Q: I have an idea to control mosquitoes. Why not leave a few pans of water in the yard to attract egg-laying female mosquitoes, then dump them out every few days to kill the larvae?

A: I like your creativity but I doubt it would work. A female mosquito lays several “clutches” of eggs during her life span. Some species deposit eggs directly in water but others lay eggs on damp soil that will be flooded. The mosquito goes looking for another blood meal  after each egg-laying session.

Pans of water are no more attractive than a few tablespoons of water in a discarded soft drink can or a cupped magnolia leaf. You’d have to make your yard completely dry after each rain in order to get much control.

If just a couple of blood-suckers hatch from a place you  miss or drift over from your neighbor’s poorly-drained gutter, they might make you miserable while avoiding your pans and buckets entirely.

My advice? Stick with mosquito repellents and skip the bucket brigade.