The Bahamas is low on disease risk. Out Island evenings still bite.

Most questions about Bahamas bugs start with disease, and that part has a short answer. Malaria on Great Exuma made the news in 2006 and 2008 and has not come back. Dengue arrives in occasional outbreak years, and the last one was in 2023. The travel forums are mostly about a different insect. It's a biting midge about a millimeter long, and it comes out along brushy beaches and mangrove edges when the wind drops. It explains most of the bite complaints from the Exumas and Eleuthera, and the weather decides how bad a given evening gets.

Great Exuma's malaria is history

There is no malaria transmission in the Bahamas today. The CDC Yellow Book lists none, and the CDC recommends no antimalarial medication for the country. The history behind the question is real and small. In May and June 2006, Great Exuma had an outbreak of 19 falciparum malaria cases, four of them in travelers. The CDC briefly advised prevention medicine for the island and withdrew that advice in September 2006. In March 2008 a German tourist caught malaria there, and the CDC reinstated its advice for a short time. In July 2022 the health ministry said local transmission had last happened more than ten years earlier.

Dengue comes in outbreak years

The health ministry said in 2023 that dengue is not endemic in the Bahamas. Local transmission comes in bursts instead, most recently in 2011 and 2023. Most 2023 cases were the DENV-3 type. By mid-September that year, Bahamian press reported 88 confirmed cases and one death, with about 80 of the cases on New Providence and six on Grand Bahama. The 2011 outbreak was much larger.

No outbreak has been reported in 2025 or 2026. The CDC's dengue risk map, updated in October 2026, still places the country in its "frequent or continuous" group. Across the Americas, PAHO reported in October 2026 that dengue was well below 2025 levels, and it expects cases to rise as El Niño develops. The sensible response is a daytime repellent habit.

The Aedes mosquito that spreads dengue lives around settlements and bites in daylight, with peaks after sunrise and in the late afternoon. Sunscreen goes on first and repellent on top, and a swim means reapplying. Our dengue & Zika daily routine has the full schedule.

The sand fly is a midge

Ask about bugs on Exuma or Eleuthera and you'll hear about sand flies, and sometimes sand fleas. Both names usually mean biting midges, the family Ceratopogonidae, which Americans call no-see-ums. True sand fleas are crustaceans, a different animal entirely.

No-see-ums live along beaches backed by brush or mangroves, and they bite low, mostly on the feet, ankles and calves. They're worst at dawn and dusk, on calm days and after rain. Porches and decks on still evenings are classic spots. The bite is easy to miss, and the welts show up hours later. They aren't a meaningful disease risk for a short trip, so the cost is itch. Our Barbados sand fly guide explains the insect in detail, and the same playbook works here.

Wind is the best repellent

No-see-ums are weak fliers, and a steady breeze keeps them grounded. That makes where you sit at sunset as important as what you spray. A few habits handle most evenings.

On still days, skip sitting on the sand or on unscreened porches at dusk and dawn. Indoors, run the fan or the air-conditioning. Midges can get through ordinary window screens, so an air-conditioned or well-screened room with the doors shut after dark is the reliable choice.

For your skin, any EPA-registered repellent works: picaridin 20%, DEET 20–30%, oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE) or PMD 30%, or IR3535. DEET and picaridin both deter midges, and our picaridin vs DEET comparison covers the trade-offs. Use it on exposed skin from late afternoon on, and all day on Out Island trips.

Where you're staying

Nassau, Paradise Island and the cruise lines' private islands are likely the milder end, and private-island visits usually end before dusk. The Out Islands, with quieter beaches and more brush behind them, bite more on calm evenings. Here is how the main areas compare for a winter trip.

About baby oil and Skin So Soft

Winter is the easier season

Mosquito and dengue pressure generally rises in the wet season, roughly June to November. The 2023 outbreak built through August and September, and a CDC review of 2024 dengue cases in US travelers found they peaked in July through September, mostly after Caribbean trips. December to April is drier and breezier, so mosquito numbers are lower and more evenings have enough wind to ground the midges.

It isn't bug-free. Midges and mosquitoes are around all year and still bite on calm evenings and after rain. Pack the same kit in January as you would in June.

What travelers report

Paraphrased from forum threads about the Out Islands, Nassau and cruise stops, linked so you can read them in full. Weather, wind and where you stay change the picture from one week to the next.

• Eleuthera · general / summer

  One poster said sand flies and mosquitoes tend to be worse in summer but depend on recent weather. Another said there is no season and they are around all year. TripAdvisor ↗

• Eleuthera / Exuma · general

  Posters said rainfall and breeze matter more than the time of year. In wind the midges can't land and so can't bite. Dusk and dawn are worst, and socks help because they are weak fliers. TripAdvisor ↗

• Paradise Island / New Providence · May and November

  A long-time visitor saw only two mosquitoes in 77 days spread over 12 trips in May and November. Another poster could not recall a single bite on New Providence. TripAdvisor ↗

• Bahamas (Sandals resort) · November-December

  A traveler asked whether repellent was needed for a November-December Sandals stay. Replies said tiny sand flies (no-see-ums) can bite at dusk on the beach, and one poster kept the bedroom window shut at night unless the ceiling fan was running. TripAdvisor ↗

• Nassau and Freeport (cruise stops) · February

  A cruiser said they had not run into mosquitoes on February visits but advised packing repellent anyway in case conditions change. Cruise Critic ↗

• Nassau (cruise stop)

  Cruisers who had been to Nassau said they saw no mosquitoes. Posters said beaches with any breeze tend to be bug-free and that jungle tours and still air are where mosquitoes show up. Cruise Critic ↗

Two habits outlast the trip. The CDC advises continuing to prevent mosquito bites for three weeks after you get home. And any fever in the weeks after you return means a doctor visit, and you tell them you were in the Bahamas.

Traveler questions