Banning Guests That Bite or Buzz Earlier this month, the raspberry bushes on our property exploded with berries, thanks to the season's big rains. Unfortunately, the backyard puddles that had harbored bug larvae exploded with life, too, so our berry harvest exacted a high price in mosquito bites. I've never much feared West Nile virus or even Lyme disease, despite our location in deer-thick Connecticut woods not far from Lyme. But with mosquitoes stalking the berry pickers, and with ticks infecting three friends recently with Lyme disease, it seemed a good time to make my yard less bug-friendly. I asked several entomologists for tips, including Dr. Roxanne Connelly, president of the American Mosquito Control Association; Lee Mitchell, the Toledo (Ohio) Area Sanitary District's staff biologist; Ary Farajollahi, superintendent of the Mercer County (N.J.) Mosquito Control department; and Dr. Kirby Stafford, a deer-tick specialist with the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station. Their counsel: Forget the shotgun strategy of checking your gutters or birdbaths for stagnant water. Fighting the newer mosquito breeds is a small-bore affair (read: labor-intensive) that leaves no bottle cap unturned. To control ticks, meanwhile, think about strategic landscaping and pay closer attention to mice, not deer. Research on West Nile virus and Lyme disease suggests that mosquitoes are less a health threat than ticks in the United States, but with this year's record rains, mosquitoes have become an extreme nuisance for many. "I may not get 60 service requests in a week during a peak year," Mr. Farajollahi said. Right now I'm averaging 60 per day. Part of the problem is the spread of the Asian tiger mosquito over the last decade in particular. "Unlike endemic mosquitoes, this one thrives in container habitats," he said. Small buckets, bottle caps. Tires are notorious. It's really changed the dynamics of mosquito control. Asian tigers have black-and-white patterned bodies and legs, and they are roughly a quarter-inch long. Females feed around the clock, and they bite animals and humans. As with any mosquito, it pays to hunt them before they can fly. In addition to keeping gutters free of clogs, Ms. Connelly said, homeowners should scan their property weekly, looking for the smallest rainwater collections. "You have to think beyond cups and bowls and pet dishes," she said. Think about cryptic habitats, like the little saucer beneath a plant. Dump that water, she said. If you own rain barrels or other catchment systems, or if you live near sewer drains with stagnant water, Ms. Connelly suggested using larvicide. Products like Mosquito Dunks, which are made from granules packed into doughnut shapes, kill larvae with bacteria that are harmless to humans and animals. Following her advice, two weeks ago I spent an hour inspecting my yard, and discovered that my property had become a major mosquito hatchery. Rain (and larvae) had filled two wheelbarrows, an empty garbage can, crevices in the tarp covering our woodpile and the seat of a toy car behind our shed. I dumped them all, sprayed the remnants with DEET-based repellent, then dropped a Mosquito Dunk into the sewer basin near my mailbox. While walking the dogs, I also snooped for obvious mosquito farms on neighbors" properties, and found none. Next, I turned my attention to ticks. Mr. Stafford, the deer-tick specialist, said deer-proof fencing helps, since female ticks feed on deer before laying eggs. But mice often transmit Lyme disease to ticks in the first place, he said, so he suggested cleaning leaves and brush from woodpiles, stone walls and other areas that he deemed "mouse hotels," to make such places less inviting. "Clean up the yard to reduce coverage, and have the landscaping a little more manicured right near the house," he said. He also said homeowners should place children's play sets on the lawn instead of in the woods, and that any pathways in the woods should be widened generously to minimize the chance that a tick might latch on as you walk by. I followed his advice, including his suggestion to put my clothes in the dryer for an hour immediately after yard work, even if I didn't have time to clean them. "Ticks can survive the wash, but not the dryer," he said. Knowing that my yard would always host at least some ticks and mosquitoes, I turned my attention to repellents.