Aditya Prabhu from the University of Minnesota has taken experiences from his childhood to develop an eco-friendly way to capture and kill invasive beetles, the Star Tribune reported.
His mother used to grow peaches in her backyard, but Japanese beetles often compromised the delicious harvest.
The little critters would devour the plant's leaves, depriving it of the energy necessary to fruit. With that memory in mind, Prabhu wanted to find a way to get rid of the pests without the need for pesticides — which his mother actively avoided.
"The tree would be completely covered by the Japanese beetles because of their preference of fruit trees and orchards," he told the Star Tribune. "The whole point of growing them in the backyard was so we could do it organically, but we'd only have one to two peaches because the trees were so exhausted."
With assistance from finance major James Duquette, the computer engineering student took inspiration from fast-filling pheromone traps to come up with a solution that would capture more insects without some escaping.
The contraption has one net containing pheromones that lure the beetles inside, and they then come into contact with an insecticide lining. After becoming immobilized, the insects fall into a second net and die. Impressively, the beetle-busting balm is perfectly safe for humans and pets to be in contact with.
"The problem with traditional pheromone traps is the sheer quantity of Japanese beetles; those traps can fill up within days with hundreds of thousands of beetles," Prabhu said. "Our trap is really promising because you don't have to [dump out] the traps as they get full. This attracts and kills, instead of attracts and baits."
Japanese beetles, which are a particular problem in the Twin Cities area, can be a nightmare for crop and plant cultivation. With that in mind, Prabhu and Duquette are looking to partner with farms to help improve crop yields in a way that doesn't have a massive impact on profits. After securing $8,000 in corporate funding, they are going to take their trap to the masses, the Star Tribune reported.
Whether it's Japanese beetles, Asian hornets, or spotted lanternflies, dealing with troublesome pests in a chemical-free manner is beneficial for all. Prabhu's traps ensure that harmful insects can be killed without toxic substances traveling through the air and risking human health, while the traps can also reduce the risk of soil contamination through spraying.
There are plenty of safe, environmentally friendly ways to deal with garden critters, including trap crops or adding insect-repellent onions and garlic to soil. But doing so on a large scale can be tricky, and Prabhu's solution could make a huge difference to healthy crop production in Minnesota — and protect the health of the state's residents.
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