Tips For Dealing With Mosquitoes In The Dominican Republic And Punta Cana

If you visit the Dominican Republic you must take into account that due to certain climatic characteristics, it is a country where mosquitoes abound, especially in low coastal areas, and in any natural environment where there are stagnant water, the worst hours of the day in this regard are dusk and dawn.

In fact, in tourist areas such as hotels in Punta Cana, Bayahibe and other hotel areas in the country, this mosquito issue is quite controlled, as they carry out strict daily cleaning and fumigation measures, so it is very likely that you won’t have any problems.

Anyway, if you plan to leave the hotel, to an excursion or natural environment, it is a good idea to maintain certain measures of prevision to avoid being the target of bites of some mosquitoes.

Are there a lot of mosquitoes in the Dominican Republic and Punta Cana?

Although mosquitoes are abundant throughout the island, in tourist areas conditioned to receive people the chances of finding mosquitoes are almost zero.

Speaking from my personal experience, of all the hotels I have visited in Punta Cana, both as a visitor and as a worker (I am an architect, I visit Punta Cana frequently) I have never had problems with mosquitoes in the area.

Is Zika still a concern in the Dominican Republic?

Zika has become one of the common diseases transmitted by the Aedes Aegyptii mosquito such as Dengue, Chikungunya, although years ago there was a strong outbreak in the country, currently, no cases have been reported of Zika in the Dominican Republic.

This does not mean that it does not exist, only that there have not really been mentioned again outbreaks or cases of Zika, I know this because I currently live in the Dominican Republic and I have memories of the Zika pandemic years ago where there were constant reports.

In addition, I constantly read the health bulletins issued by the Dominican Republic several times every year where no outbreaks or cases of Zika have been reported.

Especially this issue is very controlled in the hotel zone of Punta Cana where strict fumigation routines are carried out constantly.

How to deal with mosquitoes in the Dominican Republic and Punta Cana?

You should be prepared for anything, especially if you want to go on outdoor excursions or visit the Dominican Republic on your own, mosquitoes can be a nuisance when visiting some places or nature reserves with large areas of water.

Besides mosquitoes, there are other insects called “Jejen” in the Dominican Republic, the bite of these insects is even more annoying than that of mosquitoes, although these insects are not abundant.

The basic thing to deal with mosquitoes is to have a good repellent, ideally, you should buy it when you arrive in the Dominican Republic, it is very possible that you will not be allowed to bring repellent on the plane because it is a flammable spray.

The most effective repellent in the Dominican Republic is called OFF, you can get it in any store, even in the same hotels that sell it, they also sell some bracelets that supposedly do the function of repellent, but from my perspective that does not work.

I wrote a topic explaining the best repellents and insecticides available in the Dominican Republic.

Mosquitoes are attracted to sweet and strong smells, sweat and perfumes, so go on a hike and avoid using strong smelling colognes, perfumes or creams.

Also, mosquitoes are very attracted to dark colors, ideally, you should wear light-colored clothes, and if you want to be more secure, long sleeve clothes.

Use socks, I had a bad experience one day when I went to a natural reserve for a business meeting and I left with bare shoes without socks, the next day I noticed itching and several red bumps on both feet, due to the “jejenes” bites.

As for the rooms, mosquitoes like to be in a warm environment, I have never seen mosquitoes in rooms with the air conditioning on, also mosquitoes are less abundant in high rooms, such as the second or third level, anyway, remember that if your plan is to visit a hotel, you will not have problems with mosquitoes.

If you suddenly feel itchy and see some reddish swelling on your skin, it is very likely that it is due to a mosquito bite. In most cases, mosquitoes bite without you realizing it instantly, and the next day you may feel some redness in the affected area.

In the case of a bite, you can go to the nearest pharmacy that you have and to obtain cream of calamine, if you are allergic to bites, it would be a good idea to ask for advice of the pharmacist or your doctor before making the trip so that you come prepared in case of some possible mosquito bite.

I wrote an article on another website about the intelligence of mosquitoes, in case you are interested in knowing more about these annoying flying insects.

Which parts of the body do mosquitoes bite the most in the Dominican Republic?

This seems like a trivial question but in reality, there are parts of the body where mosquitoes bite the most and they are very uncomfortable bites because they are very sensitive parts where there are almost no layers of fat.

One of those parts where mosquitoes and gnats usually bite a lot is the neck, I say this from my own experience, mainly the back and side of the neck, use repellent in that part, a bite in the neck is super uncomfortable.

If you have a towel or scarf and you can put it around your neck in an environment where you feel that there are mosquitoes, much better, mosquitoes have a Dracula complex.

The other parts where mosquitoes usually bite a lot are the forearms, legs, and feet.