"The BG-Counter allows a standardized approach to gathering relative mosquito population data as all traps can be programed to collect mosquitoes at the exact same time using the exact same methods."
(Hribar et al. 2022)
BG-Counter 2: a remote monitoring device for mosquitoes
The BG-Counter 2 offers remote monitoring with automated mosquito counting from anywhere in the world at any time. The innovative smart device is placed on top of a Biogents mosquito trap. It differentiates mosquitoes from other insects, counts them, and wirelessly transmits the results to a cloud server. With the BG-Counter App, you can manage your traps and analyze your data.
Optimize the effectiveness of your control activities and therefore save money! Additionally, remote monitoring saves time and manpower, and is thus also more economical:
Collect data ➜ Analyze data ➜ Adapt control measures ➜ Save money
The BG-Counter enables real-time measurements as well as historical analysis of infested areas. Vector control professionals can now establish surveillance programs with unprecedented accuracy and temporal resolution of data, overcoming labour constraints associated with manual inspection.
Automatic mosquito counting
- The BG-Counter counts mosquitoes while they are sucked into a Biogents trap and differentiates them from other insects or dust particles.
- Reports of mosquito counts and environmental data (temperature, humidity and ambient light) are remotely sent to the BG-Counter App, where they are available in real-time.
- Mosquito counts with an accuracy of 90% have been established in field tests when working with CO2.
- Up to 5 mosquitoes per second can be recorded.
Detailed insights into activity patterns
- Continuous and high density data allow better control
The BG-Counter reports mosquito counts every 15 minutes. This high density of data gives you unprecedented insights into mosquito activity patterns: You can find out exactly at which time of the day the mosquitoes are more abundant. - Data analysis: Various time ranges and aggregation levels available
You can analyze daily, weekly, and monthly activity patterns for a variety of time ranges. - Diffentiate between day and night
For aggregated data (daily/monthly/weekly) you can visualize mosquito activity during the night and day separately.
Optimization of control activities
- Heatmaps: Easy identification of mosquito hotspots
If you have several BG-Counters, heatmaps show you which traps had a high or low catch rate. - Threshold value for the application of control measures
If you use the trap data for decision making to apply control measures, you can set a threshold value for each of your locations: You get warnings if the threshold is exceeded and a the threshold map shows, which traps were above that threshold. - Alternative to human landing rates
The BG-Counter can be a suitable decision maker for control actions instead of human landing counts as several customers have reported.
Benefits of using BG-Counters as an alternative to human landing counts:- standartized, reliable collection method
- collections 24/7 at many locations at the same time
- real-time availability of the data
- cost-saving
- time-saving
- ethically correct
Cost saving
- Save money on fieldwork
Very little fieldwork time is required, to have a BG-Counter operating that send you data every 15 minutes, 24/7. One of our customers estimated 3h of field work per trap for a trapping period of 1 month. This saves you a lot of manpower! - Save money through optimization
Optimizing your control activities also reduces costs due to more specific and therefore more effective application.
Features in detail >
The BG-Counter 2 includes >
Technical details >
BG-Trap Station >
Solar power >
BG-Counter features in detail
- The BG-Counter 2 counts mosquitoes while they are sucked into a Biogents trap and differentiates them from other insects or dust particles.
- Mosquito counts with an accuracy of 90% have been established in field tests when working with CO2 as an attractant.
- Up to 5 mosquitoes per second can be recorded.
- Sampling of local environmental data: temperature, humidity and ambient light.
- The effectiveness of control measures can be validated immediately.
- The BG-Counter 2 minimizes maintenance effort: it can run on solar power and is self-sustaining. It is robust and well protected against weather.
The BG-Counter includes
- 1x mobile module
- 1x SIM card for data transmission
- 1x fan adapter cable
- 1x battery cable
- 1x mains supply
- 1x CO2 pressure reducing regulator with output pressure of 2 bars
- 1x CO2 tube
- 1x BG-Pro Counter version (1x funnel net, 2x catch bag, 1x inner cylinder with upper part and lower part with 12V fan, 1x trap body, 1x carrying bag, 1x tripod)
Necessary web application:
To manage the BG-Counter via the web application (the BG-Counter App), an annual subscription fee is necessary. Please contact our sales team for this subscription: sales@biogents.com
Technical details
The patented insect sensor consists of arrays of infrared LEDs and light detectors that provide reliable and sensitive detection and differentiation of moquitoes from other objects entering the trap.
The heart of the BG-Counter 2 is a highly integrated printed circuit board which incorporates:
- An infrared sensor
- environmental sensors for temperature, relative humidity and ambient light
- a cellular module for communication with the web server
- an SD card for onboard data storage, fan and CO2 valve control
- two powerful microprocessors for control and communication
BG-Trap Station
Biogents‘ BG-Trap Station is a robust and ideal shelter for your BG-Counter 2.
The BG-Trap station
- is made of stainless steel
- protects your BG-Counter 2 from environmental conditions
- can be attached to any type of terrain
Solar power
You can run the BG-Counter 2 on solar power. In this way, remote monitoring get’s even easier!
In the video below, Catherine Pruszynski from the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District shows how to set up the BG-Counter 2 with a solar panel.
BG-Counter App
The BG-Counter app is a vital part of the BG-Counter 2. The Counter sends data from the field (mosquito counts, environmental data, geospatial data) to the web-based BG-Counter App. The data base is automatically updated with the data constantly generated in the field.
In the BG-Counter App, you can:
- Efficiently manage and monitor your traps
- Set up time schedules for traps and CO2
- Comprehensively analyze your data
Trap management and monitoring
The dashboard gives an instant overview of locations and helps you to plan your operations, as it includes relevant informaton such as the catch count since last noon, warning icons, signal strength, fan status, and similar.
On the location-specific pages of the dashboard, the App provides catch statistics tables, graphs of catch counts and temperature, and relative humidity, dew point, battery voltage, and ambient light.
Comprehensive data analysis:
- Analysis of mosquito activity patterns can be performed for different time ranges, and with different temporal resolutions (15 mins, daily, weekly, monthly).
- The activity of day and night-active mosquitoes can be visualized separately.
- It is possible to directly compare multiple locations, and to perform group-based analyses
- Mosquito hotspots can be identified with the help of infestation maps
- The data can be exported to excel.
CO2
The BG-Counter 2 comes with a CO2 pressure regulator and we strongly recommend to use the BG-Counter with CO2!
Adding carbon dioxide
- Makes the trap highly attractive for all mosquito species
- Highly increases the overall mosquito catch rate
- Highly increases the trap’s specificity for mosquitoes (and other blood-sucking insects)
Tipps for saving CO2:
- Limited hours: To save CO2, you can define time periods in which CO2 is being released, after you have established the daily activity pattern of your local target mosquito species.
- Selected days: To be able to track possible changes in the activity of day, and night-active mosquitoes, you could also choose one day per week, in which you turn on CO2 for 24 h.
- Specific pattern: If you always want to keep a close eye on day-and night active mosquitoes around the clock, you might as well choose a schedule of 30 min CO2/ 30 min CO2 off or similar.
- Lower release rate: We recommend a flow rate of 50 g/h (default setting), as it it the optimum for attracting mosquitoes. In the BG-Counter App Settings, you can also select a lower release rate of 20 g/h or 10 g/h. Keep in mind, that the accuracy of the BG-Counter might decrease with a decreasing flow rate.
It is however important that you keep in mind, that your BG-Counter will only collect reliable data with CO2.
BG-Lure
We highly recommend that you use the BG-Lure in addition to CO2 as it acts as an synergist and can multiply your mosquito catch rates:
Presentations & Customer Stories >
Presentations & Customer Stories
Many customers already use the BG-Counter. Learn more about their experiences in publications and their success stories.
Lavezzi, L., Deploy, Optimize, Rely: An Operational Case Study on the Broad Adoption of BG Counter, presentation at the AMCA Meeting 2024.
Rosales A., Evaluating BG-Counter performance in surveilling Collier County’s diverse mosquito populations, presentation at the FMCA Meeting 2022.
Heinig R, Puente J, Brake P, Phillips N, Lucas K. Rise of the machines: BG-Counters’ expanding role in CMCD’s mosquito surveillance program, oral presentation at the virtual AMCA Meeting 2021.
Reed M., Wheeler S., Dritz D., Samer Elkashef S. Utilizing New Technology for Mosquito Surveillance: The BG Counter Trap- A Game Changer, oral presentation at the AMCA Meeting 2019.
Boisvert M. Study of the behavior of Culex tarsalis in a rice field environment using a BG-Counter, presentation at the AMCA Meeting 2019.
Kartzinel M., Clifton M. Real-Time District-Wide Surveillance with the Biogents BG-Counter, presentation at the AMCA Meeting 2018.
Boisvert M. BG-Counter : A very efficient multi-task tool, presentation at the AMCA 2018.
Willis S. Use of the Biogents BG-Counter With Gravid Mosquitoes and the Efficacy of Aerial Applications for Nuisance Mosquitoes presentation at the ALMCA Meeting 2017.
Publications
Hribar LJ, Boehmler MB, Murray HL, Pruszynski CA, Leal AL. Mosquito Surveillance and Insecticide Resistance Monitoring Conducted by the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District, Monroe County, Florida, USA. Insects 2022, 13, 927. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects13100927
Wheeler SS, Reed M, Ramos S, Goodman G, Elkashef S (2022). Programmatic review of the mosquito control methods used in the highly industrialized rice agroecosystems of Sacramento and Yolo Counties, California. Wetlands Ecol Manage. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11273-022-09893-1
Johnson BJ, Manby R, Devine GJ (2022). The Use of Automated Traps to Assess the Efficacy of Insecticide Barrier Treatments Against Abundant Mosquitoes in Remote Environments. Journal of Medical Entomology, 59(1):384-389. https://doi.org/10.1093/jme/tjab178
Johnson BJ, Manby R, Devine GJ (2020). Further evidence that development and buffer zones do little to reduce mosquito nuisance from neighboring habitat. Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association, 36(3):204–207, 2020. https://doi.org/10.2987/20-6951.1
Johnson BJ, Manby R, Devine GJ (2020). What Happens on Islands, doesn’t Stay on Islands: Patterns of Synchronicity in Mosquito Nuisance and Host-Seeking Activity between a Mangrove Island and Adjacent Coastal Development. Urban Ecosystems. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11252-020-00998-0
Lucas KJ, Watkins A, Phillips N, Appazato DJ, Linn P (2019). The Impact of Hurricane Irma on Population Density of the Black Salt-Marsh Mosquito, Aedes taeniorhynchus, in Collier County, Florida. Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association, 35(1): 71-74. https://meridian.allenpress.com/jamca/article/35/1/71/467872/The-Impact-of-Hurricane-Irma-on-Population-Density
Clifton ME, Xamplas CP, Nasci RS, Harbison J (2019) Gravid Culex pipiens Exhibit A Reduced Susceptibility to Ultra–Low Volume Adult Control Treatments Under Field Conditions. Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association: December 2019, Vol. 35, No. 4, pp. 267-278.
https://meridian.allenpress.com/jamca/article/35/4/267/438747/Gravid-Culex-pipiens-Exhibit-A-Reduced
Pruszynski C (2016) The BG-Counter: A New Surveillance Trap that Remotely Measures Mosquito Density in Real Time. Wing Beats 27(1):13-18.
Posters
Geier et. al (2016) A smart Internet of Things (loT) device for monitoring mosquito trap counts in the field while drinking coffee at your desk. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/294580125
DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.1.5156.5843
Newspaper Articles
Kaleej Times, UAE; Ashwani Kumar /Abu Dhabi (2020/1/26)
440 smart mosquito traps to be deployed across UAE
Tadweer has developed an effective, efficient and sustainable way to trap mosquitoes.
More than 400 solar-powered smart traps will be installed across the country from February 1 to catch mosquitoes and thus keep a check on the outbreak of diseases like malaria, dengue, Yellow Fever and West Nile Virus, an official from Abu Dhabi Waste Management Centre (Tadweer) said.
Read the full original article in the Kaleej Times >
Customer videos
Manual of the BG-Counter 2 (including the description of the new App) Manual of the new BG-Counter 2 App Geolocation use cases (location-based data storage)
Trouble shooting: more counts than catches? Info flyer: BG-Trap Station for the BG-Counter 2 CE declararion of conformity and frequency bands of BG-Counter 2Registration: New Customer
Go to https://bg-counter.biogents.com/registration/
The new customer registration page has the fields specified below that you should fill in. Note that the fields marked with an asterisk are mandatory to fill, while the others are optional.
- Personal Information*
- Mailing Address
- Technical Contact
- Billing Contact
After clicking on “Confirm”, a new account is created. You will receive a confirmation e-mail (please have also a look for the e-mail in your spam folder) with a link to verify your e-mail and set a password.
Log-in:
Access the BG-Counter App at https://bg-counter.biogents.com
- go to “Profile” to set a new password for your account
- go to “Traps” and click on the blue “New Trap” button in the top right corner of the screen. Enter one or multiple IMEIs (comma separated) in the field. Click the blue “Assign” button to register your BG-Counter(s). You find the IMEI on a sticker at the side of the BG-Counter, at the side of the BG-Counter box, and on a sticker on the registration flyer in the BG-Counter box.
- go to “Dashboard”, then click on a location name, then on the “View/Edit” button to change the location name, schedule, mosquito catch threshold, custom groups, etc.
- go to “Users”, then click on the “New User” button to invite other users
- go to “Analyzer” to analyze your data
Manual and Support:
You can download the manual with a detailed description of all counter and website functions here:
Manual for the BG-Counter 2 >>
Access a video that demonstrates the main functions of the BG-Counter App here:
If you have any problems or questions, please contact your distributor of sales representative!
The development of the BG-Counter was partly supported by the EU’s 7th Framework Programme (grant n° 306105, project accronym MCD)
Ordering and pricing
Interested? For larger order inquiries, please contact sales@biogents.com
For small order quantities you can order conveniently via our webshop for researchers >
