The Fascinating Ways Disney Mitigates Mosquitoes

Apparently, a TikTok went viral a few weeks ago that discussed the surprising ways Walt Disney World keeps mosquitoes at bay. After all, Walt Disney World is smack in the middle of Florida, a state whose state bird, we're pretty sure, is the mosquito. Add to that, Walt Disney World sits on reclaimed swampland. So, why are we not getting bitten to death by these buggers?

I was surprised to learn the first time I traveled to Walt Disney World as a kid that none of the copious amount of bug spray we had packed ended up being used (the sunscreen was another story), and at this point, I am so confident in the lack of bugs at Walt Disney World that I tell others packing bug spray is a waste unless they plan to leave property.

So... how do they do it?

It all started at the World's Fair

1964, New York World's Fair. Walt Disney is showcasing a concept for a Carousel of Progress, and considering his plans for opening a second theme park in Florida, quite the different climate from Disneyland in California. But that's not the only thing he's doing. He's also mingling, and meeting other great minds like Retired Army Major General Joe Potter.

What's special about Joe is that he led some of the work on the Panama Canal. He's familiar with a tropical climate and the illnesses born by pests like mosquitoes, which include West Nile virus, and malaria. In fact, the area of the Panama Canal was rife with malaria bearing mosquitoes, so in order to realize any success at all, Joe Potter had to find a way to manage the pests. After chatting a brief time with Joe, Walt hired him immediately to help with the Florida project.

Image credit: Allears.net

Ripples in Water

It's much easier to prevent mosquito larvae than it is to kill existing adult mosquitos. Mosquitos prefer to lay their eggs in stagnant water, so the first order of business was to remove areas of standing water - no small order in a former swamp. Outside the parks, this meant a vast system of drainage ditches that would allow the water to flow away from areas where it might stand. These came to be affectionately called "Joe's ditches".

Inside the parks, this means water is always on the move. Look for fountains or flow in many areas where you see water. All of this makes it difficult for mosquitos to even lay eggs in Disney property.

Side tip: You can employ this mitigation factor easily in your own backyard if you have an area of standing water by purchasing a solar powered water-recycling fountain head.

As far as what's in the water, this becomes even more interesting. Just in case there is an area of water that isn't moving enough to prevent mosquitos, water around Walt Disney World is stocked with mosquito larvae eating fish like goldfish and minnows.

Landscaping and Design Choices

Many buildings at Walt Disney world are designed to prevent water pooling around the foundations as well. This is part of why you get so many interesting shapes, especially in the theme parks, like curved edges that allow water to flow easily around any corners and away.

Plants seen around Walt Disney World were also carefully chosen to have leaves that water rolls off of rather than pools in. Some plants are also naturally bug repelling.

How Better to Repel Blood Sucking Beasts?

At this point, you might be realizing exactly how much of Walt Disney World is very meticulously planned. We've talked about it before when talking about trash and how Walt Disney World places a trash can no further than 20 paces from another trash can so that guests have no excuse to litter and never have to hang onto trash for long. Now, you are beginning to realize the planning that has gone into every body of water and every plant growing on property. This is what I absolutely adore about Walt Disney World. Nothing about it is accidental.

But of course, the planning can take you only so far. It's Florida, it's a swamp, and mosquito prevention needed one last oomph. I had always thought as a kid that last little bit was exorbitant use of pesticides. I assumed that was so until very recently, and even wondered to myself how could Disney World proclaim to love animals so much and love our environment so much and yet obviously use some sort of pesticide to repel bugs. The love bugs that show up in the spring should have been my first sign that I was wrong.

That extra little piece of magic is not actually pesticides at all. In fact, Walt was apparently adamant about pesticides NOT being used in his parks. But mosquitos, like other blood suckers of myth, hate garlic. So instead of pesticides, Walt Disney World uses garlic spray. It is apparently sprayed in all the parks at levels just under the detection of humans but enough to repel any surviving mosquitos.

Where mosquitos can't be repelled, then they are attracted. Mosquitos are drawn to living things because of the carbon dioxide we breath out. This is how they know there is a meal close by. So at Walt Disney World, they use the same attraction to draw mosquitos away from living things, including us, with carbon dioxide traps.

Don't Forget the Sentinel Chickens

To be fair, "sentinel chickens" might be a phrase coined by the viral TikTok, but the chickens themselves were around much longer. Like a canary in a coal mine, which was the first to detect lethal carbon monoxide and protect miners, there are chickens around Walt Disney World property that are monitored for mosquito borne illnesses. Unlike the canary, who dies of carbon monoxide, chickens are not affected by the illnesses that affect humans. So the chicken survives, but the monitoring can detect things like Zika or West Nile.

When this is detected, Disney employees know exactly what part of the large property the disease bearing insects are in, and will employ additional mitigation factors, which usually rely on warnings to guests and the placement of free bug repellant dispensers (a lot like your Purell dispensers we currently see around property). The last such time this happened was in 2016 when the Zika virus was a concern.

Photo credit: WDWNT.com

---

General Joe Potter died in 1988, but like many who shaped Walt Disney World to be what it is today, you will find him remembered. His name glides across the most iconic body of water on property several times a day, on the side of a ferry from the TTC to the Magic Kingdom. So next time you return from your Disney vacation untouched by mosquitos, you know the innovation of Joe Potter and the foresight Walt Disney.

Tell us what you think! Follow our page on Facebook, where you will be alerted when a new blog drops each week. Until next time...