Are there mosquitoes in Bonaire? A few, mostly at sundown.
The dive island is arid and windy, and dengue has been low in 2026. Recent years show cases can climb early in the year, so repellent before dinner and a daytime habit after rain cover a winter trip.
Yes, but usually not many. Bonaire is arid and windy, and on most days the trade wind keeps mosquitoes and no-see-ums scarce, so most visitors notice them only around sundown and after rain. Dengue is endemic on the island and has been low in 2026, and there is no malaria.
Dengue: quiet this year, busier before
The CDC's Bonaire page lists dengue, and the island's recent record shows it can climb in the months Americans visit. In the first quarter of 2024, 179 confirmed cases were reported to the Public Health Department, according to the government's quarterly update. In February 2025 it reported rising cases again, mainly dengue type 3, with several adults and children in the hospital.
This year has been calmer. The Dutch travel-health center LCR reported only low or sporadic dengue on Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao through early August, and the island's public health service said reports of infectious disease stayed relatively low from April to June. There is no CDC travel notice. The mosquito behind dengue bites in daylight, with peaks after sunrise and in the late afternoon, so after rain, wear repellent through the day as well as at dinner. Our dengue & Zika routine has the full schedule.
Sundown, dinner and the late shore dive
Most of Bonaire's biting happens around sundown in sheltered, planted spots: open-air restaurants, dim terraces and under the table at dinner. The breezy shoreline and beaches are usually fine, and so is the daytime diving the island is known for. Some of those bites come from no-see-ums, tiny midges that bite low at dawn and dusk and stay grounded in a steady breeze. Our Barbados sand fly guide explains their schedule.
If you shore-dive in the late afternoon, the bites come after the dive, while you kit down at the water's edge as the light goes and at the waterfront dinner in Kralendijk that follows. Keep repellent in the dive bag, put it on your ankles, calves and neck once you're out of the water and dry, and spray again before you sit down to eat. Back at your room, keep doors closed and screens shut in the evening.
Rain is the other trigger. December and January can still bring showers, and mosquitoes follow for a few days. February to April is usually dry and windy, with few bugs.
Where you're going
Here is how the main areas compare for a December–April trip.
Kralendijk & the cruise port
A daytime port call carries little exposure. The waterfront open-air restaurants at dusk are where visitors tend to get bitten, so spray your ankles before you sit down.
West-coast dive resorts & shore sites
The diving itself happens in daylight and rarely draws bites. Expect them at dinner on dim, planted terraces, after rain, and when you kit down after a late shore dive.
Lac Bay & Sorobon
The windsurfing bay on the windy east coast, edged with mangroves. A steady breeze tends to keep biting insects down; bring repellent if you stay for sunset.
Visiting more than one of the ABC islands? The pattern is close to the same on all three. Our Curaçao and Aruba briefings cover the neighbors.
What travelers report
Paraphrased from forum threads and linked so you can read them in full. None is dated, and rain and wind change the picture from one trip to the next.
- Bonaire (general; mangroves) · November
Posters said bug levels in November vary with that year's rainfall. One had kayaked the mangroves without any bugs and noted that salt marshes generally don't support mosquito breeding. TripAdvisor ↗
- Bonaire restaurants and shoreline · evening
Posters said breezy shoreline areas and beaches are usually fine, while open-air restaurants, dim planted spots and the space under tables can be trouble. TripAdvisor ↗
- Bonaire (general) · February
For a February trip, posters said most biting insects come out around sundown and are more numerous after rain, and advised repellent and screens. TripAdvisor ↗
The Bonaire kit
- Picaridin 20% travel sprays: odorless, layers over sunscreen and easy to aim at ankles and calves after a dive or before dinner. One 3.4 oz bottle covers about a week of daily use for one person.
- A full-size backup in the checked bag for a two-week dive trip or a group sharing a bottle.
- Light long pants or socks for open-air dinners. No-see-ums go for the skin you leave out at ankle level.
Two last notes. The CDC lists Zika for Bonaire, so if you're pregnant, review the CDC's Zika guidance with a healthcare provider before you go. And any fever during or after your trip means a doctor visit, and you tell them you were in Bonaire.
Traveler questions
Is there dengue in Bonaire right now?
Activity has been low in 2026. The Dutch travel-health center LCR reported only low or sporadic dengue on Bonaire through early August, and there is no CDC travel notice. Dengue is endemic, though. The island had 179 confirmed cases in the first quarter of 2024 and reported another rise in February 2025. Wear repellent before dinner, and in the daytime too after rain.
Will mosquitoes bother me while diving?
Rarely during the dive itself, which happens in daylight. Bites come around sundown, at dinner on dim, planted terraces, and after rain. If you shore-dive late in the day, put repellent on your lower legs and neck once you're out of the water and dry.
Is Bonaire buggier than Curaçao or Aruba?
About the same. All three islands are dry and windy, and LCR's 2026 report grouped them together as low or sporadic for dengue. On each, the usual complaint is bites at dawn and dusk in still, sheltered spots, with more insects after rain.
Do I need malaria pills or a yellow fever vaccine for Bonaire?
The CDC lists no malaria transmission in Bonaire and recommends no malaria medicine for it. A yellow fever vaccine is not recommended and isn't required when you fly from the US. Bonaire does require proof of vaccination from travelers aged 9 months or older arriving from a country with yellow fever risk, including layovers of more than 12 hours there.
Sources
Health authorities, surveillance reports and news coverage of official bulletins used for this briefing, last checked October 2026. Traveler reports are linked where they appear. This page summarizes public-health guidance and is not medical advice.