They are small, annoying and suck blood - nobody likes mosquitoes. But mosquitoes spying on us? That sounds pretty far-fetched.
It's high time for a fact check, because we're once again receiving inquiries about the ominous mini observation drone.

Is this a mosquito?
No! This is a mini observation drone that is already in production and funded by the US government. It can be controlled remotely and is equipped with a camera and a microphone. It can land on you and has the potential to take a DNA sample or leave RFID tracking nanotechnology on your skin.They know what you do……!
The fact check
Andre already addressed this claim in April of this year.
The oldest source of the picture dates back to November 11, 2005. The picture was published on a Japanese blog over 12 years ago. It is titled “Mosquito” and, according to the translator, is described with the words “There is no weapon so terrible when used practically.”
In 2012, this image was accompanied by a claim that it was a drone that was messing around with DNA and RFID. This text originally appeared in English and appeared over 5 years ago graphically in exactly the form in which it is currently shared on Facebook (compare: Google+ from September 6, 2012).
Interesting: BILD also picked up the photo and information about the mosquito in the summer of 2012. Apparently they didn't necessarily cover themselves with research fame back then and declared this picture as “PHOTO OF THE DAY FROM June 21, 2012 Spy Mosquito”. The photo has now been removed from the article ( compare ). However, there are still screenshots of the article in which you can clearly see the photo ( see here ). In this respect, BILD also used a rumor and a photo in 2012 that had already been published on a Japanese blog in 2005.
More voices: T-Online.de
In a photo series on the subject of “Hoaxes – crazy internet lies and photomontages” you can read about this on T-Online.de :
The insect drone with camera eyes and a syringe as a proboscis is reportedly one of the US military's newer developments. However, the photo has been circulating online since 2005. In addition, the spy mosquito is much more finely crafted than current insect drones. The picture is most likely a photomontage.
However, one may object at this point that this greatly abbreviated presentation provides neither sources nor evidence. The photo series doesn't go into any further depth.
Snopes wrote about this back in 2015
(Translated from English using DeepL Translator )
One of the current research areas in the scientific-military field is the development of Micro Air Vehicles (MAVs), tiny flying objects designed to reach places that cannot (safely) be reached by humans or other devices. One of the key military applications envisioned for MAVs is intelligence gathering (through the stealthy use of cameras, microphones, or other types of sensors); Among the more extreme applications envisaged for such devices is that they could eventually be used as "swarm weapons" that could be used en masse against enemy forces.
Some efforts in MAV research involve attempting to mimic birds or flying insects to achieve flight capabilities not achievable by other means of air propulsion. In 2007, a faulty MAV model with a 3 cm wingspan was shown at a robotics conference, in 2008 the US Air Force released a simulated video using MAVs about the size of bumblebees, and in 2012, Johns Hopkins University engineers studied the butterflies' flight, to “help small flying robots imitate these maneuvers.”
However, the mosquito-like object pictured above is only a conceptual model of a MAV design, not a photo of a real working device “already in production”. And while taking DNA samples or inserting micro-RFID tracking devices under people's skin are MAV applications that might one day be possible, such possibilities currently appear to be more speculative fiction than reality.
Paragraph from: Snopes.com
Our conclusion
The image and the text added later and translated into German naturally stir up fear of the unknown. The entire DNA and RFID story is completely unproven and was not originally included in the picture when it appeared on the Japanese blog in 2005.
Of course there is drone technology, of course there is miniaturization and also secret services, which certainly have an interest in both. But this image, which is now almost 13 years old, and its accompanying text, which is at least 6 years old, are likely to be considered urban legends in this form.
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Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication. The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual contributions were created through the use of machine assistance and were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )

