Are you eating insects yet?

Well coming soon to a store near you, well at least coming to ProBest Pest Management & Contract U.S. Post Office – energy bars.

For centuries, human civilizations have rightly considered insects an excellent, plentiful and resource-efficient source of protein. Even today, 80% of the world’s people regularly munch edible insects as part of their normal diets – chapulines in Mexico, stir-fried red tree ants in Cambodia, inago (grasshoppers) and hachinoko (bee larvae) in Japan and casu marzu in Italy. And with good reason…eating insects provides an incredibly rich source of protein, iron and omega-3 acids and are very low in cholesterols and fat.

 

Today, even as the average American consumes roughly twice as much protein as nutritionists recommend, we have limited our diets to a narrow range of relatively unhealthy and inefficient sources. As a result, we use huge amounts of land and water to feed cattle, pigs and chickens, and suffer the consequences; experts estimate that 92% of all freshwater consumed is absorbed by agriculture, the average hamburger patty has the same greenhouse gas impact as driving a Toyota Corolla for 10 miles, and our waterways are laced with antibiotics, hormones and pesticides. Soy and whey protein, popular alternatives to meat, still rely on resource-intensive agriculture, expose us to unhealthy levels of phytoestrogens and trigger dairy allergies.

 

At the same time, the global population continues to grow…from 6 billion in 2000 to 7 billion today and probably 9-10 billion within our lifetimes. With billions of mouths to feed, the pressure on our land and (especially) water resources is intensifying.

 

At Chapul, we think its time to learn from our ancestors and live smarter. Time to embrace a more efficient source of protein. Time for a revolution.

Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222

Have you heard about the Cicada commotion on the East Coast?

You have to check out the following article from North Carolina on what they are calling “Swarmageddon“, its been in the making for 17 years. They are finding Cicada’s everywhere, from blades of grass to trees and everywhere in between.  Check out all the neat photos of Cicadas’s and their molted skins, they are estimating billions of these critters will be making their comeback this spring.

Have you ever heard their singing chorus, OK you are probably thinking chorus yea right? I’ll bet the birds and other animals that eat cicada’s are going to have plenty of food for a few weeks. So what do you do when an invasion like this sets in? Really not much you can do, set back and grin and hope they don’t make it in the house. They don’t bite but can be a nuisance.

We occasionally have bugs explosions here in Arizona, from grasshoppers to mosquitoes. depending on weather conditions and the amount of rain.

What are the Health Risks Posed by Pests?

The  Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America and the National Pest Management Association have teamed up to promote public awareness of allergies and asthma with a Public Service Annonucement or PSA.

Did you know that cockroaches and rodents may be a factor in asthma cases across the U.S.

http://aafa.org/pdfs/QRChome.pdf

National Pest Management Association

Is a synthetic spider venom better for all of us?

Researchers have devised a synthetic antidote to a Loxosceles (Brown Recluse species) bite. It promises fewer side effects than existing treatments and reduces the suffering of the animals required to produce it. Synthetic spider venom makes a kinder, safer antidote by Andy Coghlan gives new insight into current research.

I’m constantly amazed at the research being done and the advances in science and applaud the work done by researchers across the world.

A team led by Carlos Chávez-Olórtegui of the Federal University of Mias Gerais in Brazil has developed an alternative. On a side note this is great news as the Brazilian Wandering Spider is from Brazil and is considered one of the deadliest spiders in the world. Arizona Brown or Brown Recluse Spider blog article by ProBest Pest Management.

(Photo Courtesy of Univar?)