RICHMOND, VA— Crews in Richmond are working to prevent the West Nile virus from popping up in your community.
Richmond City crews are treating storm water drains for West Nile Virus.
The City of Richmond has not had any cases of the virus in the past, and it's hoping treatment will prevent any future cases.
“We work in conjunction with the Health Department, monitoring the entire region to make sure we know when West Nile Virus is occurring,” said Angela Fountain with the Richmond Dept. of Public Utilities.
Crews went into every neighborhood and park in the city, spraying into at least 110 drains a day.
Crews stop at the drains and place a long-handled white cup inside, removing a portion of water so they can check to see if there's a mosquito larva.
Some of the treated drains had at least nine quick moving larvae in the cup, but the chemical spray will prevent the larva from hatching.
Crews will treat the drains every 30 days, until the end of October.
Meanwhile, the City wants residents to know there are things they can do to help prevent the West Nile Virus.
“Mosquitoes can breed in up to a teaspoon of water, so it's really important that after the rain residents go out and they survey their yards and make sure they pour out any water that has pooled,” said Fountain.
Copyright 2013 by Young Broadcasting of Richmond