Biologist Paul Geery said resident awareness is key to preventing an increase in mosquito populations and the spread of the West Nile virus.

Geery spends his time monitoring the area in hopes mosquito populations stay small and West Nile-free as assistant manager and biologist for the Desplainescq Valley Mosquito Abatement District. The district oversees a 77-square-mile area encompassing most of the near western suburbs of Chicago, nearly three-quarters of which is made up of residential properties.

The 28-year veteran of the mosquito abatement district said residents must take responsibility for their own properties to help fight a rise in West Nile virus.

Q Why is it important residents get involved to stunt the mosquito population?

A All mosquitoes develop in water in their early stages. ... We can’t go house to house to look for mosquito breeding. Someone could have a plugged gutter or a birdbath with water that isn’t being changed, (but) we can’t look around properties for any place that water can stand. Every year, we see a swimming pool someone decides they’re not using and leaves the water in it. That can breed millions of mosquitoes.

Q What can residents do to help?

A People can just walk around their yard to make sure there’s no standing water anywhere ... in birdbaths, plugged gutters, buckets, wheelbarrows, tires or swimming pools. As far as protecting themselves, one of the more important things right now would be to check window screens, window air conditioners or the pipe that goes out of the house from a dryer. You want to make sure there are no openings and that around all of those things it is sealed up because mosquitoes like to sneak into the house.

Q Do you think suburban Cook County will face much of a problem with mosquitoes and West Nile this year?

A It’s really impossible to predict. We’ve run 725 pools of mosquitoes, with about 50 mosquitoes per pool, and tested those mosquitoes for the presence of West Nile. So far, we’ve had five pools with positives. That number is fairly low for this time of year. (West Nile) is pretty much present every season now, but lately it hasn’t been such that it was really high — not like the epidemic in 2002. This year, I’m not sure why it’s hanging so low. We thought it would have escalated by this time, but we’re happy it hasn’t.