Inverts for Every Occassion
I've been thinking a lot about Inverts today and I have so many Wild and Wacky ideas, it's great.
There are so many ways I want to incorporate insects into my Future Plans and Current plans, it's so exciting!
Honeybees for honey, of course... Native bees for more efficient pollination and conservation... Black soldier fly larvae for waste management and poultry/livestock/fish/reptile feed... Mealworms as additional feeders and by-product management... Native Parcoblatta* wood roaches for additional feeders with little input... Waxworms for feeders and fishing bait**... Dermastid beetles for bone cleaning and taxidermy... Silkworms for fiber and poultry/fish food***...
There's so much out there, there's a bug for Everything. And heck, even PEOPLE can eat most of these too and some of them are apparantly pretty tasty?? But even if that isn't your jam, there's no denying that invertebrates can contribute so much. I think it's the coolest thing and I never want to stop raising them, even as my plans adapt and change, I'll always keep inverts.
*An underappreciated genus, and they're 100% native to where we live!! Isn't that awesome?? Not that other species aren't equally as incredible, but the idea of a native roach species so perfectly adapted to here that can't cause infestations, is cute, and produces well is so cool.
**Something I want to get into this year. I like fish but salmon is horrific for the environment and as I'm currently living on a Sam Walmart income, it would be a really affordable and sustainable way to provide some extra protein for us...plus Jessie's opa used to go fishing a lot and it would be a nice way to get him out of the house and spend time with him.
***I think silkworms are really neat!! And silk is such a cool fiber, and it's all produced by little lads that only consume frickin' Mulberry Leaves, which just so happen to come from one of the most exciting and useful fruit trees ever. They're truly a triple-purpose tree. Leaves for silk production and fodder for livestock, berries for livestock feed (everbearing mulberries can drop TORRENTS of berries for 2-4 MONTHS in good conditions!!!), and of course for fresh eating and preserves for people too!! And trees in general are invaluable for what they contribute to the environment. O2 production, soil erosion reduction, biodiversity, shelter for livestock (which improves welfare and production), Enrichment for livestock (let hogs be hogs!! Letting them forage for their own food is A+ enrichment AND it reduces feed costs SIGNIFICANTLY while improving health and end product, AND it's as sustainable as it gets!!!!), JUST SO MUCH. IT'S GREAT. And of course as said the leaves can be fed to silkworms to produce silk and highly nutritious pupae for omnivorous/insectivorous animals. The ONLY problem I see with it is that I can't find any truly 100% humane method of euthenizing the pupae without causing harm. It's the only thing keeping me from actually including silkworms in my Future Plans right now. Otherwise another fiber to work with and another great insect to rear is fricking awesome, and they would contribute so much to the Sustainability Loop, but I can't do it myself in good conscious if they aren't ended humanely. I hope to figure out a good solution to that one day, though!
