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Beetles and humans

very little land, and produce very little carbon

dioxide per pound of protein produced, so they

represent a sustainable alternative to almost all

other meat sources, and may have an important

role to play in the future in feeding a growing

human population.

As in most things, beetles feature largely in the

list of edible insects, especially the larvae, which

are generally bulkier than the adults, easier to

collect in quantity, and lack the hard chitinous

exoskeleton. The larvae of weevils (Curculionoidea)

and scarabs (Scarabaeoidea) are among the most

popular; they contain no noxious chemicals, can

SOURCE OF FOOD

Insects have probably always formed part of the

human diet, and still do in most parts of the world

today. It is only in Europe and North America

that people have generally turned their backs on

“entomophagy,” as the eating of insects is called.

In the Bible Lands at the time of the writing of

the Old Testament, the eating of certain insects

was explicitly encouraged (while mollusks and

crustaceans were considered unclean).

Probably in more northern countries, where

insects are few, small, and seasonal, and thus

difficult to harvest in quantity, while marine

invertebrates such as shellfish, crabs, and lobsters

are large and abundant all year round (and

stay fresh longer in the cooler climates), these

preferences were reversed, and now insect eating

seems strange and unpleasant to many Europeans

and North Americans who would not think twice

about a plate of oysters or shrimp. However,

insects breed rapidly, can be fed cheaply, require

left | Rhynchophorus ferrugineus

(Curculionidae) Palm weevil

larvae fried with garlic and chili

on a bed of rice, served as a bar

snack in southern Thailand.

above | Tenebrio molitor

(Tenebrionidae) Usually

ground into flour, but here

entire mealworm larvae

are served as an alternative

to meat.