Thursday, February 16, 2012

Raising Grasshoppers?

Hmmm.  Doesn't seem to be anyone in the US raising or supplying live grasshoppers.  I wonder why?  They seem to be pretty high on the desirable list of bug eaters, as well as people raising reptiles and I know they're excellent fish bait.  Found a video about a restaurant in California being made to stop selling grasshopper taco's...


Added some of my grasshopper research links here and am making a prediction...whoever figures out and successfully raises and supplies grasshoppers in the US will be very well off!  There is absolutely no competition I can find, not to say there is none for sure, I just can't find any!

Why not a screen enclosure on all sides with a worm bin underneath that has wheat grass and alfalfa growing in it?  As the grasses grow up into the bottom of the enclosure the grasshoppers would keep it cut by the eating of it and fertilize the worm bed beneath with their frass?  Seems like a plan to try along with everything else this year. :)

1 comment:

  1. Lot to say about this. The most important thing is what the news clip leaves out: the real problem with Mexican grasshoppers -- known as 'chapulines' -- is that they're quite often contaminated with lead, including very high levels that could definitely neurologically damage small children and pregnant mothers. [as to WHY this important information is left out of the clip, that's another matter].

    As to raising grasshoppers: great idea, but it's a bit harder than raising crickets because 'hoppers tend to succumb to bacterial and fungal infections when cooped up. Still, it can be done -- there's just more trial-and-error involved.

    There is clearly a market for this menu item.

    Last thing: I can supply large, frozen 'hoppers from Thailand, but it's disturbing to think of all those food-miles. It undermines the notion of insects as the most environmentally-friendly food if they're shipped half-way around the world.

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