The Unbelievable Reason Disney World Has No Mosquitoes
Out of all U.S. cities, Orlando ranks eighth in having the most mosquitoes, according to a recent report from Terminix. In fact, the state of Florida comes in third overall behind Texas and California. “Warm temperatures, high humidity, and ample breeding grounds create an ideal environment for mosquitoes to thrive,” states the report.
So, how, then, does Disney World, located smack dab in the middle of Orlando, with plenty of water features, have absolutely no mosquitoes to speak of? The reason is pretty unbelievable.
RELATED: 20 Secrets Disney Park Employees Never Tell You.
How Disney World stays mosquito-free.
In a recent TikTok video, Disney influencer @disney_dad1 shares the “genius” hack behind Disney World’s lack of mosquitoes.
When Walt Disney was designing the theme park in the mid-1960s, he hired an entomologist, or a scientist who studies insects, to design a way to keep mosquitoes out without affecting the guest experience, according to @disney_dad1.
“First, Disney doesn’t let water sit still,” he explains. “No standing puddles. Everything drains fast. Fountains flow constantly. Even decorative moats have circulation.”
In another video, he points out that even the buildings and landscapes are designed to discourage standing water: “Gutters, roofs, and walkways are built to drain water.”
Why is this important? “Mosquitos are attracted to standing water because it is a stable environment where their eggs can develop and hatch,” Diana Ludwiczak, NYC-certified bed bug and pest inspector and founder of Doctor Sniffs Bed Bug Dogs, previously told Best Life. “The larvae need still water to survive, so standing pools of water are ideal breeding grounds.”
Next, @disney_dad1 says that Disney World staff “lightly spray the parks with a garlic-based repellent.”
Garlic is often used in natural mosquito-repellent products since the bugs hate the scent, but it’s not perceptible to human noses. It’s also non-toxic.
Finally, @disney_dad1 shares that Disney World is home to many “natural predators” that ward off mosquitoes. This includes dragonflies, birds, and even bats at night.
“Disney basically created a little ecosystem where mosquitoes lose every time,” he says.
This is just one hidden aspect of Disney World.
Like @disney_dad1 notes, perhaps the most amazing part of Disney’s anti-mosquito infrastructure is that it’s all completely hidden from guests—just like the secret trash tunnels.
The “trash tunnels” are actually part of Disney’s state-of-the-art Automated Vacuum Collection System (AVCS). The blog World of Walt explains that these “underground corridors” actually run through the first level of Disney World, whereas guests are walking on the second level.
The AVACS has “17 collection points around Magic Kingdom and an underground system of vacuum tubes,” they say. “Every 15 minutes, trash is sucked at a speedy 60 miles per hour to a compactor located behind Splash Mountain. Here it is compressed and then removed from [the] property.”