KIM Sustainable control of invasive mosquitoes for urban areas
Controlling invasive mosquitoes in public spaces: Reducing the risk of disease transmission through sustainable measures.
Abstract
Global warming and international travel have brought Asian tiger mosquitos to Europe, including Switzerland. Those mosquitoes spread dengue and zika, posing a significant risk of disease. Traditional methods are ineffective and hazardous. There is currently no national solution.
Why: Context and concept
KIM uses organic materials to trap and remove invasive mosquitoes from public spaces, effectively controlling their population without insecticides. By setting up the traps in an area-wide net, the mosquito population is controlled and kept small in a selective manner. These traps are quick to install, easy to maintain, and aid authorities in long-term population protection.
Who: Supporter
As of 2024, KIM is supported with CHF 25’000 by What’s next_Project 2024, Z-Kubator at Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK). Further, a first pilot project is being funded with CHF 10,000 by the department UGZ, City of Zurich. Full-scale traps for the pilot project have been produced with the support of Burri Public Elements AG. These fundings made it possible to create prototypes and install and test three traps at the Zurich main station car parking lot (Pilot project Summer 2024, mid-August to the end of the season).
As of 2025, KIM will collaborate with the Swiss Tropical and Health Institute (Swiss TPH) to perform the first scientifically monitored laboratory and field tests in Basel. These tests and further developing steps are co-funded with CHF ≈ 25’000.- by the Innovation Booster Future Urban Society from Innosuisse. Additional financial support is being sought.
What: Reports about the project
Interview with Radio TOP
How: Next steps
In collaboration with authorities in Zurich and Basel, the aim is to explore the implementation of «KIM» for mass trapping and develop a unified national mosquito control program.
Follow-up steps involve clarifying how we can address existing vandalism issues with the traps (testing variants with the community) and how the trap entrance and adhesive strip placement can be optimized to capture mosquitoes (scientific testing with mosquitoes) effectively.
In addition, we want to define how the community can be voluntarily involved in related activities (promoting biodiversity, such as sustainable tiger mosquito control). Educational materials, workshop templates, and media content (for traditional media and social media) will be created in collaboration with interested members of the community and experts.
Taking into account today’s framework conditions and lifestyles (climate change, high international mobility), we aim to reduce the tiger mosquito problem with these measures sustainably in the long term.
More: How everything started
The concept and the first shape model for the project KIM was developed during my Bachelor’s Thesis in Industrial Design at the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK).
