Your yard is full of mosquito motels after rain

After heavy rain, the easiest way to eliminate mosquito breeding sites is to dump standing water from anything that can hold it for more than three or four days.

Mosquitoes need stagnant water to lay eggs. The most common offenders are things you probably don’t think about: plant saucers, clogged gutters, kids’ toys, tarps that sag, even bottle caps. Walk your yard after a storm and flip anything that collects water. If it holds water for a week, you’re raising mosquitoes.

For things you can’t dump—like bird baths, rain barrels, or ornamental ponds—either change the water weekly or drop in a Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti) dunk. It’s a bacteria that kills larvae but is safe for pets and plants. Lasts about 30 days.

And don’t forget your gutters. Leaves and debris create little pools that are perfect mosquito factories. Clean them out if you can, or at least check for standing water after a heavy storm.

This is one of those things where a twenty-minute walk saves you a summer of itching.