Recent rain and humidity is fueling the mosquito population across the Valley, and Maricopa County’s Vector Control Department expects it to continue. 

Every week, Vector Control sets up traps around the Valley to monitor the number of mosquitoes in an area and fog overnight to exterminate them. The monsoon season has created a breeding ground for mosquitoes, increasing the chance of being bitten. 

Johnny Dilone with the Maricopa County Environmental Services. 

“We have a year round program where every week we deploy over 800 mosquito traps to areas that we know are problem areas in terms of mosquito breeding and then we bring those traps to the lab  and we test them and see what we find," Dilone said. 

On Wednesday, Dilone says 171 traps tested positive for the West Nile virus, the leading mosquito-borne disease in the US. He encourages the public to remove stagnant water on their properties where mosquitoes breed.

More information about mosquito prevention can be found here.