How bad are the mosquitoes and other bugs and insects in Ambergris Caye?

The bugs and mosquitoes in Ambergris Caye can be very dreadful. If you are someone who is prone to being bitten by bugs, you have to make sure that you are dressed properly and make sure that you wear a bug repellant.
 
When we first got here, my daughter used to get bitten badly and because she was young, she used to itch those bites and literally, her legs and arms looked like a dot-to-dot. Now, five years later, we do not get bitten. We didn’t know the...

The bugs and mosquitoes in Ambergris Caye can be very dreadful. If you are someone who is prone to being bitten by bugs, you have to make sure that you are dressed properly and make sure that you wear a bug repellant.
 
When we first got here, my daughter used to get bitten badly and because she was young, she used to itch those bites and literally, her legs and arms looked like a dot-to-dot. Now, five years later, we do not get bitten. We didn’t know the tricks of the trade back then, either. Now, we use fresh coconut oil that we buy here on the island, which costs US $7 a liter and it lasts for months. I use it for my skin, but it is also a natural antiseptic to sooth any bites. It deters the mosquitoes from biting you because of the oily consistency doesn’t allow them to get on you.
 
We have several rains towards the end of October, so with the heat and the rain, the bugs come in. We also sometimes use coils and bug spray and there are some natural bug repellant that you can use. I just use Off (insect repellant lotion). If you are consistent in applying repellant and wearing light, long clothes, you can avoid being bitten. It is not something that is a deal breaker. You just have to be conscious of it and look after yourself.

How bad the mosquitoes and other bugs in Ambergris Caye are depends on the time of day. There are two segments of biters here in Ambergris Caye. You have the mosquitoes and the no-see-ums. But one thing nice is that there is constant breeze on the island and with that constant breeze, those little bugs get blown away quite a bit.

 

The sand flies show up right around happy hour, which is between 4 PM and 6 PM. The mosquitoes tend to come out a little bit...

How bad the mosquitoes and other bugs in Ambergris Caye are depends on the time of day. There are two segments of biters here in Ambergris Caye. You have the mosquitoes and the no-see-ums. But one thing nice is that there is constant breeze on the island and with that constant breeze, those little bugs get blown away quite a bit.

 

The sand flies show up right around happy hour, which is between 4 PM and 6 PM. The mosquitoes tend to come out a little bit after sunset until the morning. If you are in the lagoon side of the island or in areas where the mangroves are thicker, the mosquitoes are thicker, too. If you are on the beach front, you will see sand flies but there are other areas of the world and in the country of Belize where the mosquitoes and insects are far worse than here on the island. Relative to bugs, if you’ve been to Florida, you’ve been to Belize. It’s about the same or probably a little bit less on the island than in Florida because of the breeze we have here.

 

There are lots of tricks to get rid of those bugs. Lots of people put coconut oil or soda water on their ankles, which are probably the two best tips to protect your ankles during happy hour. There are widespread debates over what is the best technique for keeping sand flies off your ankles. The locals tend to believe in coconut oil and soda water, which are the two more natural repellents.

 

I use soda water and I use coconut oil and I tend to go to the bar at 7 PM versus at 5 PM or 6 PM. You just have to be aware, because if your ankles are exposed around that period and there is no breeze then you are going to feel it. But the island is no different than the mainland. Anywhere there is sand or anywhere there is water, you are going to have sandflies, but when you use coconut oil, soda water, or Deet, it is not really a problem.

 

Those insects like to bite certain people. Some people aren’t affected by them at all and other people are like hors’d’oeuvres for the little guys.

 

(Siphon soda water dispenser, pictured.)

AI have not seen any other insects on Ambergris Caye except for mosquitoes. I would definitely recommend bringing bug spray if you are going to Ambergris Caye. Mosquitoes come out between 6 PM and 8 PM. After 8 PM, the mosquitoes go away because that is when the bats come out. But between 6 PM and 8 PM, you would get bitten if you don’t have any bug spray on.

 

I don’t usually wear bug spray and mosquitoes do bite me but it’s not...

AI have not seen any other insects on Ambergris Caye except for mosquitoes. I would definitely recommend bringing bug spray if you are going to Ambergris Caye. Mosquitoes come out between 6 PM and 8 PM. After 8 PM, the mosquitoes go away because that is when the bats come out. But between 6 PM and 8 PM, you would get bitten if you don’t have any bug spray on.

 

I don’t usually wear bug spray and mosquitoes do bite me but it’s not really that awful. The bites go away the next morning and they don’t itch all that much.

 

The level of mosquitoes on Ambergris Caye is probably about the same as in New Orleans, or in New York at night. It’s the same wherever warm place you go. It doesn’t get any better or any worse.  

 

(Pictured: Exotic Caye Beach Resort, Ambergris Caye, Belize.)

Some months ago there were so many mosquitoes, more than I had ever seen and they were relentless. People who lived on the island for years said it was unusual and had something to do with the winds. While that was unusual, what is typical is that there are hardly any mosquitoes during the day, but a few out just after sun set for an hour or so and then they are gone. They mosquitoes also tend to be more prevalent in the rainy season.

Some months ago there were so many mosquitoes, more than I had ever seen and they were relentless. People who lived on the island for years said it was unusual and had something to do with the winds. While that was unusual, what is typical is that there are hardly any mosquitoes during the day, but a few out just after sun set for an hour or so and then they are gone. They mosquitoes also tend to be more prevalent in the rainy season.

As with any Caribbean tropical destination, mosquitoes and insects are always a concern here in Ambergris Caye. Mosquitoes and No-see-ums are a bit of an issue but one thing I always tell everybody is that there is a secret weapon to dealing with the bites-- use a hair dryer!

 

It sounds really ridiculous but what you do is you hold the hairdryer approximately 5 inches away from the bite and the hot air creates a convection heat effect that denatures the...

As with any Caribbean tropical destination, mosquitoes and insects are always a concern here in Ambergris Caye. Mosquitoes and No-see-ums are a bit of an issue but one thing I always tell everybody is that there is a secret weapon to dealing with the bites-- use a hair dryer!

 

It sounds really ridiculous but what you do is you hold the hairdryer approximately 5 inches away from the bite and the hot air creates a convection heat effect that denatures the proteins that cause the allergic reaction and basically stops the itch in its place. For me, bug bites used to be a major issue but ever since I started using the hair dryer, I don’t even care about bug bites anymore. You still get the same amount of bites but the itch is totally gone.  Some people are very allergic to insect bites. I am very allergic to them and now I don’t even care about them because I have a hair dryer.

 

I do tend to wear mosquito repellant during dusk. Dusk and dawn are the two worst times of the day to get mosquito or insect bites. If we have a lot of rain, mosquitoes multiply a bit more but the government on Ambergris Caye does a lot of different things in spraying for mosquitoes and people do as well in their properties and restaurants but mosquitoes are a fact of life pretty much everywhere you go in the Caribbean. It used to be so annoying for me that I just couldn’t take anymore until I discovered the hair dryer. One time I was showing a lot way up north, in a very desolate area, and I got around 150 mosquito bites. I just went home, blasted it with a hair dryer and I didn’t’ care anymore. 

 

I also hear different theories from people on how they get rid of mosquito bites such as putting a wet washcloth into the microwave or put a spoon in hot water but the problem with that is the degrading heat source, so you would never know exactly what temperature you are using on the bite, but with the hair dryer it is always the same temperature. I found out about the hair dryer from another expat who lives here and ever since that time, when someone tells me that they have mosquito bites or flea bites, I tell them to use a hair dryer and it takes care of the bite and the itch right away. 

 

(Early hair dryer, pictured.)