SpringStar
SpringStar designs and manufactures non-toxic, biologically-based pest control traps and lures—most notably the CDC- and US Military-developed mosquito traps—selling to consumers via e-commerce, to commercial dealers, and to government public-health agencies worldwide.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1998
- HeadquartersWoodinville, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What SpringStar does
SpringStar USA, Inc., founded in 1998 by Michael and Jane Banfield and headquartered in Woodinville, Washington, develops, manufactures, and distributes biologically-based, non-toxic pest control products under the BioCare® and Trap-N-Kill® brands. The company's core products combine patented trap architectures with species-specific chemical lures—most notably the Trap-N-Kill mosquito system originally developed by the US Military and the Autocidal Gravid Ovitrap (AGO) co-developed with the US Centers for Disease Control—both targeting Aedes mosquitoes that transmit Zika, dengue, chikungunya, West Nile virus, and yellow fever. The catalog spans indoor traps (spiders, moths, fleas, flies, fruit flies, aphids, silverfish), outdoor traps (yellowjackets, apple maggots, codling moths, earwigs), and research-grade monitoring products (blue and yellow vane traps), with manufacturing conducted in the company's Woodinville facility and shipping available to all 50 US states.
SpringStar generates revenue through three distinct channels: a direct-to-consumer e-commerce storefront at springstar.net with unit-priced traps typically ranging from $7.99 to $74.99 and free shipping above $30; commercial and dealer sales with a $150 minimum order, case-box-only fulfillment, and net-30 terms; and direct government/NGO procurement for disease-outbreak response and humanitarian deployment, including donations and programs with the CDC, Hawaii Department of Health, US Navy Continuing Promise, NIH, and Washington Global Health Alliance. Revenue consists almost entirely of hardware sales of traps plus recurring refill revenue (glue boards, pheromone lures, pesticide strips), making it a transactional, asset-light consumer-products business.
The company is privately held by its founders, has 11–50 employees (with key personnel including President Mike Banfield, COO Jane Banfield, CFO David Sparks, and National Sales Manager Nick Lyons), and reports no institutional venture or private equity backing. R&D has been supported by non-dilutive grants including a 2016 NIH Phase II award of $1.5 million, alongside repeat funding from the US Military and NIH. Active or pipeline international programs span Brazil, Australia, India, Maldives, Haiti, Sint Maarten, Singapore, Bangladesh, Taiwan, Malaysia, Mexico, and the Philippines, indicating a deliberate expansion of its government and public-health vector-control franchise beyond domestic DTC operations.
SpringStar firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- SpringStar
- Legal name
- SpringStar USA, Inc.
- Website
- https://springstar.net
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1998
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- SpringStar designs and manufactures non-toxic, biologically-based pest control traps and lures—most notably the CDC- and US Military-developed mosquito traps—selling to consumers via e-commerce, to commercial dealers, and to government public-health agencies worldwide.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
SpringStar industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Pest Control Products
- NAICS
- Pesticide and Other Agricultural Chemical Manufacturing (325320)
- SIC
- Agricultural Chemicals (2870)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Insect & Pest Control (Indoor/Outdoor Insecticides, Repellents, Traps) (CRADAKAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Insect Traps & Lures (Sticky, Light, Pheromone) (CRAJAHAC), Mosquito Control Products (Larvicides, Dunks, Foggers) (CRAJAHAI), Stored-Product & Pantry Pest Control (Moths, Beetles) (CRAJAHAL), Outdoor & Yard Pest Control (Lawn/Perimeter Treatments) (CRAJAHAE)
Keywords
Where SpringStar is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Woodinville
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
SpringStar business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Consumer Product Sales: Direct-to-consumer sales of non-toxic pest control products through e-commerce website. Products include traps for mosquitoes, spiders, moths, flies, fleas, yellowjackets, and other pests. Revenue is transactional with one-time purchases and repeat customers for refills.
- Commercial/Dealer Sales: B2B sales to stores, dealers, and abatement districts with minimum orders of $150 in case box quantities. Terms of net 30 days on approved credit.
- Refill and Replacement Products: Ongoing revenue from replacement parts including glue boards, pheromone lures, pesticide strips, and capture pads for existing trap products.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Mosquito Trap-N-Kill (1 Trap) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Mosquito Trap-N-Kill (Bundle of 6 Traps) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Mosquito Trap-N-Kill (Combo of 4 Traps & 4 Refills) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Mosquito Trap-N-Kill Refills (Bundle of 5) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | BioCare Autocidal Gravid Ovitrap (Bundle of 2 Traps) |
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | Commercial Sales Minimum |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Spider Trap Sale |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | BioCare Ladybug Lures |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Yellowjacket and Wasp Trap |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Spider and Silverfish Trap |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
SpringStar product offering
Product offeringCore offering
SpringStar develops, manufactures, and distributes a full line of biologically-based, non-toxic pest control traps, lures, and refill products under the BioCare® and Trap-N-Kill® brands. The portfolio covers indoor pests (spiders, silverfish, fleas, flies, moths, gnats, aphids, whiteflies), outdoor/garden pests (yellowjackets, wasps, hornets, apple maggots, codling moths, earwigs, ladybug lures), and disease-vector mosquitoes via patented Trap-N-Kill® and CDC-co-developed AGO trap systems. All products are manufactured at the company's Woodinville, WA facility and sold direct-to-consumer online, to commercial dealers, and to government/public health agencies for outbreak response.
Product overview
SpringStar develops and manufactures biologically-based pest control products under the BioCare® and Trap-N-Kill® brands. The company offers a comprehensive line of non-toxic, highly effective traps and lures for both indoor and outdoor pest control. Indoor products include traps for spiders, silverfish, fleas, flies, fruit flies, moths (birdseed, clothes, flour/pantry), gnats, aphids, and whiteflies. Outdoor products target mosquitoes (including the CDC-developed AGO trap and US Military-developed Trap-N-Kill), yellowjackets, wasps, hornets, apple maggots, codling moths, earwigs, and ladybugs. The company also offers research-grade monitoring products including blue and yellow vane traps for bee research. SpringStar emphasizes pesticide-free alternatives, with most products using pheromones, natural attractants, or sticky surfaces rather than toxic chemicals. The Mosquito Trap-N-Kill and AGO trap products target disease-carrying mosquitoes that transmit Zika, dengue, chikungunya, West Nile virus, and yellow fever.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- BioCare: Brand name for household pest products, biologically-based and environmentally caring.
- Trap-N-Kill
Products and services
- Mosquito Trap-N-Kill® (patented trapping system) Patented US Military-developed mosquito trap that mimics Aedes breeding sites to capture and kill females plus hatched larvae, targeting mosquitoes that carry Zika, dengue, chikungunya, West Nile virus, and yellow fever; sold as single units, 6-trap bundles, and 4-trap + 4-refill combos.
- BioCare® Autocidal Gravid Ovitrap (AGO Trap) An 18-liter black bucket developed by the CDC that uses hay-infused standing water to attract gravid female Aedes mosquitoes into a capture chamber where they are caught on glue boards; proven to reduce Aedes mosquito populations by over 80% and is the cornerstone of SpringStar's public-health / outbreak-response deployments.
- BioCare® AGO Replacement Glue Boards Replacement glue boards for the BioCare AGO trap that last up to 8 weeks (or until water becomes rank), sold as a recurring-use consumable for maintaining trap effectiveness.
- Mosquito Trap-N-Kill® Refills Replacement bundles (5 boxes × 3 refills each) containing pesticide strips and velour landing strips for the Mosquito Trap-N-Kill® trap to support ongoing, long-term mosquito control.
- BioCare® Birdseed Moth Trap Pheromone-based trap that attracts and captures adult male Indian meal moths, Mediterranean flour moths, almond moths, and raisin moths using the female's chemical messenger, designed for safe use around stored food.
- BioCare® Aphid and Whitefly Trap Sticky trap that monitors and controls small flying insects such as aphids, whiteflies, thrips, fungus gnats, and scale insects in gardens, homes, and greenhouses.
- BioCare® Gnat Stix Sticky yellow traps for non-toxic control of fungus gnats, aphids, plant lice, and other small insects infesting houseplants.
- BioCare® Spider and Silverfish Trap Non-toxic, disposable, sticky baited trap effective against Hobo, domestic house, Wolf, Brown Recluse, Parson, and Sac spiders as well as silverfish.
- BioCare® Yellowjacket and Wasp Trap Reusable trap with non-toxic lure and UV dye that attracts and captures yellowjackets, hornets, and wasps; validated as 9 times more effective than competing brands in independent university testing.
- BioCare® Ladybug Lures Pheromone-based lure that attracts beneficial ladybugs to gardens where they feed on aphids and other pests; the lure itself is replaced every 3–4 weeks.
- BioCare® Apple Maggot Trap Trap and lure set proven to reduce apple maggot damage, attracting the flies with a sticky apple sphere and a controlled-release lure system.
- BioCare® Codling Moth Trap Pheromone-based monitoring trap that captures male codling moths, alerting growers to moth cycles and outbreaks to prevent worm damage to apples, pears, and quince.
- BioCare® Window Fly Trap Non-toxic sticky fly trap using UV dye to attract and capture house flies, cluster flies, garbage flies, blow flies, and other flying insects on windows.
- BioCare® Fly Trap (jar trap) Jar trap with non-toxic lure and UV dye that attracts and captures house flies, garbage flies, blow flies, and other nuisance flies outdoors.
- BioCare® Flea Trap Heat- and light-powered non-pesticide trap that draws fleas from up to 25 feet away and captures 4 to 6 times more fleas than older-style traps.
- BioCare® Fruit Fly Trap Decorative green trap with UV enhancement and all-natural attractant designed for fruit flies, hiding captured insects inside the fruit-bowl-style container.
- BioCare® Flour and Pantry Moth Trap Pheromone-based trap that attracts and captures adult Indian meal moth, Mediterranean flour moth, almond moth, and raisin moth using the same chemical messenger females use to attract males.
- BioCare® Earwig Trap Trap that attracts and captures European earwigs, which damage fresh fruit, seedlings, soft fruits, and flower petals in yards and gardens.
- Blue Vane Traps (bee monitoring) Bee-monitoring research traps sold in case quantities containing 64 oz jars, funnels, and vanes, intended for use by research and academic customers.
- Yellow Vane Traps (bee monitoring) Yellow bee-monitoring research traps sold in case quantities containing 64 oz jars, funnels, and vanes, intended for use by research and academic customers.
Quantifiable outcome
- 85% reduction in mosquito populations and 50% reduction in disease transmission based on 5 years of field trials in Puerto Rico
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use SpringStar
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
SpringStar technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
SpringStar partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- CDC (Centers for Disease Control)coreSpringStar is working with CDC in Puerto Rico, funded by NIH research grants, to develop new mosquito control products targeting mosquitoes that transmit Zika, dengue, chikungunya, West Nile virus, and yellow fever. The CDC-AGO trap is extensively tested and could change community mosquito control approaches.
- Washington Global Health AlliancecorePartner in research and development of biologically-based pest control technologies with funding and collaborative support.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
SpringStar competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Thermacell: Thermacell makes consumer mosquito repellent devices and zone-based traps for backyard and outdoor use; it competes head-to-head with SpringStar's Trap-N-Kill line targeting the same DIY outdoor mosquito control segment.
- DynaTrap: DynaTrap manufactures UV-light indoor and outdoor insect traps for mosquitoes, flies, and gnats; functionally analogous to SpringStar's BioCare trap family and competes on similar retail/consumer channels.
- Safer Brand: Safer Brand sells organic and natural pest control products (insecticidal soaps, traps, lures) for home and garden; it is directly comparable to SpringStar's BioCare non-toxic positioning and overlapping customer base.
- Mosquito Magnet: Mosquito Magnet produces propane-based and attractant-based traps designed for yard-scale Aedes and Culex mosquito control; it competes with the BioCare AGO trap for vector-control minded consumers.
- Aspectek: Aspectek designs indoor bug zappers and UV fly/mosquito traps sold through e-commerce; comparable to SpringStar's BioCare indoor fly and window traps in channel, customer, and product category.
- Rescue! (Sterling International): Rescue! makes trap-based yellowjacket, wasp, fly, and stink bug control products; directly comparable to SpringStar's Yellowjacket and Wasp Trap line in retail placement and use case.
Broad incumbents
- SC Johnson (Raid / OFF!): SC Johnson's Raid and OFF! brands dominate the consumer insecticide and repellent category; they overlap with SpringStar's indoor/outdoor pest control lines but focus on chemical rather than biological approaches.
Emerging players
- EcoRaider: EcoRaider markets botanical-insecticide sprays for mosquito and bed bug control; an emerging entrant using non-toxic active ingredients competing with SpringStar's biologically-based positioning.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
SpringStar social profiles
Digital presenceSpringStar financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
SpringStar leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
SpringStar funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
SpringStar M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about SpringStar
What does SpringStar do?
SpringStar develops, manufactures, and distributes a full line of biologically-based, non-toxic pest control traps, lures, and refill products under the BioCare® and Trap-N-Kill® brands. The portfolio covers indoor pests (spiders, silverfish, fleas, flies, moths, gnats, aphids, whiteflies), outdoor/garden pests (yellowjackets, wasps, hornets, apple maggots, codling moths, earwigs, ladybug lures), and disease-vector mosquitoes via patented Trap-N-Kill® and CDC-co-developed AGO trap systems. All products are manufactured at the company's Woodinville, WA facility and sold direct-to-consumer online, to commercial dealers, and to government/public health agencies for outbreak response.
Is SpringStar a public or private company?
SpringStar is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was SpringStar founded?
SpringStar was founded in 1998. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is SpringStar based?
SpringStar is headquartered in Woodinville, United States, in the North America region.
How does SpringStar make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Consumer Product Sales are the primary driver. The others are commercial/Dealer Sales and refill and Replacement Products.
Who are SpringStar's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Thermacell, DynaTrap, Safer Brand, Mosquito Magnet, Aspectek and Rescue! (Sterling International). SC Johnson (Raid / OFF!) is listed as a broad incumbent. EcoRaider is listed as an emerging player.
Does SpringStar have an API?
No public API is recorded for SpringStar.
What industry is SpringStar in?
SpringStar's product category is Pest Control Products. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRADAKAJ, Insect & Pest Control (Indoor/Outdoor Insecticides, Repellents, Traps), with a secondary code of CRAJAHAC, Insect Traps & Lures (Sticky, Light, Pheromone). Its NAICS code is 325320 and its SIC code is 2870.