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Mealworm larvae have the potential to be a future food and feed. One of the difficulties in rearing mealworms efficiently, is their need for both dry and wet feed. Extensive research has been done on dry feed and distributing this feed is easy with the existing technology. However, the wet feed (frequently chopped up vegetables) comes with several challenges. The nature of the wet feed (neither solid nor liquid) complicates automation, making manual feeding still the norm in many farms. This may result in an unequal distribution of the wet feed. The goal of this study was to assess the influence of distance to the wet feed (substituted by agar) on density, growth rate and growth rate variability of mealworm larvae. The entire larval growth stage was assessed from less than 1 mg up to more than 100 mg, as differences in mobility were expected for different sized larvae. The results indicate that the distribution of the agar plays a major role in the distribution and growth of the larvae, with less larvae and a decrease in growth rate observed when the agar was more than 5 to 10 cm away from the larvae. Few mealworms were found more than 15 cm from the agar, and their growth was inhibited resulting in a biomass up to 150 times lower than near the agar. The effects were mainly observed in larvae weighing less than 30 mg, heavier mealworms were mobile enough to crawl to and from the agar. Based on the results, and in order to ensure that all larvae sizes grow equally well and are well distributed in the crate, we strongly advise against distances of 10 cm or more and we recommend the placement of wet feed within 5 cm from the larvae.

Open Access
In: Journal of Insects as Food and Feed
In: Proceedings of the 21st European Symposium on Poultry Nutrition
Also available as E-book see basics-edible-insect-rearing For more information about the e-book, please contact Sales.
Looking for a handbook on how to design and upscale edible insect rearing? This easy to read handbook describes the basic knowledge and a detailed step-by-step plan for rearing edible insects. The book presents information essential for further development of the entire insect chain and contains many practical recommendations for the start/setup of professional insect rearing. The reader is first submerged into the fascinating world of edible insects such as black soldier fly, housefly, mealworm, cricket, and locust. A concise overview is provided to get more familiar with the biology and physiology of edible insects. Based on this basic knowledge the book focuses on design principles for large scale insect production, facility design, engineering, insect production management, management of unwanted organisms, economics, and aspects related to the legal framework. The chief editor, co-editors and lead authors of the chapters are from Belgium, Denmark and The Netherlands. These countries have a tradition of professional insect rearing. Reading this handbook will contribute to a successful entrepreneurship in edible insect rearing. This handbook also contains very interesting teaching materials for secondary, higher, and university education.contains very interesting teaching materials for secondary, higher, and university education.

Abstract

Black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) is considered a farmed animal. The larvae live in a moist substrate, which leads to a complex interaction with the microbial community. As such the combined metabolism of the insects and that of the microbial community can ultimately lead to all sorts of emissions such as ammonia and greenhouse gases. For ammonia emissions and associated depositions, it is known that this can lead to eutrophication of local ecosystems and the formation of particulate matter which can affect human health. This issue is known for intensive livestock farming where in some Western European countries this has led to specific regulations, for example limited number of livestock per farm, to control ammonia emissions. The production of black soldier fly larvae is a novel activity that could similarly lead to ammonia emissions. This study introduces a new method to quantify ammonia emissions in an industrial setting using an accumulation chamber and validates the findings with a nitrogen mass balance. Additionally, different feed substrates (Gainesville diet, chicken feed, artificial supermarket waste and brewers spent grains) were assessed with varying crude protein concentrations, hypothetically one of the driving factors affecting emissions. Results indicate significant ammonia emissions, the total emissions during larval growth ranged from 2.6 up to 83.6 g N/kg larvae (dry matter basis) and depend strongly on the diet. The rates at which these emissions are produced are negligible during the first three days. In the following days all diets emitted ammonia at a varying rate. The highest observed hourly emission rate for test substrates could be as low as 6.8 mg N/kg initial substrate (dry matter basis) and as high as 306 mg/kg. Different properties of the feed, such as the initial crude protein concentration, but also how the pH changes throughout larval growth, will affect emissions.

Open Access
In: Journal of Insects as Food and Feed