Edible insects, a delicious and nutritious superfood, are becoming a lot more popular in Western cultures. Many species can be farmed with much less land, water and feed compared to other larger livestock (e.g. cows) and they emit minimal greenhouse gases. Raising grasshoppers in colder climates is usually done in climate-controlled areas indoors with the highest inputs being heat, fresh water and feed. The main purpose of this experimental project was to reduce these inputs by raising a native grasshopper species outdoors during the summer. This project showed that this method can be used to reduce inputs required to raise them indoors, however, more research would be needed to develop the best techniques to do so. Grass was grown inside their enclosure, which provided sufficient water and feed. The project was done during the summer taking advantage of the higher temperatures. The enclosure was build with materials purchased from the AMS sustainability fund.

In the second part of the project, we collaborated with Sprouts to put on an edible insects themed event. There was a very big turn out and a lot of interest. The grasshopper project was explained and there was a discussion about edible insects with insect food samples provided for everyone. The event was a huge success!

If you would like to learn more about the project or edible insects in general visit www.bonbug.com .

Blog post written by Dominique Goulet