Yahoo News Fact Check: About the Rumor Disney World Doesn't Have Mosquitoes
Claim:
There are no mosquitoes at Disney World.
Rating:
In April and May 2024, people online (including at least one Disney fan blog) posted various versions of a longstanding rumor about Walt Disney World supposedly not having any mosquitoes. A search for past mentions of the rumor uncovered many messages that claimed guests at the Orlando theme park and resort would "never" encounter the insects.
Certain baseless rumors about Disney have a way of spreading like legends for decades, such as the false claim the company froze Walt Disney after he died. The rumor about mosquitoes was similar.
(When we initially covered this subject in June 2021, we reached out to Walt Disney World Resort to ask more about its mosquito control program. No one responded to our inquiry.)
Exaggerated Headlines
Searching Google for "Disney mosquitoes" (without quotes), results displayed headlines leading to stories about Walt Disney World's mosquito control program, such as: "Why Are There No Mosquitoes at Disney World?" Another said: "Banned From Disney World: Why You Don't See Mosquitoes at the Most Magical Place on Earth." A third read: "The Fascinating Reason Why There Are No Mosquitoes at Disney World." Several headlines used the word "never," such as, "This Is Why You Never See Mosquitoes at Disney World."
Some paid online advertisements have also made the claim, both next to news articles and on social media. One such ad claimed: "Genius Reason Why Disney World Has No Mosquitoes." Another ad said: "The Ingenious Reason There Are No Mosquitoes At Disney World."
These misleading ads have been circulating online since at least 2020.
A page on the Walt Disney World website says the resort has "an extensive mosquito prevention and monitoring program" to control the population. According to an archived version of the same page, the park at one point provided complimentary insect repellent. Based on a number of anecdotes from purported guests online, it appeared the company does do an effective job of reducing the number of mosquitoes on the property.
However, claims guests would see "no mosquitoes" and "never" encounter the insects were greatly exaggerated.
'I Get Eaten Alive'
On social media, we found comments from users who claimed they didn't receive any mosquito bites during their trips to Walt Disney World. However, this does not prove there were "no mosquitoes" on the property.
Concurrently, we easily found stories from people who said they visited Walt Disney World and received mosquito bites.
In one Reddit post, a commenter said: "My husband gets a lot on his ankles and calves."
Another person wrote: "We did get a couple of bites from them at Animal Kingdom."
"I get eaten alive every time I watch Illuminations at Epcot," said u/onestraypea. "A few years ago I had 17 bites, while my husband and daughter each had none."
Reddit user u/lukin5 added: "It's not bad during the day, but as soon as that afternoon storm subsides, they come to party. Bring the Off [bug spray] for a good 5:00 p.m. application and you should be good to go."
Crowd of people gathering for the fireworks show in front of the Cinderella castle at Walt Disney World. (Photo by Roberto Machado Noa/LightRocket via Getty Images)
"'Almost no mosquitoes.' I'm calling bulls***," u/Theminingdwarf said. "My family went down there one summer and we all got bit to hell. Get this Disney propaganda outta here."
We also found Facebook comments about such bites. For example, one commenter said: "They [Disney] have a lot of prevention but it's all outside and they [mosquitoes] do still exist. I've gotten mosquito bites at Disney even just this year. Just not that many."
Another Facebook user commented: "I've never had an issue with mosquitoes there until this last trip, last month. We all had bites!"
A different user said, "After telling my family there are no mosquitoes in Disney World, I got eaten alive with about 20 on my legs."
Another person added: "I got mosquito bites while I was there lol."
Those are just a sampling of reports about mosquito bites from alleged parkgoers online.
Disney World's Fight Against Mosquitoes
Walt Disney World's past struggles to control the mosquito population spanned decades.
In 1990, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported Disney was "worried about encephalitis-bearing mosquitoes." At the time, Disney moved some resort activities indoors and scheduled "extra spraying hours."
In 2002, the Orlando Sentinel reported Disney was engaged in a "stealth battle" to "keep West Nile [virus] carriers from guests."
The Sentinel published, "Disney World has a full-service mosquito control operation and even its own 'skeeter stalker' — Eric Elbert."
Every day, Elbert buttons his Oxford shirt tight at the neck and sleeves and goes into the swamps to set and retrieve traps, then back to his lab to produce the equivalent of a behind-enemy-lines warfare scouting report. He details where mosquitoes are hatching, their concentrations, their movements, and their diseases. Then he goes home. Killing [is] left to others, who perform the task without mercy.
Protecting 38 million vacationers a year from disease-carrying mosquitoes in 30 square miles checkered with swamp is like raising free-range chickens on an African savanna filled with starved jackals.
But Disney tries really hard. Crews spray relentlessly. Every morning, every evening.
"Our guests come to Walt Disney World to escape the realities of life, and getting bit by mosquitoes isn't conducive to that," Disney spokeswoman Rena Callahan said. "We work very hard to make sure that our guests have a comfortable experience and fun time."
But Disney can't kill all the pests, and so must tread a fine line.
The story also mentioned pesticides to "reduce" the threat. "Disney World wages its battles along 86 miles of canals, service roads, firebreaks, power lines, fields, and fences." The article's authors did not specify the pesticides used at the time (in 2002), but they reported they were "considered safe by state and federal environmental authorities."
Sources:
"Business Wire: Disney Fights Mosquitoes." Sun-Sentinel, Broward Metro Final, 11 Oct. 1990, p. 51, www.newspapers.com/image/238516650/.
Mikkelson, David. "FACT CHECK: Was Walt Disney Frozen?" Snopes, 19 Oct. 1995, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/suspended-animation/.
"Mosquito Prevention." Walt Disney World, https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/guest-services/insect-repellent-distribution/.
Spear, Kevin, and Robert Johnson. "Disney Bites Mosquitoes." Orlando Sentinel, Florida, 21 Sept. 2002, p. A1, https://www.newspapers.com/image/268976277/.
