Are there mosquitoes on Maui? Few at the resorts, plenty on the Road to Hana.

Yes, but the resort coasts see few. Kaanapali, Kapalua, Wailea and Kihei sit on Maui's dry leeward side, where the bites mostly come after dark on a lanai or pool deck, while Hana and the wet rainforest along the road to it are tiger-mosquito country. No vaccine or medicine is needed, and our Hawaii briefing covers the other islands.

Hana and the 2001–02 outbreak

Hawaii's 2001–02 dengue outbreak centered on Maui. Of 122 laboratory-positive locally acquired infections, 92 were on Maui, and 80 were in people who stayed in the Hana area, home to under 2% of the island's residents, a 2005 study in Emerging Infectious Diseases found. All 7 visitors who caught dengue had stayed at rental properties around Hana. The virus probably arrived with a group of more than 30 Hana residents who had visited Tahiti that spring. Only the Asian tiger mosquito was involved, and surveys found it in every community checked on Maui, Oahu, Molokai and Kauai.

There has been no local dengue on Maui since. Today the state health department sees dengue only in travelers who caught it elsewhere. Maui has a few of those cases a year, and in late October 2026 the department confirmed another one on the island, according to press reports.

The tiger mosquito bites by day, with peaks in the morning and late afternoon, so the dengue habit and the Road to Hana habit are the same one. Repellent goes on before you get out of the car. If you arrive from a Pacific island with dengue, or a fever starts during or after your trip, see a doctor and say where you've been. Our dengue routine has the daily schedule.

Dry resorts, wet valleys

West and South Maui are the dry leeward side. Visitors on Maui travel forums tend to report few or no mosquitoes around Kaanapali, Kapalua, Wailea, Makena and Kihei. The bites they do mention come after dark, sitting by the pool in the evening, on the lanai once the sun drops or waiting outside at Kahului airport for a late flight. That timing fits Culex, the night-biting southern house mosquito. The 2001–02 field surveys back the pattern. The drier leeward areas had low landing rates, while in Nahiku, a wooded community near Hana, tiger mosquitoes landed at 70 to 90 per person in 5 minutes.

The buggy places are wet and shaded. Hana and the waterfall stops on the Road to Hana have a reputation as Maui's worst, and Iao Valley, Haiku, the upcountry gardens and Twin Falls tend to bite too. Cover your legs on muddy trails and reapply after a swim. Skip streams and waterfall pools if you have cuts or scrapes, since state health advice, as reported in local media, warns of leptospirosis in fresh water.

Haleakala is the easy one. Research on Hawaii Island found Culex mosquitoes fall off sharply above about 4,900 feet (1,500 m), and the summit stands at 10,023 feet (3,055 m). Bring warm layers for sunrise, and leave the bug spray in the car.

The resorts stay light in any month. The wetter months, roughly November to March, tend to bring more mosquitoes to Hana, the Road to Hana and Iao, and on Hawaii Island Aedes numbers tend to jump after the wet season or heavy rain. Dengue imports track outbreaks elsewhere in the Pacific and turn up in any month.

Where you're going

How the main stops compare, in any month.

Going on to the Big Island? Our Big Island briefing covers Kona, South Kona and Hawaii's 2015–16 outbreak.

What travelers report

Paraphrased from a TripAdvisor thread and linked so you can read it in full. It isn't dated, and rain and shade change the picture on the Hana side from one day to the next.

• Hana, Maui

  In a thread asking about 'ravenous' Hana mosquitoes, posters called Hana the buggiest part of Maui and advised bringing repellent, especially for hikes. TripAdvisor ↗

One rule outlasts the trip. Any fever during or after your trip means a doctor visit, and you tell them you were on Maui, and anywhere else you went.

Traveler questions