Do I need Mosquito repellent?

[felony]

Going to Tulum in 3 weeks *yay*. Do I need to bring repellent? Staying 3 nights at Posada Dos Ceibas and 2 nights at Copal.

[Gale in KY]

I would definitely take it. When I was there in Jan., we didn't use it at all when we were at the beach..but it was defintely buggier when we got away from the beach, and when I visited Coba, Muyil and the Monkey Reserve I was glad to have it. I have heard a few reports of Dengue in the residential areas around Playa..better safe than sorry.

[AdGuy]

Going to Tulum in 3 weeks *yay*. Do I need to bring repellent? Staying 3 nights at Posada Dos Ceibas and 2 nights at Copal.

My wife is Director of Infection Control at one of our area's larger hospitals. In this role, she gets to deal with all sorts of 'nasties' like malaria, AIDS, bird flu, SARS, anthrax and dengue. We joked when we were down in Tulum recently that we were completing our MD degree...malaria and dengue.

The mosquitos are bad in the morning and evening once you move off the coast. Our guide in the Sian Ka'an mentioned there were over 300 species of mosquitos found in the biosphere that totaled billions of bugs. We also noticed several dengue warning signs up in the pubelo...

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i317/FloridaAdGuy/December2006TulumPictureson16MB286.jpg

We wore insect repellent with a minimum of 25% DEET and still were bitten when in the Sian Ka'an, Muyil, Punta Laguna, and even on the beach. I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND protecting yourself.

[minniemex]

Yes!!!! You will need it at night for sure when dining out - I used the one with Autan - that worked well for me -

[felony]

Thanks for the info!! I'll definitely pick some up!:)

[Jessie James]

We just pick some up while we're there. We've woken up with a crap load of bites on our legs after kicking the net open in our sleep. We give the cabana and net a good spraying before we crash usually these days. The mosquitos are worst after a good rain.

[Anthony]

We stayed four nights at Azulik in Tulum (Nov 13-17th). We did not bring any insect repellent, and never had a problem with mosquito's or any other bug for that matter.

I'm sure the constant breeze at Azulik helped keep the mosquito's away, but we didn't get any bites while visiting the Tulum ruins, Hidden Worlds, or Xel-Ha either.

The only time I can even remember a mosquito was at the Copal restaurant for dinner one evening. I think I got bit once, and my wife maybe 3-4 times. We have more mosquito problems sitting on our front porch back here at home. :)

In any case, I think we were the exception. Most reports I see seem to indicate mosquito's are a big problem. I'd recommend bringing the insect repellent. If you don't need it, no harm done. If you do, you'll be glad you brought it! :)

Anthony

[dcap]

In June the only time we even saw Mosquito's was after a hard rain one afternoon at Tierra Del Sol. There had to be a new hatch waiting for the right moment to break out and seek a bloody Lunch. Before we could reach our car there were hundreds following us and on us. We got in shut the doors and still had to swat dozens. :eek: We brought repellent on the trip but by the time we realized they were that bad we just ran for the car. When we returned later and things had dried out, not a mosquito to be found. where did they go?