DAYTON, Ohio -- West Nile Virus is a concern in the Miami Valley. That’s why officials with Public Health of Dayton and Montgomery County urge people to do all they can to protect themselves from mosquitoes.

Four-year-old Elliana Trimbach has several mosquito bites from playing outside. Recently, one became infected and required antibiotics to heal.

Her mother, Melissa Trimbach, does all she can to keep her daughter from getting mosquito bites.

“They well up a lot on her anyway, so we just have to be really careful about mosquitoes,” said Trimbach. “She has some really strong reactions to them.”

While the Trimbachs and many others are trying to avoid mosquitoes, Public Health of Dayton and Montgomery County officials are trying to capture the insects.

They filled traps with pungent-smelling liquid to create the perfect mosquito breeding ground.

“When the pregnant female lands on this water to lay her eggs, she will then get sucked up into this tube,” said Christine Roy, with Public Health of Dayton and Montgomery County.

At the top of the tube is a net, which catches the mosquitoes. Roy then collects the insects and sends them to a lab in Columbus, Ohio for testing.

The routine monitoring tells people whether any mosquitoes are infected with West Nile Virus. Public Health hasn’t found any yet, but they’re confident they will.

“We know that West Nile is in the community,” said Bill Wharton with Public Health of Dayton and Montgomery County. “It’s been there for a number of years. It’s not going to be a big surprise when we get a mosquito pool that tests positive for West Nile.”

Montgomery County had two West Nile cases in 2008.