Abu Dhabi's Smart Network Technology Achieves Significant Success In Mosquito Control Efforts

Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre has successfully implemented a new mosquito control model using smart traps. These traps signify a significant change in monitoring and managing mosquito populations. This initiative addresses challenges from climate change, urban growth, increased travel, and pesticide-resistant mosquitoes.

The smart traps use advanced technology to attract female mosquitoes by mimicking human body emissions. They release carbon dioxide and a chemical that imitates human scent. Once the mosquitoes approach, they are drawn in by a fan into a collection net, ensuring effective monitoring without internal chemicals.

Equipped with precise sensors and wireless data systems, these traps transmit information like the number of mosquitoes captured, temperature, humidity, and time to a central cloud database. Artificial intelligence tools analyse this data, helping control teams make informed decisions based on mosquito behaviour and environmental changes.

Experts highlight that these traps mark a significant advancement in entomological epidemiology. They allow for tracking mosquito population development and analysing daily and seasonal activity patterns with high accuracy. Environmental factors like temperature or humidity levels can now be studied in detail.

Since their introduction in Abu Dhabi in 2020, the smart trap network has shown impressive results. The efficiency of capturing mosquitoes increased by over 400%, with average captures rising from 60 (in traditional traps) to more than 240 per smart trap. This improvement enables the creation of a comprehensive database on mosquito spread.

This technology also reduced recorded breeding sites by over 42%, further decreasing active breeding locations in 2024. Such reductions were possible due to precise data on peak activity times and spread locations provided by the traps.

Environmental Benefits and Sustainability

The precision of these traps has significantly reduced pesticide use. Between 2019 and 2024, insecticide consumption decreased by 31%, from around 7.5 tonnes to just 5.3 tonnes. This reduction benefits the environment by limiting exposure of non-target insects like bees and butterflies to pesticides.

The smart traps have also contributed to a 28% reduction in fuel consumption for vehicles used in spraying operations, from 630,312 litres in 2019 to 452,000 litres in 2024. This aligns with Abu Dhabi's goals towards carbon neutrality and sustainable development.

Sustainable Design Features

Over 94% of the trap components are made from recyclable materials, operating entirely on solar energy. This makes them one of the most environmentally friendly technologies in vector control.

Since experimental research began in 2019, Abu Dhabi has established an integrated network of over 920 solar-powered smart traps across residential areas, farms, and industrial zones. Covering the entire emirate's geographical scope provides continuous information, making it one of the most advanced mosquito monitoring networks globally.

The total cost of operating this network reached around AED12 million over six years. Given its environmental, health, and economic outcomes, this reflects high investment efficiency.

With inputs from WAM