my biggest memories of WDW from 1990 is that there was a lack of bugs! They seem to put something in the fountains that keeps them away from the water . . . do they still do that? (And THEN we drove up to Mobile . . . cockroach heaven . . . I was so grossed out when my grandma stepped on them. YUCK!)

And yes, it IS tough to be a bug . . . anywhere!

The acid is only when the bugs get smushed onto your car. If two of them are doing their thing and walking around on your car, they are harmless. If you smack them and kill them, then they get revenge without even knowing it.

So - to avoid acidic damage to anything, don't kill the love bugs. They only live a very short time. And once they reach maturity, the only function in their life is to copulate. All the time. 24/7. Why would you want to smush someone when they are doing that?


And BTW - your grandmother was a wuss. By the time my son was 3 (we lived in Mississippi at the time), he was killing cockroaches with his bare hands.