How Disney World got rid of mosquitoes involves an integrated, multi-layered approach that Walt Disney learned from military and that is now legendary in pest control, combining engineering, biological control, and daily operations, rather than single spray. When building Disney World in Florida in 1970s, which is swampy area with heavy mosquitoes, Disney hired General Joe Potter, who had overseen mosquito control in Panama Canal, and implemented comprehensive program. First, Disney World eliminated standing water through smart landscape design, with all buildings designed to prevent water collection, gutters and ditches engineered to flow, and no standing water allowed, as mosquitoes breed in standing water. Second, they use larvicides like Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis, or Bti, in any water that cannot be drained, which kills larvae but safe for people. Third, they stock ponds and water features with mosquito-eating fish like gambusia that eat larvae. Fourth, they maintain bat houses and purple martin houses, as bats and birds eat thousands of mosquitoes nightly. Fifth, they spray with EPA-registered adulticides only as needed in early morning, using ultra-low volume foggers, and they avoid spraying when guests present. Sixth, they use garlic spray, which repels mosquitoes naturally. This integrated approach means Disney World has very few mosquitoes despite being in Florida swamp, though not zero, and they monitor with traps daily, making it model for integrated pest management.
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