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BEETLESS opens laboratory at East Stroudsburg University: expanding research in the fight against the Spotted Lanternfly 

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Co-founded by its parent company DroneUA, whose ecosystem also includes FarmFleet, the startup Beetless has entered a new stage of its activities by opening its own laboratory at East Stroudsburg University (ESU) in Pennsylvania. As part of its collaboration with the ESU Innovation Center, Beetless is joining the local research ecosystem focused on studying the invasive pest Spotted Lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) — one of the most serious agricultural challenges on the U.S. East Coast. The university is engaged in a program to cultivate pest populations at a specialized site in Stroudsburg, enabling year-round observation of the Spotted Lanternfly’s behavior and life cycle under controlled conditions. This is why the new laboratory has become a platform for deeper research into the pest’s biology, testing new iterations of Beetless systems, and expanding collaboration with the university’s researchers.

Already at the MVP stage, the Beetless team demonstrated the effectiveness of its system in detecting and capturing Spotted Lanternfly imago (adult stage). Specifically, the Beetless solution operates as a controlled attraction system based on the natural sensory logic of L. delicatula. Data obtained from the initial stages of field research laid the foundation for further development — in particular, the creation of Beetless 2.0, designed to target the pest’s entire life cycle, from egg to imago.
To this day, the Spotted Lanternfly remains a significant source of damage to U.S. agriculture, particularly affecting vineyards, apple orchards, forest stands, and ornamental crops. Its spread has already been recorded in more than 14 U.S. states, and the threat of further expansion continues to grow.
Alternative bioengineering-based solutions, such as Beetless, have the potential to transform the approach to pest population management by reducing dependence on pesticides and providing farmers with a tool for preventive response.
In this context, partnerships with universities such as ESU make it possible to scale the technology by adapting it to different conditions and ecosystems, marking another significant step toward creating a new paradigm of agricultural protection — one built on safety, sustainability, and advanced technology.
The BEETLESS team continues its research and work at the intersection of biology, robotics, and sustainable agriculture, setting new standards in addressing global agrarian challenges.