EL PASO, Texas -- Borderland residents think of winter as a time when they can be free of mosquitoes, but the city of El Paso isn't stopping its attack on the public nuisance.

City workers were out in full force Wednesday all in an effort to combat those pesky insects.

Officials told KFOX this is the time of year when mosquitoes seek shelter in damp underground areas like storm drains to breed or hibernate. They wait for the weather to warm up and that's when they re-emerge.

So, this is the perfect time for the city to find those mosquito nests and get rid of them. Workers were out fogging underground areas and setting traps Wednesday.

Its all in an effort to stop the spread of the dangerous West Nile virus.

City workers said it is helping. "This year, we had 22 confirmed cases versus 27 from last year, which is still a lot, but you know it's better. And we had zero deaths compared to three that we had last year, so that really was a big improvement," said Mario Sandoval.