A local group of former and current University of Minnesota students says they have a hands-free, eco-friendly solution to the invasive Japanese beetles that wreak havoc on plants, flowers, shrubs and trees.  

“We don’t want to spray insecticides on our plants, and you know, which homeowner does?” said Aditya Prabhu, with Alure LLC.

Alure claims to have Japanese beetle prevention “reinvented” — this summer, they plan to continue gathering data on their invention so they can share it with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for approval. 

They formed the partnership while in school together. 

“Our goal with this entire company and with this product specifically, is to reach as many people as possible,” said Mohamed Hammedelniel, who is also with Alure and is still a senior at the U of M.

Their product is a netting in the shape of a cone that attracts and kills the insects. 

“There’s a lure on the inside, the bugs come in, and then they land on the netting trying to get at the lure,” said James Duquette with Alure. “And as they walk around, they get just a tiny bit of an insecticide, just enough to be able to kill them.”

The team says the insecticide is built into the net, there’s no spraying needed, and they hope to have it on local store shelves by the summer of 2026.

In 2024, Alure and their invention were part of the MN Cup, where they won the student division and took home $25,000. They say that money helped with manufacturing and the ability to gather the data needed for the EPA.