It might surprise you that the average person accidentally ingests 1-2 pounds of flies, maggots, and other bugs without even knowing it each year. And while you might find eating insects repugnant, not everyone does.

In fact, 2 billion people worldwide already enjoy eating insects in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Australia. When it comes down to it, we Westerners are missing out on this healthy and sustainable part of a green diet.

Climate change is dramatically reducing the amount of arable land and potable water available on the planet, and at the same time, we’re adding another 2 billion people beyond its population capacity. A meat-based diet requires 10 times the land per calorie than that of a grain or vegetable diet. Giving up meat seems obvious, and well, the only choice. Meat just isn’t part of a green diet.

Luckily, there’s another form of animal-based protein that’s plentiful, sustainable, and nutritious. Enter gastronomical insects and lots of them. As for the yuck factor–it doesn’t have to be permanent. According to Vox:

These random variations are the results of cultural beliefs that crystallize over generations, until it begins to seem like a natural truth that eating insects is gross….. Luckily, these arbitrary taboos can be defeated over time. There was a time when raw fish — served as sushi — was seen as repugnant in mainstream US culture. Now it’s ubiquitous.

Just as sushi is now all the rage, insects are poised to be the next mainstream food trend. Sushi is no longer sustainable (in so many cases), but insects are ideal. Raising insects like mealworms or crickets for food is easier on the planet. They’re cold blooded so they require less feed per unit of their body weight. You also consume their entire bodies, so there’s little waste when compared to eating flesh.

Not to mention the health factor. Insects have a high level of protein per gram, especially house flies, crickets, and mealworms. They’re also good sources of calcium, iron, and zinc. Insects are also rich in B12, a nutrient which the body needs to run optimally, but is difficult to find in food sources.

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Image: Krista

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There’s a plague sweeping across the United States, and this one has nothing to do with sparkly vampires. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) just confirmed – bed bugs are back!

Bed bugs are small insects that feed on sleeping animals – namely, us. They are expert hiders and tend to live within eight feet of where people sleep. The intrepid little suckers are making a comeback and it is leading to heightened levels of scratching and anxiety.

The blood-sucking insects were more common in the mid-twentieth century and were mostly eradicated by the end of the century. But experts think world travel and the lack of effective pesticides have led to their resurgence. DDT and its cancer-causing agents were credited with the initial demise of bed bugs. But DDT was banned in 1972, and so the bugs have returned.

Bed bugs are showing up across the country, but they have received the most attention for their appearances in New York City. From movie theaters to Upper East Side penthouses, bed bugs are carrying both their eggs and stigma all over the city. As the New York Times reports, “In the most recent fiscal year, which ended on June 30, the city’s 311 help line recorded 12,768 bedbug complaints, 16% more than the previous year and 39% above the year before.”

In 2009, one in fifteen New Yorkers had bed bugs. And the numbers are probably higher now. As one woman told the NY Times, “It’s like terrorism, you just cross your fingers and keep going.”

They are really difficult to stop. Bed bugs ride around in luggage, clothing seams, overnight bags, bedding, furniture, and basically anywhere else. They do not transmit disease, but they do leave nasty, itchy red welts all over you.

So yes, bed bugs bite the big one. But what’s to be done? Are there any viable eco-friendly solutions  – that is, treatments not involving pesticides that will make you grow a third ear? The CDC has a few recommendations. You can use a monitoring device – in NYC, many are turning to dogs to sniff out the pesky pests. The CDC also suggests removing as much clutter as possible to cut down on the bug’s hiding spaces. Vacuuming, steam cleaning, sealing cracks, and heat treatments may work. Some are even putting sticky-side-up masking tape around their beds in hopes to trap the insects.

Another natural remedy is sprinkling diatomaceous earth around corners and beds. Diatomaceous earth is “made from soil that is composed of little tiny fossils of single-celled algae. These have jagged edges that will cut an insect, causing them to gradually bleed to death if they crawl across it. They are too small to hurt a mammal, however, and they are non-toxic (it’s basically just dirt).” Okay, sure, it doesn’t sound like the most pleasant way to get rid of bed bugs. But remember, these critters survive by feasting on your blood.

The Bed Bugs Guide labels lavender oil and bleach as duds in terms of killing the insects. They also do not suggest trying to freeze or burn the animals out of your home by fiddling with the thermostat. It takes 120 Fahrenheit smoke them out, or 32 Fahrenheit to kill them with cold – for a couple of weeks.

And in the meantime? Sleep tight, don’t let the bed bugs bite!

Photo Source: Wikimedia

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Scientists in Brazil are finding that un-roasted coffee beans, which contain large amounts of globulins proteins, work well to naturally ward off insects.

Paulo Mazzafera and his colleagues are working to develop the globulins to protect food crops. Their study appears in the February 2010 issue of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

The insecticidal properties of the purified proteins were tested against the cowpea weevil using artificial diets; and the results showed that small amounts of coffee proteins killed up to half of the insects.

In the future, scientists could potentially breed these globulin proteins into crops so plants would theoretically produce their own defenses against insects.

And no need to worry, globulins proteins are destroyed when the beans are roasted, so you won’t be sipping on insecticide in your next cup of coffee.

View the report: “Purification of Legumin-Like Proteins from Coffea arabica and Coffea racemosa Seeds and Their Insecticidal Properties toward Cowpea Weevil (Caliosobruchus maculates) (Coleoptera: Bruchidae).”

Image: Aidan Wojtas

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Mosquito season is here, and although I’ve found my personal zen with them it’s no fun to find yourself flailing, yelping and slapping when those little critters come buzzing around. You can preserve your personal comfort this summer by making (or growing) your own mosquito repellent.

The recipe goes like this:

2 ½ teaspoons of any mixture of the following essential oils: basil, catnip, cedarwood, citronella, juniper, lemon, lemongrass, myrrh, palmarosa, pine, rose geranium or rosemary.
½ cup of 190-proof grain alcohol (such as high quality vodka)
½ cup distilled, filtered or spring water
Put this mixture in a small spray bottle, shake it up and you’re set.

Many commercial repellents contain DEET, which rates a 6 (moderately dangerous) in the Cosmetic Safety Database. Your skin absorbs everything you put on it and carries it to the rest of your body, so if you choose to buy mosquito repellent, check the ingredients and go natural.

And if you’ve already been bit, rub some crushed plantain on the itchy spot. A common “weed,” plantain (plantago) is nature’s best bug bite remedy. You can also stick a small strip of regular Scotch tape over the bite – the adhesive will draw out the irritating liquid and help to relieve the itching.

Image: James Jordan

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