Are there mosquitoes in St. Barts? Some, and dengue stayed calm all last winter.

Some. St. Barts has Aedes aegypti, the day-biting mosquito that spreads dengue, and since October 2024 the Asian tiger mosquito too, but French health authorities have rated dengue on the island calm since May 2026 and through the whole 2025–26 winter. Bites tend to be light on breezy beaches and hillsides and heavier in sheltered spots near town and around villa gardens in the late afternoon.

Calm dengue, and a new mosquito

Santé publique France, the French national public health agency, covers St. Barts in its Antilles dengue bulletins. Every bulletin from October 2025 to September 2026 called the island calm, including through the winter, when Martinique had a rise on its south coast. The September 10, 2026 bulletin found no confirmed case in the previous four weeks and kept St. Barts in phase 1, the sporadic-case level of the French dengue plan. There's no CDC travel notice, St. Barts isn't on the CDC's global dengue list, and no chikungunya was reported in 2025 or 2026.

The newer story is the Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus, identified on St. Barts for the first time in October 2024. Like Aedes aegypti, it bites in the daytime and can spread dengue and chikungunya. After the find, Santé publique France reinforced surveillance and noted 14 clinically suspected dengue cases from early November to early December 2024, against 3 in October. That was the last rise it flagged on the island. Calm can change, so look at the agency's latest Antilles bulletin before a winter trip.

Late afternoon, town and the villa garden

St. Barts tends to be light on bites, with mosquitoes worse in town and near standing water and less of a problem on breezy beaches and high hillside villas. The Saint-Jean shopping area has a reputation for mosquitoes from about 4 to 6 p.m., and bites tend to pick up after rain and when the wind drops. Villa experiences vary from one property to the next, even on the hillsides. No-see-ums rarely come up.

The dengue mosquito breeds in small pools of standing water and bites in daylight, with peaks after sunrise and in the late afternoon. Put repellent on over sunscreen in the morning, again after the pool and again before the late-afternoon stretch on the terrace or in town. On a villa stay, ask the manager about screens, air conditioning and spraying before you arrive, and tip out water collecting in plant saucers or buckets around the garden. Our dengue & Zika routine has the full schedule, and our guide to how long repellent lasts covers reapplying after a swim. If you hike through brush, check for ticks afterward, since the CDC lists African tick-bite fever for the island.

Where you're going

Here is how the main areas compare for a December–April trip.

Flying in through St. Maarten? Our St. Maarten briefing covers both sides of that island, from Philipsburg to Grand Case.

Two last notes. The CDC lists Zika for St. Barts, 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 St. Barts. Dengue usually shows up within two weeks of the bite.

Traveler questions