How the project began
Pierre Bellagambi and Simon Lillamand,, two young entrepreneurs from the south of France, were long-standing business partners with complementary professional backgrounds. They started taking an interest in mosquito control in 2012.
Birth of an idea
After the publication of a scientific article by Dr Poulin on humid areas and how mosquitoes are controlled within them, they started to consider the catastrophic impact current methods to control mosquitoes on a large scale have on the environment. The arrival of the tiger mosquito in France only confirmed their concern. So they decided to develop an efficient solution for controlling mosquitoes which respected the environment.
Testing
From the initial attempts in the garage of Simon's grandfather to the first operational prototypes, numerous tests were carried out and the model continued to be improved. The entrepreneurial duo then presented the fruit of their research to the Centre de recherche de la Tour du Valat and the Parc Naturel Régional de Camargue, which, conscious of the environmental impact of such a solution, provided the project with their technical support. In 2014, a patent was filed and the Techno-Bam company was created.
Confirmation
In 2015, 16 anti-mosquito traps were installed in the pilot village of Sambuc (a Natura 2000 protected area) in Camargue. The results confirmed how efficient the solution could be on a large scale. The experiment resulted in an 88% fall in the number of mosquitoes!
