Lots of insects = lots of Frass (Wikipedia). "Frass is the fine powdery material phytophagous (plant-eating) insects pass as waste after digesting plant parts.[1] It causes plants to excrete chitinase due to high chitin levels, it is a natural bloom stimulant, and has high nutrient levels. Frass is known to have abundant amoeba, beneficial bacteria, and fungi content. Frass is a microbial inoculant, also known as a soil inoculant, that promotes plant health using beneficial microbes. It is a large nutrient contributor to the rainforest, and it can often be seen in leaf mines.
Bug poop. We're going to be having lots of it to deal with. Purpose of this article is to point out the beneficial properties of it as applicable to soil ammendments, not just something to gather and toss away.
I just left a steaming hot compost pile after having added a five gallon pail of fish parts donated by a relative. It's only just a little over a week old but countless beneficial aerobic bacteria are already doing their thing. Although it contains much of what most people wouldn't dare touch, much less think about composting, I know that thermophilic heat caused by these bacteria is going to render this pile as pasteurized and completely harmless in a very short time.
"How did I do it?", one might ask if they are interested in making compost and have searched the web for the perfect formula to get a compost pile up and working. There is alot of info out there, some free and some supposedly magical things that one pays for, only to discover that one fell for yet more hype designed to prompt one into entering their credit card info for the latest and greatest secret formula.
The secret to making great compost is simply a correct ratio of carbons to nitrogens, or browns and greens, commonly seen as C:N (2:1 for thermophilic composting) and lots of beneficial microbes to start the process, ample moisture and keeping the material aerated or aerobic. The more microbes we start with, the faster we start making compost. So what can we use for a quick start?...
First paragraph... "Frass is a microbial inoculant". In fact, any aerobic manure that has not dried out, from any creature, may be considered as a microbial inoculant as far as I know and that being commonly known farm animals and/or earthworms. "Already made" compost that has not been allowed to dry out is also a great microbial inoculant. That is what I use and have used for years in maintaining ongoing compost piles at my work place. I simply run the finished compost through a sifter to get what I want and recycle the larger particles as the carbon source added to fresh material and as a cover after adding the fresh carbon/nitrogen mixture to help keep pest flies to a minimum.
There is some debate on traditional composting concerning practices of aerating or turning the pile and how often it should be done. My thoughts and practice on that, it depends on the contents of the pile and the duration of the activity of the microbes or heating cycle. If a pile has alot of bulky material that provides air to the pile, it needs less turning frequency than a compact pile made of small particles. Mostly experience and practice will tell one when it's time. If foul odors develop such as septic, sewer and/or strong ammonia, it is certainly time since that would be an indication of anaerobic activity.
Insect frass, while considered by some to be waste and is a common problem to deal with in insect rearing operations as an allergen to workers and possible disease vector and definitely an odorous substance is a valuable commodity and should be considered as part of the whole when setting up and maintaining an insect rearing operation.
My initial thoughts at the beginning of this blog have proven to be correct via research though not so much yet through experience simply because we have not generated large quantities of frass yet. However, the first test run of the Clean Bug System with a screen bottom mealworm enclosure over composting worms did indeed run the course through one-thousand mealworms pupating, with no offensive odors and no mold issues of the mealworm bedding in close proximity to moist worm bedding below. The worms happily made all frass and bedding residue falling through the screen disappear as it was generated. They in turn will only add to the beneficial microbial content of the insect frass as they generate rich worm castings that can be sold or used as one desires.
The only possible negative issue I see in the initial Clean Bug System trial is the propagation of mites in/on the moist worm bin material possibly affecting the contents of the mealworm population directly above it. We expected possible contamination of mites being brought in with the initial worm purchase and we dealt with it via diatomaceous earth as a natural mite remedy which appears to have been successful, but I personally would rather to not need to even have to deal with controlling mites in insect bedding and opt for a better design which is simply a complete physical separation of the insect population above from the composting worm bedding below.
No problem. When one looks at a commercial composting earthworm operation with rows upon rows of earthworms, just imagine suspended rows of screen or larger mesh bottom enclosures, depending on the insect frass size above or a simple vacuum system to collect insect frass from dedicated insect rearing rooms and be deposited in nearby dedicated composting worm facilities. My original concept of an outdoor grasshopper enclosure suspended over a grass bed containing earthworms would be a good example of the former I think. It could be the same indoors having cages suspended from the ceiling with worm beds on the floor and artificial lighting or greenhouse construction to meet the lumination needs of the grasshoppers.
Whatever we finally end up doing, be assured it will deal with insect frass in a positive way for all factors involved in the rearing of whatever insect. When life gives you poop, make compost! The alternative is what man has devised over the years which has turned out to be, at least in my mind, two of the worst inventions ever in the history of modern times, the practice of heaping waste into holes dug into the earth that contaminates our ground water supplies and the use of clean water to transport waste water to treatment facilities. The choice to me is a no-brainer. :)
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