Absolutely Genius Reason Why There Are No Mosquitoes at Disney World

Florida has more species of mosquitos than any other state! Still, stepping foot in Walt Disney World, you’ll barely see any. There’s no barrier preventing them from coming in. People who made the park what it is today planned it out very well. Disney World sits on top of a swamp. That’s why getting rid of these pests wasn’t going to be an easy task, mostly because mosquitos love stillwater. So, the first job they had was draining the swamps. Then, they got rid of wetland and made room for drier pieces of land they could build on. It was a tough task getting rid of every single bit of water. So they found another solution for the water that was left. They made all of it flow in one or another direction.

If you visit Disney World, pay close attention and try to find bits of still water. You won’t. Even small ponds of water will be flowing — although they’re more likely to be fountains. Every single building in the park was made so that water flows right off them when it rains to avoid pools of still water. Plants were part of the plan too. There are no water lilies inside Disney World because mosquitos like them way too much. They spray it against bugs tactfully, twice a day — around sunrise and sunset. They know where and when to spray it to get to the mosquitos. There are around 60 of these spray traps across the whole area. They attract mosquitos with carbon dioxide, and the insects follow it as if it were a secret scent. The spray Disney World uses is natural liquid garlic.

To keep visitors even safer, there are chickens secretly spread around Disney World. They’re there so staff can know if the mosquitos carry anything dangerous. They often test the chickens to make sure it’s safe. Disney’s water looks dirty on purpose. Underneath are the things that make up the magic. Things like the robots that go up and down, or even boat tracks. Nobody is driving the boats; they’re simply on a path. It also helps disguise the fact that the waters are super shallow, about 5 feet deep. But when they look like this, it gives the sensation that they’re way deeper. There are smellitizers around the park. They spray scents that often match their surroundings and immerse you even more in this magic world. That fresh cookie smell might not actually be cookies, and you feel like having one.

Underneath the park, there are tunnels named utilidors or utility corridors. Once, Walt Disney saw a staff member going from Frontierland to Tomorrowland. Guests aren’t supposed to see it, because it ruins the immersion for them. That’s why they built underground tunnels. There are rehearsal rooms, cafeterias, storages and the like inside them. They also let staff members move from one land to another without much effort and unnoticed. The park so big you might need a golf cart to go from one end to another. There’s almost no gum on the floor! That’s because you can’t buy it anywhere. You can bring your own, though. And if there ever is gum on the floor, the staff is very quick at cleaning it up.

In Disney World, the things that they don’t want you to notice are painted green. This green has a name too; it’s “go away green.” It makes sense, and it usually works. Everyone will notice Tinkerbell, though. But before she can come out, she needs assistance from other staff, or she might get stuck halfway through her flight. They say you need a hefty body for this job as the costume with the wings weighs a lot. The only hotel room inside the park is in Cinderella Castle. But it’s not for everyone; you’d have to get an invitation or win a contest to stay there for a night. This castle is like a fortress! It withstands almost anything nature throws at it because its shell is made out of fiberglass. It can withstand winds of 125 miles per hour! During the holiday seasons, when the castle is lit up, all of its lights use about the same amount of energy your average dryer does.

There are lightning rods spread around the park. Some of them are flag poles too, holding flags, which aren’t in fact real! They’re all missing an element or two, usually a flag or a stripe, so that they can be hoisted 24/7. Otherwise, they’d have to follow the national flag code. There’s one real official flag there, though, at the front of Main Street. They have to retreat it daily. The base of this flag’s flagpole used to be on one street in Los Angeles. You’ll never meet two of the same characters in the park. There’s only one of each at certain times. They carry schedules for attractions and character showings. If you ever need to know where your favorite character is, just ask! Back in 1971, a ticket was $3.50, but you had to pay for each attraction you went to. Ten thousand people visited Disney World when it opened on October 1st. The park’s layout was pretty much the same, just smaller. For example, Adventureland only had three attractions: Jungle Cruise, Swiss Family Tree House, and Tropical Serenade.

There are a lot of cats inside the park. They have a job, too — to keep the mice at bay. In the queue for Haunted Mansion, there’s a ring stuck to the pavement! It’s hidden right after two trash cans. They say the mansion’s attic bride threw it off the balcony. In fact, it’s a leftover from an old gate. If the waiting time is showing 13 minutes, go ahead and get in line. This is a code that means that there’s no waiting time at all. The actual ride times are wrong. You’ll be pleased when the timer says 20 minutes, but you end up getting to the ride in just 10. This is a strategy to keep guests happy. Sometimes it goes wrong, and you end up waiting for an hour looking at the clock when you thought you’d only be there for half that time. The buildings in Disney World look taller and larger than they actually are. They use forced perspective for houses and castles in the entire park.

The first floor is built to scale, but the second floor of the building façade is only about 5/8 the size of the first floor! If there’s a third floor, it’s half the size of the first one. They also use smaller bricks and windows towards the top of the castles. Club 33 is an exclusive club in Disney World. Only its members and guests can get into it. There’re four more exclusive lounges of it around the park. The Epcot model shows you what Walt Disney wanted this city to be. It was supposed to be a city that would forever be a living blueprint of the future. Residents of Epcot wouldn’t need cars. They’d travel by monorail and with the people mover. In the central hub of the city, there would be a fancy hotel and a 30-story convention center!

The weather would always be nice because the whole Epcot city would be inside a climate-controlled bubble. A special disposal system would instantly take any trash underground and process it. Inventions could come to life here, and people would get to know about oceans, technology, energy, communication, the vastness of space, and even more! Some of the ideas Walt had were later used as inspiration to make the park. There’re hidden Mickies all around the park. One of them is just before the biggest drop in Splash Mountain. If you pay close attention, you’ll see his profile and nose sticking out. The Magic Kingdom at Disney World is built on the second floor of the park, right above the utility corridors. But it’s such a gradual incline you probably won’t even notice it. You’ll need to take either the ferry or the monorail across the Seven Seas Lagoon to get there.