The teen invents an AI solar-powered tree to safely rid a city of invasive flies only in the sense of a promising prototype, not a proven citywide solution. New Jersey student Selina Zhang created ArTreeficial, a solar-powered artificial tree that uses machine learning to target spotted lanternflies and an electronic mesh to eliminate them, but citywide effectiveness and non-target safety remain unverified.
Spotted lanternflies are invasive planthoppers rather than true flies. ArTreeficial is notable because it combines selective identification with a tree-like host form, yet the evidence currently supports describing the device as a field-tested student invention—not as a commercially deployed system that has cleared a city.
Key takeaways
- Selina Zhang, an 18-year-old student from New Jersey, designed and field-tested ArTreeficial, a solar-powered artificial tree intended to target spotted lanternflies.
- ArTreeficial combines a tree-like lure, machine learning, and an electronic mesh that Smithsonian reported kills spotted lanternflies landing on the device.
- Regeneron reported that Zhang built the prototype for just under $200 and earned eighth place plus a $60,000 award in the 2024 Regeneron Science Talent Search.
- Spotted lanternflies are invasive planthoppers, not true flies; they were first detected in the United States in Berks County, Pennsylvania, in 2014.
- USDA research supports circle traps as a related physical control method, but the available evidence does not establish ArTreeficial’s kill rate, non-target impact, or citywide effectiveness.
- ArTreeficial is a promising student prototype, not a commercially deployed citywide pest-control system.
What is ArTreeficial?
ArTreeficial is the name of Selina Zhang’s solar-powered, artificial-intelligence-assisted device for attracting and eliminating spotted lanternflies. Zhang’s project was titled “ArTreeficial: A Novel AI-Integrated Solution to Reducing Invasive Spotted Lanternfly Populations,” according to the 2024 Society for Science competition listing.
The design resembles a synthetic tree because spotted lanternflies seek tree-like host environments. The device uses machine learning to identify the target insect and an electronic mesh to eliminate spotted lanternflies that land on the structure. Smithsonian described the concept as a “solar-powered, self-cleaning, artificial-intelligence-driven ‘tree’” that attracts spotted lanternflies and uses electronic mesh to kill them.
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The word “tree” describes the form and ecological strategy, not a living plant. The available reporting does not establish the device’s camera model, classifier architecture, electrical specifications, battery capacity, lure chemistry, kill rate, or non-target mortality rate.
How does the AI lanternfly tree work?
The documented concept has four connected parts: a tree-like lure, solar power, machine learning, and electronic elimination.
| Part of ArTreeficial | Documented role | What the sources do not establish |
|---|---|---|
| Synthetic-tree structure | Mimics a host environment that attracts spotted lanternflies | Exact shape, materials, dimensions, and lure chemistry |
| Solar power | Supplies power without requiring a conventional wired connection | Panel size, battery capacity, operating time, and weather durability |
| Machine learning | Intended to distinguish spotted lanternflies from other insects | Training data, camera, algorithm, accuracy, and false-positive rate |
| Electronic mesh | Reportedly kills spotted lanternflies that land on the device | Voltage, contact design, kill rate, and effects on non-target organisms |
Selective identification is the important difference between the concept and a simple sticky surface or electrified insect trap. In principle, an AI system could reduce indiscriminate killing by activating an elimination mechanism only after recognizing the target. In practice, that safety claim requires testing against beneficial insects, look-alike species, weather conditions, and changing insect positions. The reviewed sources do not provide those results.
Who invented the solar-powered lanternfly trap?
Selina Zhang, an 18-year-old student from Annandale, New Jersey, invented and field-tested the ArTreeficial prototype, as reported by Smithsonian Magazine in March 2024. Regeneron also described Zhang’s work as involving design and field testing.
Regeneron reported that the prototype cost just under $200 to build. Zhang received eighth place and a $60,000 award in the 2024 Regeneron Science Talent Search, according to Regeneron’s official 2024 announcement. The award and prototype cost are documented facts, but neither figure demonstrates that the design is ready for commercial manufacture or municipal deployment.
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Why are spotted lanternflies a problem?
Spotted lanternflies (Lycorma delicatula) are invasive planthoppers native to Asia, not true flies. USDA says the insect was first detected in the United States in Berks County, Pennsylvania, in 2014, and that it feeds on sap from plants including grapes, fruit trees, and hardwoods. Sap feeding can weaken plants and create concerns for agricultural hosts.
Tree of heaven is central to the problem because the plant is both invasive and a major spotted-lanternfly host. The USDA Agricultural Research Service explains that tree of heaven is the insect’s “most favored host”. USDA research entomologist Tracy Leskey said, “If we reduce the population of Tree of Heaven, that will help reduce the population of spotted lanternfly.” Managing the insect therefore intersects with managing an invasive plant rather than treating the pest as an isolated nuisance.
Is ArTreeficial proven to safely rid a city of spotted lanternflies?
No. ArTreeficial has been documented as a student prototype with field testing, not as a proven citywide control network. The available sources do not report a citywide deployment, municipal adoption, population-level reduction, peer-reviewed performance result, complete experimental protocol, sample size, control group, long-term durability test, or commercial launch.
“Safely” also needs qualification. Machine-learning identification could support greater selectivity than a trap that captures anything entering it, but the reviewed evidence does not quantify harm to bees, butterflies, moths, vertebrates, or other non-target organisms. A responsible evaluation would measure both target capture and non-target effects over multiple sites and seasons.
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| Claim | Evidence status | Accurate wording |
|---|---|---|
| Solar-powered artificial tree | Documented | ArTreeficial is described as solar-powered and tree-like |
| AI-assisted insect identification | Documented concept | The project uses machine learning to target spotted lanternflies |
| Electronic elimination | Documented description | Smithsonian reported an electronic mesh that kills landing spotted lanternflies |
| Field testing | Documented | Regeneron reported design and field testing |
| Citywide population reduction | Not established | No verified citywide deployment or population-reduction result is reported |
| Commercial availability | Not established | No verified retail launch or complete consumer build specification is reported |
How does ArTreeficial compare with existing lanternfly traps?
ArTreeficial’s most useful evidence-based comparison is with physical circle traps, not with another AI tree. USDA research found that tested circle-trap designs captured spotted lanternflies at rates equivalent to or exceeding sticky bands in Pennsylvania and Virginia studies, while producing fewer non-target captures. The same USDA research record says a tested commercial methyl-salicylate lure did not increase trap captures.
| Approach | Mechanism | Evidence described in the dossier | Key limitation or caution |
|---|---|---|---|
| ArTreeficial | Tree-like lure, machine learning, electronic mesh | Student prototype and field testing | Specific performance and non-target results are not reported |
| Circle trap | Physical funnel-style capture design | USDA research found capture rates equivalent to or better than sticky bands in cited Pennsylvania and Virginia studies | Not an AI device and not the same product as ArTreeficial |
| Sticky band | Adhesive capture around a plant or trunk | Used as a comparison method in USDA studies | USDA research reported more non-target captures than tested circle-trap designs |
| Methyl-salicylate lure | Commercial chemical lure tested with traps | USDA research reported no increase in trap captures in the cited test | A lure test does not validate ArTreeficial’s system |
| Tree-of-heaven management | Reduces a favored invasive host | USDA identifies tree of heaven as the spotted lanternfly’s most favored host | Host-plant management is not the same as operating a capture device |
Readers looking for a conventional physical option can compare a spotted lanternfly trap, but a retail trap is an adjacent product—not ArTreeficial—and should not be presented as having Zhang’s AI or electronic-mesh system. USDA’s research makes non-target capture an important selection criterion, not a marketing afterthought.
Are spotted lanternfly traps safe for bees?
No universal safety claim can be made for spotted lanternfly traps. Safety depends on the trap design, placement, attractant, and whether non-target insects can reach the capture or kill mechanism. ArTreeficial’s proposed AI selectivity may be relevant, but the available sources do not publish a verified bee-safety or non-target mortality rate for the prototype.
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Sticky bands deserve particular care because USDA’s related research found fewer non-target captures with tested circle traps than with sticky bands. Anyone using a physical trap should follow local extension or agriculture-department guidance, inspect the device regularly, and avoid assuming that a product labelled for lanternflies is harmless to every other organism.
Is the teen’s lanternfly invention available to buy?
There is no verified commercial launch or retail listing for ArTreeficial in the sources reviewed. The reported device remains a student prototype, so readers should not assume that a product advertised as an AI lanternfly tree is Zhang’s invention or uses the same design.
What should New Jersey residents know?
New Jersey’s spotted-lanternfly rules affect movement as well as insect control. The New Jersey Department of Agriculture says the entire state is under spotted-lanternfly quarantine. Regulated materials include living life stages, firewood, plants and plant parts, packing materials, outdoor equipment, and vehicles.
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A household or business should check current state guidance before moving those materials out of a quarantine area. A prototype pest-control device does not replace quarantine compliance, host-plant management, or instructions from state agriculture and extension authorities.
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What would ArTreeficial need to prove next?
The next meaningful test would compare ArTreeficial with established physical approaches under the same conditions. Researchers would need to report target capture or kill results, non-target captures, weather and maintenance performance, energy storage, false identifications, operating cost, and results across locations and seasons.
The comparison should also separate monitoring from population control. A device can detect or kill insects at one station without demonstrating that the broader population has declined. Until those measurements are published, the fairest conclusion is that ArTreeficial is an inventive, potentially useful direction for selective pest control—not evidence that a city has already been safely cleared of spotted lanternflies.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is ArTreeficial available to buy?
No. The available sources describe ArTreeficial as a student prototype that was designed and field-tested, not as a commercially available or citywide-deployed pest-control system. No retail launch is verified in the reviewed research.
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Are spotted lanternflies actually flies?
Spotted lanternflies are planthoppers, not true flies. The invasive insect feeds on plant sap and is associated with agricultural hosts such as grapes, fruit trees, and hardwoods.
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The available evidence does not establish that ArTreeficial is safe for bees. Its machine-learning concept is intended to improve selectivity, but no verified bee-safety or non-target mortality rate has been published for the prototype.
What is the best way to control spotted lanternflies?
USDA research supports tested circle traps as a physical comparison: those designs captured spotted lanternflies at rates equivalent to or exceeding sticky bands in cited Pennsylvania and Virginia studies and produced fewer non-target captures. That research does not validate ArTreeficial’s specific performance.
The Bottom Line
ArTreeficial is a New Jersey student’s solar-powered, AI-assisted spotted-lanternfly trap prototype. Its tree-like form, machine learning, and electronic mesh are documented, as are field testing, a just-under-$200 build cost, and Zhang’s $60,000 Regeneron award. Citywide effectiveness, commercial availability, and safety for bees and other non-target organisms remain unproven.
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