Bugged: Insect ‘Farm’ Could Be Your Next Kitchen Appliance

Consuming insects has gone from a completely objectionable concept to a feasible curiosity as a sustainable food source. The Lepsis has already been introduced as a prototype, and now a new home insect growing/harvesting apparatus has been proposed. While the aforementioned device bred grasshoppers, Farm 432 uses the black soldier fly.

Before you dismiss the idea, realize that “black soldier fly larvae are one of the most efficient protein converters in insects, containing up to 42% of protein, a lot of calcium and amino acids,” a fact Austrian designer Katharina Unger mentioned in an interview with Dezeen. The unit first matures a batch of larva, then allows the flies to mate. Farm 432 is almost completely self-sustainable; while most of the resulting larva is used for consumption, some is returned to repeat the process.

“Farm 432 enables people to turn against the dysfunctional system of current meat production by growing their own protein source,” Unger went on to add. By 2050 the population increase will demand a 50 percent hike in meat production. Hopefully appliances like the Lepsis and Farm 432 will help curb this need.