Millennium Bugs

Insect proteins have been authorized by the European Union in fish, poultry, pig and domestic animal feed, where they are establishing themselves as a regular component. Protein raw materials for traditional feed, such as soybean meal and meat and fish by-products, are increasingly less sustainable and competing with direct human use. The European Commission has said insects could replace soya-based animal feed, helping to slow deforestation, or even provide an alternative source of protein for humans. Studies show that insects can provide the same amount of protein as livestock using only 10% [1] of the land and producing only 1% of the emissions [2].
In 2021, the European Union approved feeding insect proteins to chickens and pigs [3], a practice already permitted for farmed fish. And it has since pioneered the sale of yellow worms, migratory locusts and house crickets to humans, to be eaten whole or reduced to protein for pasta, granola bars and other foods [4]. As regulatory hurdles fall, dozens of startups in Europe are betting on a growing market for edible insects. By 2030, European companies will produce 1 million tonnes [5] of insect-based animal feed every year, and 390 million Europeans [6] will munch on some form of insect-based food. The breeding of edible insects for zootechnical use, for pet food and for human consumption represents a choice of environmental sustainability, both in comparison with other animal protein productions and because, for the growth of the larvae, organic waste and by-products are used , thus reducing waste production and food waste to the benefit of the circular economy.

Since the beginning of the third millennium, the role of insects has been invested with new potential and meanings of an economic, social and aesthetic nature: Millennium Bugs tells the Italian experiments linked to the use of insects as a new protein source for feed and the ongoing research to produce food for human use recently approved by the European Union.

Inside a prototype aviary, Marco Meneguz, entomologist and researcher, checks the sexual reproduction of Black Soldier Flies (Hermetia illucens) in the "BEF Biosystem" laboratories at Casalnoceto, Alessandria, Italy. The aviary has an extension of 24 square meters and can accommodate up to 240.000 specimens.

Male specimens of Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia illucens) court females with a mating ritual (LEK Mating) in the laboratories of "BEF Biosystem" at Casalnoceto, Alessandria, Italy. The blue light spectrum that illuminates the environment allows insects to see each other better and stimulates reproduction that lasts up to 7-10 days.

Two specimens of Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia illucens) reproduce on a contact net in the laboratories of "BEF Biosystem" at Casalnoceto, Alessandria, Italy.

The Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia illucens)
Despite the threat suggested by its name, the Black Soldier Fly is completely harmless, at least to humans. The absence of a mouth means that it cannot bite and as an adult it lives thanks to the fat reserves accumulated during the larval stage, tiny white spots hidden in the abdomen from which the specific epithet derives: Hermetia illucens.
The only fights undertaken during his short life are those of love, violent dances of male specimens fighting to be chosen by females. «The urgency of the adult soldier fly is to find a partner, perform the nuptial flight and lay eggs for the next generation. During “lekking” the males gather in a courtship ritual characterized by fights and competitive displays to entice the females to choose the winners for mating». Marco Meneguz is an entomologist, development and research manager of the laboratories of Bef Biosystem, a very young start-up located between Turin and Casalnoceto (AL) that breeds soldier flies to create insect flour, oil and fat to be used as an alternative and sustainable food component for animal feed.
His voice echoes in a nursery painted with a singular blue light, an experimental aviary that can contain up to 240,000 specimens of Black Soldier Fly. «The lamps generate a color temperature that allows the flies to see each other better, triggering reproductive activity» continues Meneguz. «Here the females lay eggs which hatch in a few days. The sowing process therefore continues in the bioconverters, where the best growth conditions of the newborn larvae are replicated».

Some specimens of trout (Salmo ghigii) feed on live larvae of Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia illucens) at the fish hatchery of Luserna San Giovanni, Turin, Italy. Since June 2022, an experiment has been underway to test insect derivatives as an alternative and more sustainable feed for aquaculture.

A sample of black soldier fly flour produced in the laboratories of the bugsfarm "Bugslife" in Bevagna, Perugia, Italy.

Carola Mileto, industrial biotechnologist, feeds trout fry with feed enriched with Black Soldier Fly larvae (Hermetia illucens) meal at the fish hatchery of Luserna San Giovanni, Turin, Italy. «Traditional feed intended for fish farming also consists of fishmeal, a product that is no longer sustainable due to overfishing which impoverishes marine ecosystems».

The bioconverters represent the technological core of the bugsfarm: in this cutting-edge farm, fly larvae are sown and their insatiable voracity is exploited to dispose of organic waste from the local economy. These are patented machines with a high level of efficiency filled with a diet obtained from appropriately liquefied organic waste.
The larvae manage to dispose of enormous masses of derivatives from the food industry and, at the same time, allow the production of feed, biofuels and soil improvers, without wasting raw materials. Soldiers of sustainability. Inside the bioconverters, «millions of larvae live and behave as a single body. They need their companions to be able to feed themselves and form vortices that devour the diet” continues the entomologist. Seeing them in action in the digesters generates an unexpected fascination: eddies of larvae envelop each other as if to form a swirling and rustling carpet spread over the food diet which in a few days will be transformed into compost, frass and other soil improvers for the agriculture or biomass for the energy sector.

As part of the "Welfare and Use of Insects in Monogastric Diets (WISE)" experimentation, Simona Belpiero, veterinary researcher, weaned some piglets with live Black Soldier Fly larvae at the experimental animal house of the University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy. The experiment involves the use of live larvae and fly meal as a protein source in partial replacement of soy meal.

Piglets feed on live Black Soldier Fly larvae at the experimental animal house of the University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy. In zootechnical farms, the competition for the management of spaces and for food can lead to "anomalous" behaviors which are expressed in tail biting. The live larvae also act as an element of environmental enrichment by reducing competitions against other conspecifics.

In the experimental animal house of the University of Bologna, Prof. Luca Sardi monitors the feeding behavior of the pigs involved in the "Welfare and Use of Insects in Monogastric Diets (WISE)" experiment. In addition to being a source of protein, live Black Soldier Fly larvae are a resource of environmental enrichment and psychological stimulation as they trigger curiosity and play in the pigs locked up.

Fish farming and livestock farms
The production of fishmeal and fish oil causes the loss of millions of tonnes of fish in nature, in favor of the needs of the feed industry. Many fish are caught to produce fishmeal, which will then be used to feed other farmed specimens. Traditional feed for fish farming also consists of fish meal, a product that is no longer sustainable due to overfishing which impoverishes marine ecosystems, which is why possible alternatives are being tested.
In June 2022, a food experiment involving 200 specimens of adult trout and thousands of fry fed with live larvae and black soldier fly flour began in the Luserna San Giovanni hatchery in the province of Turin. Here is the biologist Carola Mileto to illustrate the aims of this research: «Traditional feed intended for fish farming also consists of fish meal, a product that is no longer sustainable due to overfishing which impoverishes marine ecosystems, which is why to which possible alternatives are being tested. Many fish, in fact, are caught solely to produce derivatives to feed other farmed specimens: this causes the loss of millions of tons of fish species, in favor of the needs of the feed industry.” The experimentation with the new feed based on flour and larvae «is not highlighting significant differences compared to traditional feed as regards survival, growth and fertility rates, demonstrating that it could be integrated without causing negative effects» explains the biologist Mileto.

Black Soldier Fly larvae (Hermetia illucens) specimens during some bioconversion experiments at the "BEF Biosystem" laboratories in Casalnoceto, Alessandria, Italy. The larvae can feed on various decomposing organic materials, both of animal and vegetable origin.

The seeding substrate of Black Soldier Fly larvae (Hermetia illucens) is poured into a bioconverter in the laboratories of "BEF Biosystem" at Casalnoceto, Alessandria, Italy. The livestock diet is a liquid composed of by-products of vegetable origin such as fruit, vegetables, beer grains, soybean waste and other organic waste material from the food chain recovered from the local economy.

A bioconverter in the laboratories of "BEF Biosystem" at Casalnoceto, Alessandria, Italy. Inside, 90kg of larvae transform the growing substrate into an organic residue similar to soil, rich in fertilizing and soil improver properties. The organic residue can be used as compost in agriculture or as an energy resource to power biogas power plants.

At the end of the bioconversion process Trent Barber aspirates the grown larvae and the digested organic material at "BEF Biosystem" at Casalnoceto, Alessandria, Italy. After two weeks of digestion, the larvae are ripe to be destined for animal feeding and the growth substrate which has become compost is sold to the agricultural sector.

Replacing soy flour with alternative protein sources, preferably locally derived, involves reducing land use, energy and associated emissions. In March 2023, the WISE project began in the experimental facility of the Department of Veterinary Sciences of the University of Bologna, an acronym for “Welfare and Use of Insects in Monogastric Diets” in which 100 pigs will be fed for a year with live larvae and insect flour.
In addition to guaranteeing nutritional needs on a par with traditional soy-based feed, the introduction of live larvae also acts as an element of “environmental enrichment” specifies Professor Luca Sardi, representative of the University’s Pig Production and Welfare Unit from Bologna who together with the doctoral student Simona Belperio will experiment with the integrated nutrition formula for a year. «In livestock farming, competitions often arise for space management and feeding which can lead to “anomalous” behavior which ends up being expressed through tail biting. The distribution of the larvae throughout the day occurs through a prototype of dispensers and should direct the piglet’s activity towards enrichment, reducing competition against other conspecifics. Furthermore, the lauric acid contained in insect fat appears to have antimicrobial activity and therefore should allow for better intestinal health of the animal with repercussions also on the well-being of the pig itself».

Silvia Berton uses a vibrating sieve to separate Tenebrio molitor larvae from the seeding substrate in the bugsfarm "Italian Cricket Farm" in Scalenghe, Turin, Italy.

A breeding of Locusta Gregaria intended for animal feed in the "Italian Cricket Farm" bugsfarm in Scalenghe, Turin, Italy.

Fabio Gariglio checks a stock of Kaimano larvae (Zophobas Morio) for feeding reptiles in the "Italian Cricket Farm" bugsfarm in Scalenghe, Turin, Italy.

The cricket flour for human consumption
Italian Cricket Farm is the largest insect farm for food use in Italy. It is located in Scalenghe in the province of Turin and every year around 200 thousand crickets are bred on 3 thousand square meters of surface area. The house cricket (Acheta domesticus) is an incredible source of nutrition for animals and humans and is a great ally of sustainability. 1.7 kg of feed is needed to produce 1kg of crickets, while 10 are needed to obtain 1kg of beef. Crickets have an extraordinary protein value: 69%, approximately double that of beef. Unlike plant proteins, they are complete and high quality, containing all essential amino acids. Crickets are a rich source of fiber and minerals such as calcium and iron (over double compared to spinach), vitamin B12 (deficient in vegetarian and vegan diets) and omega 3 fatty acids. For five years the company has been engaged in a research process for the production of domestic cricket flour for human use and is awaiting final authorization from The European Food Safety Authority.
At Italian Cricket Farm, the equivalent of protein is produced by a stable that slaughters a cow every four days, with a decidedly lower environmental impact. The biologist Stefano Magnaghi, responsible for the novel food application “Cricket Flour, Acheta domesticus” presented to the EU, controls the processing phases. «The protein value of crickets is extraordinary», he explains, «69 percent, double that of beef». Acheta is also an ally of sustainability: 1.7 kilos of feed are enough to produce one kilo of crickets, while ten are needed to obtain one kilo of beef.