Welcome to Gourmet Bugs, a journey into Entomophagy.

Custom designing, building and using our own ideas to farm gourmet bugs, edible insects for human consumption, known as Entomophagy.  There will be some by-products such as worms used for fishbait, castings produced by vermicomposting insect poop and other things.

Have many years interest and activities with raising worms.  My favorite is Eisenia hortensis, otherwise best known as the European Nightcrawler.

So this whole concept of Entomophagy is pretty new to me other than a couple of worms at the bottom of tequila bottles many moons ago!  Christmas of 2010, my daughter along with her husband gave me some joke gifts of edible insects they purchased online.  At the time, I thought to save them and if they had to be eaten it would mean we surely had fallen on hard times.  Well, off and on since then I have seen video and read articles about people eating bugs.

So a few days ago I broke down and just did it...I ate the bugs!  Much to my surprise they were delicious.  Crickets taste like sunflower kernels with a bit of almond tossed in and mealworms much like fried crispy bacon fat.  Did not care for the chocolate ants or the mystery various other chocolate covered bugs and it's pretty plain they were old so I'm looking forward to fresh, homegrown gourmet bugs I grew myself in a system unlike anything else I can find in the big world of  Entomophagy or even raising insects for bait or pet feed. 

I tried raising mealworms a few years back inside my home but the odor was not pleasing and crickets, which I plan to add later smell horrible after a few days.  I believe this is due to the method of raising them and my system will completely remove all frass (feces) from within the bedding or otherwise insect enclosure.

This idea is far from original.  A fella on YouTube, username HALLIBU77 I believe, created a video about a mealworm system of a screen-bottom tray for his Darkling Beetles so the eggs would fall through to the larvae tray.  He and I exchanged a few comments and ideas which led to my indoor attempt but it was not too long before my better half complained of the odor so the whole project was abandoned until now.

Rabbit farmers have been raising rabbits for years while incorporating composting earthworms under the hutches.  This greatly if not completely reduces odors and in turn reduces pests and neighbor complaints, not to mention is healthier for the livestock.  I'm taking the screen bottom idea another step by building a modular stacking system, using varying sizes of wire mesh so not only will the insect's fecal waste pass through the beetle tray, but will also pass through the larval trays and ultimately fall into a vermicomposting earthworm bin at the bottom.

If this proves positive, there will be no offensive odors and my gourmet insects will not wallow in their own fecal matter.  The system will provide ventilation throughout, including for the vermi residents in the bottom while also prohibiting their escape.  Once set up, I see very little need for maintenance to keep things running smoothly.

So here's where we are.  The modular system prototype is being built.  Have 1,000 mealworms and one pound of E hortensis worms on the way.  We will just have to see how it goes!    

I own the domain, www.GourmetBugs.com  that will have a website to go with it later on.  Stick around. :)