Farmers could soon listen to insects hidden within their crops, revealing the health of their fields without ever turning over a leaf Emily Bick, Assistant Professor of Precision Pest Ecology and Extension Specialist for Field & Forage Crops, is making that possibility a reality. At the Bick Lab at UW–Madison, she leads efforts to decode insect population dynamics to better inform agricultural decision-making. From this research, Emily founded The Insect Eavesdropper, which automates the labor-intensive process of pest monitoring, offering farmers, crop consultants, and researchers a cost-effective and scalable solution.
The idea for the Insect Eavesdropper emerged during a visit to a sugarcane plantation in Indonesia, where Emily faced the challenge of monitoring insects boring inside plants. The device uses acoustic sensors to detect and identify insect pests and their biological control organisms, significantly reducing the time and labor required for traditional monitoring methods. With early funding and mentorship from Discovery to Product (D2P), Emily’s team has been able to build a comprehensive sound library and explore optimal use cases for the sensor.
Emily’s passion for increasing the use of insect data in agricultural decisions has propelled the Insect Eavesdropper into commercialization. She believes that autonomous pest monitoring will play a critical role in making sustainable agricultural practices more accessible and effective worldwide.
We asked Emily to discuss the impact of the Insect Eavesdropper and the story behind it:
Where did the idea for your company come from initially?
The product idea came from visiting a sugarcane plantation in Indonesia and being challenged to monitor insects boring within plants. The reception from the academic and commercial world has led to the need for developing a company, as my research lab cannot keep up with the interest.
How has D2P helped you, and what have you learned?
D2P provided critical early funding for developing an Insect Eavesdropper sound library, helping us determine optimal use cases for the sensor.
What other entrepreneurial resources/programs have guided you?
The Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) continues to provide excellent advice and guidance as we proceed with developing a company. Additionally, regional NSF-iCORPS training was essential for determining optimal customer-market fit. D2P has continued their mentorship as well, which has been critical in guiding these early steps.
What’s your current focus with the company?
We are undergoing a process with our WARF-funded Entrepreneurial Lead Jadey Huray to determine the optimal market entry point.
What are your hopes for the company moving forward?
We aim to incorporate in 2025, using a minimally viable product developed in the Bick Lab.
What drives you/why is this project important to you personally?
I am driven to increase insect data use in agricultural decisions. To do so, we need autonomous methods of pest monitoring to be commercially available and cost effective. The Insect Eavesdropper will be a great addition to enabling this level of automation.
What advice would you give to other campus innovators who are just starting with exploring the potential of their ideas?
Lean on our campus resources! WARF and D2P are two incredible sources of knowledge that are available to help you realize the potential of your ideas.
Is there an experience during the development of your project that surprised you or had a powerful impact on your direction? What did you learn, or how did it change your thinking?
I have been surprised at every step along the way by the reception of the Insect Eavesdropper. The scientific community, along with local, regional, and national stakeholders are anticipating the project.
How do you balance the time you must spend on your project with other work and life responsibilities?
Currently, the Insect Eavesdropper project falls entirely within my academic lab. My plan is that my future role with the sensor will entirely be research focused, allowing for me to continue working with the sensor in my faculty position, rather than adding additional responsibilities.
Campus is full of bright minds and amazing ideas, but people often do not self-identify as an entrepreneur. Do you connect with that term, and why or why not? Is there another term you’d use to describe what you’re doing with your project?
As a professor, I do not identify with the term entrepreneur; I did not set out to start a company. I aim to leverage my research team to fundamentally understand insect population dynamics, translate that understanding into novel tools and strategies that allow for increased data usage in agriculture. The sensor I invented holds too much potential to keep it exclusively in academia. There is a clear need for similar automated tools and methods; the path to the greatest impact for this tool is through industry.