BugBug is an agri-tech startup developing the Insect Eavesdropper—a low-cost, AI-powered sensor for early pest detection and monitoring in agriculture and agricultural research. Our system uses contact microphones to capture subtle vibrational signals produced by insects as they feed within plant tissue, enabling non-destructive detection and classification of pests that are often missed by conventional methods or require destructive sampling.

By detecting pest activity earlier and more accurately, BugBug helps reduce pesticide use and minimises crop losses—advancing more sustainable and data-driven agriculture.

We are now transitioning our proven laboratory prototype into a robust, scalable, and field-deployable product. We have demonstrated sensitivity across key crops such as maize, grapes, coconut palm, sugar cane, and apples. Our goal is to build a generalisable platform that works reliably across diverse global environments—without requiring site-specific model retraining.

BugBug has received support from the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) and Discovery to Product (D2P) at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, enabling us to advance from concept to field-ready innovation.

We’re building the future of pest detection: intelligent, affordable, and always listening.

BugBug — Your Ears in the Field.

BugBug

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BugBug

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