In 2021, Giridhar Pai Associates LLP (GPA) proudly launched its second product: the Aedes-X Smart Gravitrap, developed by Pestroniks Innovations Pte. Ltd. (Pestroniks Innovations). Aedes-X, a groundbreaking, non-toxic mosquito control solution, marked a pivotal milestone in GPA’s ongoing commitment to delivering safer and more sustainable pest management options.
Today, on World Dengue Day, 15 June 2026, GPA celebrates the journey of the patented Aedes-X Smart Gravitrap, a cutting-edge tool in the ongoing battle against dengue. Developed by our esteemed partners at Pestroniks Innovations, the Aedes-X stands as a testament to innovative mosquito management solutions in public health.
Pestroniks Innovations’ directors, Carl Baptista and Shankar Seetharam, conceptualised and designed the Aedes-X Smart Gravitrap for first adoption in the Singaporean market to meet environmental standards for mosquito treatment. Its success there paved the way for GPA to introduce the trap in India and neighbouring countries such as the Maldives, tailoring our approach to new environments and customers.
The Aedes-X offers an effective, non-toxic method for controlling populations of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, the principal vector of dengue transmission.
How Does the Aedes-X Work?
The Aedes-X trap attracts gravid (egg-laying) female Aedes mosquitoes with its distinctive black colour and a water-filled chamber that mimics an ideal egg-laying site. Once inside, mosquito larvae hatch and remain in the trap’s attraction zone. Leveraging the negative phototaxis of larvae (their tendency to move away from light), the device automatically activates blue LEDs (through a timer) beneath its canopy every 48 hours. When the blue LEDs glow, a funnel opens between the attraction and kill zones, letting the larvae move away from the blue light and into the kill zone. After a minute, the LEDs turn off, the funnel closes, and the larvae are trapped in the kill zone, where they ultimately die by asphyxiation, completely pesticide-free.
Maintaining the Aedes-X is simple: users only need to top up the water as needed, replace the four AA batteries every 3 months, and occasionally clean the attraction zone of debris. When installed at a density of one trap per 400 square meters, the Aedes-X can significantly reduce local Aedes mosquito populations.
Since its introduction, GPA has supplied Aedes-X to pest control operators (PCOs) across India, empowering safer, more sustainable mosquito management practices.
GPA’s Sales Experience with the Aedes-X
Our journey with the Aedes-X Smart Gravitrap highlights both the promise and the challenges of introducing highly specialised, unconventional products into a market dominated by traditional solutions. In India, demand for adult mosquito traps is high, with hundreds of thousands sold annually. However, most of these inexpensive traps rely on suction fans that indiscriminately capture all flying insects in the trap’s vicinity, often fail to target mosquitoes specifically, and lack scientific validation.
Truly effective adult mosquito traps tend to be bulky, costly, and require considerable maintenance, including replenishing carbon dioxide cylinders to generate the CO2 and other attractants supplied by the manufacturer. In contrast, the Aedes-X is a decoy trap, designed to attract and neutralise adult female Aedes mosquitoes by simulating an ideal egg-laying environment. Its black colour and aged water are crucial in luring mosquitoes to lay eggs in the trap, as both factors are attractive to gravid Aedes females seeking places to lay eggs.
Despite support from Carl Baptista, who helped us create Aedes-X demonstration videos (including a Hindi version for Indian audiences), and various digital marketing efforts, the product’s initial reception was slow. From 2021 onwards, PCOs who requested samples of the Aedes-X often struggled to grasp its novel approach, especially since it targeted only Aedes mosquitoes and did not trap adult mosquitoes in the conventional sense. Lack of PCO interest made widespread adoption of Aedes-X challenging in a market accustomed to traditional adult mosquito traps.
For three years, from 2021 to 2023, GPA received numerous inquiries but did not record any sales of the Aedes-X.
A Breakthrough: Hygienetech’s First Order
The turning point arrived in 2024, when Anil Sanghvi of Hygienetech India Private Limited (Hygienetech), Mumbai, placed the first order for the Aedes-X. Hygienetech, with past experience in non-toxic mosquito management through mosquito repellent production and use, recognised the trap’s value in integrated mosquito management programs. Since then, Hygienetech has remained a consistent customer, with Anil Sanghvi actively promoting the effectiveness of the Aedes-X to his B2B clients and expressing strong satisfaction with its performance.
Over the past five years, Hygienetech has remained GPA’s sole Indian customer for Aedes-X, with regular orders to expand its use across Mumbai. We sincerely appreciate their commitment to non-toxic mosquito management and their willingness to embrace innovative solutions.
The Pestroniks Innovations Aedes-X Smart Gravitrap
Lessons Learned and the Road Ahead
Our Aedes-X experience has underscored the tendency among Indian PCOs to favour conventional, established pest control methods, even when their effectiveness is questionable. Many PCOs continue to offer low-cost adult mosquito traps without fully understanding their limitations.
Resistance to adopting innovative, non-toxic approaches remains a significant barrier. On this World Dengue Day, GPA reaffirms its dedication to advancing non-toxic pest management with tools like the Aedes-X Smart Gravitrap. With a recommended deployment of one trap per 400 square meters and minimal maintenance, the Aedes-X interrupts the mosquito life cycle by attracting egg-laying females and preventing larvae from reaching adulthood.
Wider adoption of forward-thinking tools like the Aedes-X hinges on a collective mindset shift among Pest Management Professionals (PMPs) toward embracing non-pesticidal, sustainable solutions. Inspired by Hygienetech’s success and advocacy, we remain optimistic that more PCOs will recognise the unique value of the Aedes-X and follow suit.
This World Dengue Day, we encourage all stakeholders to explore the benefits of the Aedes-X Smart Gravitrap and consider integrating it into their mosquito management programs. Contact us through our website to indicate your interest in the Aedes-X Smart Gravitrap.