where adult mosquitoes are sequestered. The procedure is costly, and operationally difficult. Spraying or using larvicides in water carry significant 'downstream' negative effects for beneficial organisms in the environment. Mosquitoes are developing resistance to widely used insecticides. (World Health Organization http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs117/en/index.html) Research projects are focused on vaccines, which might prove useful one day but do nothing to save the lives today. Bed nets are effective at night, but do nothing to protect alternative hosts such as mammals and birds. Global warming is expanding mosquito habitats by creating more warm wet places. Aggressive new species are expanding, and diseases once thought to be 'limited' or 'controlled' like Dengue fever are now expanding globally (www.sciencemag.org May 16, 2008, Volume 320) 'A Mosquito Goes Global'. Dengue is the 3rd most serious infectious disease threat faced by deployed U.S. military. A simple, safe, cost-effective, decentralized means of reducing the population of disease carrying mosquitoes is needed. It will enable unsophisticated, local residents to strike back at mosquitoes and control efforts reduce or eradicate their problem. SpringStar specializes in pesticide-free insect controls, and effective answer today. The U.S. Military came to SpringStar to commercialize a mosquito killing technology it developed and proved in extensive laboratory and field tests in Thailand, Brazil, the Philippines, Australia and the U.S. SpringStar took the military technology and with its expertise in traps and attractants (pheromones, etc) has developed the low cost, highly effective, simple, and safe Tiger Trap™. Coupled with SpringStar's natural plant based larvicide the company can provide an integrated mosquito control program that can be produced locally and provide an on-going economic benefit as well as a simple, safe, highly effective, low cost, and decentralized solution to mosquito control

Describe the current stage of your initiative and your implementation plan over the next three years

SpringStar is a $1.5+ million company. The 'Strike Back' Mosquito initiative was developed to promote and distribute the Tiger Trap™ and existing larvicide. The serendipitous contact by the military researchers and acquisition of a world-wide, exclusive license for the technology combined with our technology and expertise lead to the creation of the initiative.

V1 of the trap and the larvicide are developed, and the license is nearly complete. Discussions with Bayer, Dupont, and others over production process, IP protection, pesticide certification, and global distribution, U.S. mosquito abatement districts over deployment are underway. The USDA has selected the Tiger Trap™ for inclusion in their multi-year Asian tiger mosquito control demonstration project in New Jersey.

In year 1, the traps and larvicide will be deployed by domestic abatement districts, and offered for sale through retail outlets carrying SpringStar's existing line of pesticide-free products. Partnering agreements with Bayer, Dow and others will be completed. Military sales for use in tropical (Dengue) regions are expected. Federal SBIR grants will be solicited from NIH, DoD, and DoA to continue design and deployment process improvements.

In year 2, domestic abatement, retail, and military sales will expand and retail and abatement district sales will expand to Europe and Brazil. With commercially proven results in hand, relations will be solidified with NGOs (Gates, UN, etc.) responsible for 3rd world mosquito control initiatives.

In year 3 world-wide sales will expand, as well as deployments to poor, 3rd world countries. As trails are completed we will begin commercializing the technology necessary to transfer production of the natural larvicide and the bulk elements of the trap to local companies in the infected areas.

Should SpringStar win the Prize, funds will be used to accelerate activities necessary to get the Tiger Trap™ and natural larvicide into 3rd world distribution sooner

Describe how your strategy meets the entry criteria ("What We're Looking For")

Comprehensive: proven, cost-effective means to kill mosquitoes through locals. Approach offers potential for small local enterprises.
Anticipatory: Mosquitoes are spreading because of global warming; broadcasting insecticide does not work.
Ecologically responsible: Female mosquitoes deposit eggs in containers. Novel technology exploits that. Conventional control approaches distribute insecticide broadly in hopes mosquito will randomly contact a lethal quantity. In contrast, trap uses female’s irrepressible urge to deposit eggs to bring her in contact with a minuscule lethal insecticide dose of same insecticide used in bed-nets. Result is simple, safe, cost-effective device that targets, with minimal insecticide or environmental impact, disease-carrying females before they can bite again and transmit disease.
Feasible: Entomologists use similar traps world-wide. Our improvements enable local people to broadly deploy.
Verifiable: We can provide extensive citations from trials, research, and patent filings from the US, Brazil, Australia, Thailand, India, Italy, and Bangladesh.
Replicable: Approach kills mosquitoes everywhere

Describe the qualifications and experience of you and/or your team and your ability to execute your implementation plan

Principals involved are:
1. SpringStar President, Michael Banfield, is an entomologist with 25 years of experience in pesticide-free pest control, trap and controlled release design and product development. Organic apples are commercially viable because of his research and development success with pheromones and sophisticated controlled release devices that are today deployed for controlling apple maggots and codling moth in apples.
2. SpringStar CFO, William Pickard, 30 years of experience in operations, finance, and marketing in large and small companies, domestic and international markets, product development, retail, aerospace, defense, information technology, and other advanced technologies.
3. U.S. Army researcher, Brian Zeichner, co-developer of the patented insecticide release mechanism incorporated into the Tiger Trap™. Mr. Zeichner is extensively published, and is the lead researcher at the U.S. Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine (USACHPPM) Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD.
4. SpringStar has executed a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with USACHPPM that will fund continued work on the technology. This agreement will also ensure that SpringStar is able to expand its relationship with Agricultural Research Service of the US Department of Agriculture in Beltsville, MD, and a number of ongoing mosquito control programs in the US and overseas.