Mosqitter Turns Mosquito Traps Into AI-Powered Surveillance Network

The company’s focus reflects a widening public-health problem. The World Health Organization says rising temperatures, changing rainfall patterns and global travel are reshaping where disease-carrying mosquitoes can thrive. Reported dengue cases more than doubled in a year, from 6.5 million globally in 2023 to a record 14.6 million in 2024, according to the WHO. Mosqitter argues that fighting that problem requires more than killing mosquitoes.

Mosqitter began research and development in Ukraine in 2019 and launched business operations in 2021, which it considers its official go-to-market year. It started by studying mosquito behavior. Female mosquitoes, the only ones that bite, seek blood before laying eggs. They lay eggs on a roughly three-week cycle, typically 100 to 200 at a time.

“We saw an opportunity: if we could catch the female mosquito at the point when she is about to lay eggs, we could potentially reduce the mosquito population and prevent it from growing,” said Anastasiia Romanova, co-founder and CEO. The company’s devices lure and trap female mosquitoes by mimicking human heat, scent and breathing cues. Its highest-end model, Grand, also uses CO2 to imitate human breathing.

Mosqitter told TechCrunch it now has more than 5,000 devices operating across five continents, up from just over 250 when TechCrunch last covered the company in 2022. Romanova said the company set out to bring more sustainable mosquito-control products to a market still heavily reliant on chemicals.

The AI system analyzes the biological characteristics of trapped mosquitoes. Mosqitter runs an image through its neural network, checks the result against external datasets and has entomologists validate the findings. It then assigns a confidence score based on how closely those assessments align. “You can think about it as three judges analyzing a case and producing a verdict,” Romanova said.

Mosqitter also feeds environmental data, including weather, wind and humidity, into its system. The company says that as it collects more data, it plans to use those inputs to forecast changes in mosquito populations and potential health risks.

Its product portfolio currently centers on two devices. Mosqitter Grand is designed for larger areas and public spaces, while Mosqitter Mini targets smaller residential spaces and can also be deployed as a portable monitoring device. The startup plans to officially introduce its Febris Monitoring System next month, adding a data layer to monitor mosquito populations and assess the potential spread of mosquito-borne diseases.

“It’s very important to understand that Febris does not diagnose disease,” Romanova said. “We can’t say with certainty that a particular mosquito carries dengue. What we can say is that a particular mosquito species is present, and knowing that can help indicate an increased potential risk associated with diseases that species can transmit.”

The company is looking for B2B partners globally, particularly distributors with established sales networks and relationships with governments and retailers, said Olga Diachuk, COO and co-founder. Unlike Mosqitter’s hardware products, Febris targets institutional customers, including governments, public-health and mosquito-control agencies, airports, municipalities and universities that need continuous mosquito monitoring.

Brazil, which has a high burden of dengue, is one example of Mosqitter’s expansion. The co-founders said Mosqitter has built local manufacturing and sales operations there. The startup also considers the U.S., Greece, India, Ukraine and Nigeria key markets, and it uses a different sales approach in each.

In Greece, Mosqitter works with a long-established pest-control company. In the U.S., it sells its Mini device directly to consumers through Amazon and its own website. The company is also working with the UK Health Security Agency to deploy Febris at locations including Heathrow and Gatwick airports. TechCrunch reported that international travel can bring in mosquitoes and mosquito-borne diseases from other regions.

Editor's Summary Mosqitter is expanding from chemical-free mosquito traps to an AI-powered monitoring network that uses computer vision to identify species and track populations. As dengue cases rise globally, the startup is preparing Febris for governments, health agencies and airports, while growing manufacturing and sales in Brazil and other key markets. The system is designed to flag potential disease risk, not diagnose disease.