Yesterday, health officials went door-to-door through Kaka'ako talking to business and property owners about the importance of eliminating any areas where mosquitoes might breed.

Art Ong, owner of Magnum Firearms and Range, welcomed the inspectors but told them he's already routed his air-conditioning so it won't collect water that mosquitoes can get to.

Environmental health specialist Robert Tam dumped water out of abandoned tires found along Queen Street. He said he would follow up with the landowner and the city about getting the tires hauled away. "It's going to be hard to get the water out," he said. "They can breed after we leave."

Health planner Barry Ching said he was talking with residents in the Kalihi-Palama area earlier in the week and found many happy to learn about how they could help. He said many people had pots and pans in their yard, which collect water and allow mosquitos to breed.

Since March, Vector Control program manager Greg Olmsted said the state has treated for mosquitoes in a two-mile radius around Honolulu International Airport, Honolulu Harbor and Barbers Point Harbor. Crews use biological and chemical agents to kill mosquito larvae in storm drains and other standing water.

Gregory Olmsted, of the state's Vector Control branch, maps out the plan to treat areas where mosquitoes might breed. Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser

Health officials continue to ask people to collect any suspicious dead birds to help detect the virus another way. Olmsted said crews have trapped and tested 32,000 mosquitoes on O'ahu alone this year as part of tracking and prevention efforts.

He said the public's help is vital. "We can't do this by ourselves," he said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have reported more than 1,300 cases of West Nile across the Mainland this year, including 35 deaths. Only Hawai'i, Washington and Alaska have not reported the disease.

For more information, on the West Nile virus and prevention efforts, check www.hawaii.gov/health.