Imagine being hungry, opening your refrigerator and pulling out an insect salad, or some leftover boiled bugs? As strange as this idea sounds to our western ears, most of the inhabitants of the earth eat insects and love it. In fact nearly 80% of the people in the world eat bugs as part of their diet. Before you begin to wonder if most of the world has gone insane, you might want to know that insects are highly nutritious. Not only do they pack protein, but they also have a lot of essential vitamins and minerals. Eating insects is healthy.

Insects that you can Eat

Before you run outside and start eating every insect you can find, just remember that not all insects are edible. Experts suggest that you avoid eating the brightly colored ones, especially if they are red, orange, and yellow. These insects are colored this way to warn predators that they are backing poison, toxins or other thing you don’t want to consume. If the bug is black, brown or green, grab a fork. Here are a few of edible insects that live around Virginia.

• Ants: When you see ants in your home, you usually call Green Pest Service to take care of the problem, but you could also be eating the problem. As nasty as it sounds, most ants are edible; carpenter ants, red harvester ants, you name it. If you boil them, you can eliminate the strong vinegar taste. Ants are high in protein, iron and are an excellent source of calcium.
• Grasshoppers and crickets: You might want to remove their spiky jumping legs and wings before you give it a try, but grasshoppers and crickets are edible. They are high in protein, unsaturated fats, and they even have a bit of iron and calcium.
• Bee Larva: As nasty as eating larva sounds, it is pretty sweet. Bee larvae pack a lot of protein, and are high in B2 vitamins and copper. They might not taste like honey, but you will get the energy you need.
• Beetles: One of the most common insects to eat is mealworms, which are the larva of the mealworm beetle. They have a slight nutty taste and are great in stir fry. Beetles have a ton of protein. In fact one serving of palmworm beetle can have as much as 36 grams of protein. They also are high in calcium, iron, and zinc.

Green Pest Services

If you decide that eating insects is not that method of control that you want around your house, feel free to put down your fork and call Green Pest Services. When it comes to pest control in the Alexandria area, we mean business. Our technicians are certified pest control experts. We keep current on the newest an best methods for pest elimination. When you want a home that is free of pests, give us a call.