REGENERATIVE SPOTTED LANTERNFLY-BASED FOOD SYSTEM

Regenerative Spotted Lanternfly-Based Food System

Collaborators - Ava Maghsoodlou, Nick Bouffard

The aim of this project is twofold. First, it seeks to produce a medicinal honey, known as honeydew honey, by feeding bees the secretions of Spotted Lanternflies (SLF). Second, it aims to reduce the population of this invasive species in the United States.

The Spotted Lanternfly (SLF), a planthopper indigenous to China and Vietnam, has emerged as a significant invasive threat in North America, with Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, alone accounting for nearly one-quarter of all U.S. sightings. This project addresses the ecological challenge by leveraging the SLF's symbiotic relationship with the Tree of Heaven, another invasive Chinese species, which serves as the primary source for the insect's honeydew. By harvesting this byproduct to produce medicinal honey, we aim to transform a pervasive environmental burden into a high-value medicinal resource.

System

Our project proposes a plan that starts in public parks around Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, and ends with the distribution of the produced Honeydew Honey. We plan to take saplings of the invasive Tree of Heaven and replant them in several public parks, where they can be watered and maintained by the existing park maintenance service. Our trap (explained below), positioned around the Tree of Heaven, attracts and traps Spotted Lanternflies. The Tree of Heaven acts as a home and source of nourishment to these Lanternflies. Their secretion, known as Honeydew, is collected and transported to a centralized aviary where it is bottled and fed to a colony of bees. This Honeydew Honey produced has shown to have medicinal properties, and allows for a second round of honey harvest.

The Honeydew Honey is collected to be given to Medical NGOs in need, and sold at the site to the public. Proceeds from these sales go towards paying workers, and maintenance costs.

Spotted Lanternflies reproduce at a yearly cycle. From October to April, the eggs are in dormancy. Starting early May, they hatch and enter their first instar. They reproduce in July. We begin set up with the installation of groundwater pipes in September of year 1. By October, our root barriar, runoff collection system and enclosure are installed. The Tree of Heaven is transplanted in November (2 per park). The following May, the traps are installed.

The tree is watered daily at 6:00 am using an automated system. Watered-down honeydew is filtered and collected in bins (explained in detail below), which are then collected manually around 7:00-9:00 am daily. The honeydew water mixture is transported to the centralized aviary using electric trucks, where it undergoes reverse osmosis. Honeydew is fed to the bees, and the excess water is transported to the groundwater recharge facility. Organic waste is collected in separate bins, which are cleaned out manually on a weekly basis. This waste is transported to a compost facility.

The Spotted Lanternfly eggs are eradicated at the end of every cycle using neem oil. They are collected into the waste bins and are transported to the compost facility along with other organic waste.

Trap
The Tree of Heaven Sapling is transplanted into a root barrier to ensure containment of its toxins. A 24-foot-tall structure is constructed around the sapling to contain the incoming Spotted Lanternflies.

The structure stands on four wooden poles, which vibrate at a 60 Hz frequency to attract the Spotted Lanternflies. The top is constructed of two transparent panels placed at a 120° angle to hold two solar panels that power this sprinkler system. Sprinklers that rotate at a 45° angle run all along this structure.

Circle traps, similar to those currently used to trap Lanternflies, are placed along these poles at different heights.

Two metallic panels are placed around the tree, 5 feet off the ground, at a 120° angle. Water runoff is sent down this resulting slope into a gutter that separates the liquid from fallen debris (see figure right). Water is sent through a filter to further remove foreign particles and stored in a removable collection bin. A hose attached to this bin allows for a manual transfer of the Honeydew water into containers used for transportation to the aviary.
Large fallen debris falls onto the incline and down into the bins below. Smaller debris washed into the inner channel, along with the water runoff, is filtered out above the water storage bin. Both are removed manually.

Model

Showcased in the ID Triennial 2025 at Woods-Gerry Gallery, RISD.