Five more groups of mosquitoes in four Rhode Island communities have tested positive for the West Nile Virus, according to the state Department of Environmental Management.

So far this year, the DEM has found nine groups of mosquitoes that were carrying the virus.

Testing positive were a group trapped Sept. 9 in the Woodlawn section of Pawtucket and another trapped the same day in the Smith Hill area of Providence; two groups trapped Sept. 2 in Central Falls and Pawtucket, near the lower end of the Blackstone River; and a group trapped Aug. 29 in Westerly near the airport.

The DEM previously reported that four mosquito pools had tested positive for West Nile Virus — two in Providence’s Smith Hill area and two in Woodlawn.

Both mosquitoes that bite birds and those that bite mammals are carrying the virus.

The DEM said it is peak season for West Nile Virus and it’s urging people to take precautions and protect themselves from the virus, including using DEET bug spray and mosquito nets, and staying indoors from dusk until dawn.

The DEM will set more mosquito traps in areas where mosquitoes that tested positive were found.