University of Wisconsin entomologist Emily Bick is giving a whole new meaning to “listening to the land.”
Her latest project, the Insect Eavesdropper, uses contact microphones to detect the tiny vibrations made by insects as they feast on crops, allowing for pest detection before visible damage.
The technology utilizes piezoelectric microphones clipped directly onto plants to convert feeding vibrations into electrical signals. While currently in the research and development phase, the tool has already been deployed across 30 sites in the U.S. and four different countries, successfully identifying 27 different pest species.
“You can just put a microphone on a plant and listen to what’s going on underground,” Bick tells Mid-West Farm Report.
She says the tool can monitor corn rootworms without the need for labor-intensive root digging. The project has already drawn significant interest from the private sector for its potential to streamline crop breeding and reduce chemical use. Despite this commercial appeal, Bick is ensuring the technology remains accessible to the scientific community.
“Researchers around the U.S. are going to be able to freely use this technology,” she explains, confirming that an academic research license will keep the tool available for the public good.
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