The Incredible Edible Bug

By Ready Expert

Imagine you’re lost in the wilderness and don’t have any means of hunting. You don’t have anything to help you fish. You might end up eating those creepy crawlers under your feet. That’s right - bugs!

In fact, bugs and insects can be very healthy. They are a great source of protein while low in carbohydrates and fats. In fact, one study showed that an ounce of crickets was a better source of protein than an ounce of beef!

But how do you know which bugs are edible? You don’t want to end up getting sick or die by eating a bug that is poisonous or bad for you. While there aren’t strict guidelines to insect meals and there are always exceptions to the rule, below, we’ve listed a few tips that might help you in a survival situation.

Eating bugs Bugs to Avoid
One rule of thumb that most survivalists endorse is to avoid brightly colored insects. This is usually a way for bugs to say “Stay away from me.” If a bug is extremely pungent, it’s best to keep them away for your mouth. That shouldn’t be too hard right?

Insects that carry diseases - things like flies, ticks, mosquitoes - should be avoided. Many survivalist experts also caution against bugs that are hairy or fuzzy. Insects that can sting you are also typically avoided. You don’t want it to struggle on its way down.

What to Look For
There are basically 15 different orders of insects that are edible:

• Anoplura - This would be things like lice.
• Orthoptera - Examples are grasshoppers, locusts, crickets and cockroaches.
• Hemiptera & Homoptera - They are also known as tree bugs. They are things like cicades, aphids, planthoppers, leafhoppers and shield bugs.
• Hymenoptera - These are identified as sawflies, wasps, bees and ants.
• Diptera - Also known as flies, gnats and midges.
• Coleoptera - These include beetles and ladybugs.
• Lepidoptera - Butterflies and moths are edible.
• Megaloptera - Alderflies and dobsonflies are examples of Megaloptera.
• Odonata & Ephemetoptera - Dragonflies, mayflies and damselflies are in these orders
• Trichoptera - Caddisflies
• Plecoptera - Another name for stoneflies
• Neuroptera - Lacewings and antlions
• Isoptera - These are termites

Cooking Bugs
Many people will tell you that the trick to eating bugs is to cook them. Even if a bug has harmful toxins or venom, boiling will usually negate the effect. Many bugs with hard shells - things like beetles - can carry parasites and need to be cooked before eating.

Aside from making them safe to eat, cooking bugs also improves the taste. For example, ants usually have a bitter taste until they are boiled.

You can also take insects wings and legs off before cooking. These parts of the bugs aren’t usually full of much nutrition anyways and contribute to bad taste. Sometimes you can also remove the head and that will help.

What Bugs Do You Eat?
Have you ever tried eating bugs? How did it go? Comment below and share your experience.

12 years ago

Comments

Jenn

12 years ago at 3:35 AM

No I have never eaten bugs ad hope I never have to but this is interesting to know.

John

12 years ago at 3:58 AM

Nah! never eaten bugs, some bug parts maybe, they say there are tons of it in our processed food we eat daily..

Bryan

12 years ago at 4:35 AM

I have eaten a variety of bugs - from grasshoppers (chocolate covered), ants and a spider (I think it was a tarantula - fried). All were quite tasty.

Gary

12 years ago at 4:39 AM

I have eaten grasshoppers, but they were from a can, canned grasshoppers, also chocolate covered ants and I have to say both were pretty tasty.

Bill

12 years ago at 4:56 AM

Had some good information. Pictures would be nice.

Paul

12 years ago at 5:08 AM

I ate many bugs during my years with the 7th Special Forces Group. Training for evasion and escape to survival school, I mostly enjoyed crickets and worms. Word of advice, remove the legs first. These two insects can also be used as bait, good news if you have line and a hook.

Jeff Nieland

12 years ago at 5:21 AM

What kid hasn't eaten bugs - if only on a dare from other kids. When I took the "Escape & Evasion" survival course in the military we were introduced to eating bugs raw as a food source - mainly grubs, worms, and grasshoppers. When I was in sunny Southeast Asia during the Nam era I learned to snatch rice bugs, wrap them in a bit of toilet paper, and then set it on fire to roast them. You would then bite the head off, and suck out the insides as a delicacy. Ummm!!!

Katie

12 years ago at 6:50 AM

Very interesting. Thank you! It may be good to caution people on dragonflies, however. Although I haven't eaten bugs, our vet has warned us not to let our dogs eat dragonflies since we live in an area with a high population of mosquitoes, and of course dragonflies eat mosquitoes.

Darrin

12 years ago at 7:05 AM

I've had worms before and the trick is to wash them off and put in cornmeal over night. Fry them up the next day, YUM =)

Shawn

12 years ago at 7:41 AM

I have eaten a bee before; it didn't have any taste or flavor to it, it was quite interesting. This is a great artical, pictures of the bugs to eat and avoid would of been great.

Name

12 years ago at 7:59 AM

Yup, I've eaten bugs. Grubs are usually safe. The golden rod gall grub tastes just fine and is easy to find. We would not hesitate to supplement our diet with bugs if we needed to. Just make sure you kill the ant before you eat it, otherwise it will bite your tongue before you swallow it. My daughter was given bugs as a meal while on a trip through Asia with her family. Her children had no problem eating them.

Dave

12 years ago at 8:53 AM

Out walking with my six year old granddaughter, we saw ants. I picked one up and ate it-sweet and tart. blew her mind. Ha! I love being a grandpa.

Oscar

12 years ago at 10:24 AM

Large black carpetner ants have a good taste, raw they taste like lemon juice. I have also have tried dampwood termites right from a fallen tree, not bad at all.

PASTOR MARILYNN

12 years ago at 10:40 AM

Seriously- are there any recipes for eating insect. You may have to dig (no pun intended) into the archives from the 1800's survival guide!

Woody

12 years ago at 10:56 AM

Mealworms on chocolate chip cookies - yum!

Rob

12 years ago at 11:08 AM

Earthworms as gathered are full of dirt. One way to get around that is to put 'em in a container of water and they will purge themselves. When that is done, put them on a flat rock in the sun. This will dry them out and make them crunchy like "bacon bits".

john c

12 years ago at 1:46 PM

Earth worms should be dropped in salted boiling water then rinsed, then fried or baked with onions or wild mushrooms Euell gibbons wrote of this in STALKING THE WILD ASPARAGUS which is out of print

john c

12 years ago at 1:52 PM

Why not boil the dirt out of the Worms. Then fry or bake them with wild onions watercress .

Hal

12 years ago at 3:04 PM

Another source of food in the wild is snakes. In one escape and evasion course back at Ft. McCellan, we had to to kill and cook a snake, and then eat it. Not my favorite meal, but in a pinch, better starving to death.

Donna

12 years ago at 7:56 PM

These comments make me gag, but I'm very glad for the information. Thanks, folks.

John W

12 years ago at 8:11 PM

Seems I remember many years ago organizations drying out earth worms grinding them up and sending them overseas to provide nutrition for under nourished people. Never thought to much about it at the time.

Ron

12 years ago at 12:24 AM

During my High School Biology course 55+ years ago, our Biology teacher told us that as a Marine in the islands during WWII, he had eaten "anything that didnt eat him first" including grubs, monkeys, etc. They had been blokaded by the Japanese and no supply ships could reach them. Several weeks later, when we came into class, there was a small plate in front of each student. Each plate contained a multitude of items. He told us to try them and when we were finished, he would tell us of what we had eaten and where they were from. We had eaten fried earthworms, fried grasshoppers, choclate-covered ants and a small piece of Rattlesnake. Thank you MR.BROWN for the great demonstration.

jeanniec

12 years ago at 12:56 AM

Sitting here laughing! Was married to an Army SF Ranger - heard alllll kinds of stories. Also, remember - we are told that each human being ingests approx 500 spiders in their life-time - usually asleep LMSO!

joy

12 years ago at 6:49 PM

Since boxelder bugs have pretty colors I suppose they're not edible. Too bad. If we could find a use for the hoards of them maybe they'd disappear!

nicole

12 years ago at 12:42 AM

thanks for that malcolm, that might be the only way i could eat them

Lloyd F

12 years ago at 2:55 PM

I have eaten grubs, the larval form of beetles, adult grasshoppers and cicadas. The grubs were boiled, mainly to make me feel better not mouthing a squirmy meal; the hoppers and cicadas were fried. They are surprisingly tasty. The cooking also makes wing and leg removal easier. Always remove legs as they frequently get stuck in your throat Watch oiut for allergic reations, though.

Rick

12 years ago at 6:46 PM

I'm a bit confused, in the section of bugs to avoid it states to avoid bugs that sting, but listed in the bugs to eat it reflects: Hymenoptera - These are identified as ..., wasps, bees ... Is it just certain stinging insects to avoid?? Thanks for the info, I hope too to never need to eat bugs but I can see it happening.

coco

12 years ago at 2:14 PM

I've tried flies. they're quite juicy

Lauralee Hensley

12 years ago at 3:19 PM

I'd cook any bug, because even ants have been known to carry Salomenella. Just to be safe it is always better to cook them. You don't know if they've crawled over a dead animal and picked something up.

Sherry Erickson

12 years ago at 7:13 PM

I have eaten lemon ants in Brazil. They are just like lemon flavored bits. They find them and then rinse them and fry them in cooking oil and if they have have it they sprinkle them on meat. I have also eaten fire toasted grubs. These were fine with me. Tried the fried tarantula in Cambodia, it is a national delicacy at a certain time of year. Everyone is eating them and sellers are walking around with large trays of fried tarantula. No one is complaining.

Ron M.

12 years ago at 6:02 AM

Very interesting, but I must confess that reading all this just makes me want to order another case of Mountain House.

Kathy

12 years ago at 7:33 AM

I'm with you, Ron M. And maybe ordering two cases of chocolate. I could probably eat ANYTHING covered in chocolate! My Dad used to say, "You can do anything you have to" and our family motto is "whatever it takes." I guess that includes eating insects "in a pinch."

Jamie

12 years ago at 3:04 PM

My ex-husband was in the AF during Vietnam. He always carried chili powder with him - you can anything with chili powder.....

Wallace

12 years ago at 6:33 PM

I too have eaten grubs, night crawlers and other worms, crickets and cicades, and ants. Interesting comments above about ants tasting of chemical. I rather thought ants tasted like sweet tarts without the fruit flavoring. Some earthworms are reminescent of sirloin steak rather raw. I have not eaten any ''bugs'' that tasted bad, some were better than others. In many places in the world ''Bugs'' are a daily faire and sources of protiens many people otherwise would have a difficult time obtaining. Many foid companies are experimenting with farm mass raising of insects and processing them into more acceptable edible forms such as burger like patties. It is a coming major protien source to feed the growing masses of people. Get yerself ready for bug burgers and various other forms of insect protiens for regular consumption world wide. Come on try a roach, theyre good for you.

Name

12 years ago at 8:52 PM

Boiling takes away toxins and nutrition, but it is a tradition in Mexico to find an ant mound and get the juicy/soft ants, fry them up (or roast)and eat them in tortillas. If that luxury is available. Grubs get the same treatment.

muffelputz

11 years ago at 4:03 AM

Another good source of protein - and tasty to boot - are the grubs of the banana plant moth. They are about 2.5 - 3 inches long and when deep-fried look like potato chips with a little head. Some local herbs (ginger - if available) and ... Better stop, I am beginning to drool and getting hungry.

frank

11 years ago at 11:18 PM

Ive eaten many raw nightcrawlers,earthworms.They are easy to swallow whole w/o chewing,thus avoiding any crunchy dirt taste.I rinse them of coarse!

Mark

10 years ago at 5:36 AM

Put the worms in a container or jar over night and they will get rid of their waste. Better to eat then.

Sun Tzu Lao

10 years ago at 6:54 AM

FYI, always cook grasshopper as they can carry tapeworm, as with many hard shell insects. If it's life or death, and you have no fire, go for it, otherwise, don't risk it raw. Cook.

Everett

10 years ago at 9:44 AM

I try to follow these rules and it's worked out so far. I also think cooking if possible is best. Lev 11:20-“You must not eat winged insects that walk along the ground; they are detestable to you. Lev 11:21-You may, however, eat winged insects that walk along the ground and have jointed legs so they can jump. Lev 11:22-The insects you are permitted to eat include all kinds of locusts, bald locusts, crickets, and grasshoppers. Lev 11:23-All other winged insects that walk along the ground are detestable to you.

don

10 years ago at 10:29 PM

Thanks for that, Everett. We also live by Chapter 11 of Leviticus when it comes to the foods we eat. If a food source was "detestable" then, it still is "detestable" today. With that said, in a life or starvation death situation, I believe the Good Lord would have us live and not die. I would still be looking for "the insects you are permitted to eat", however.

Kim

3 years ago at 12:02 PM

Grasshoppers taste like almonds when roasted - pull off the wings and legs then roast over a fire. Honey pot ants store water and taste like lemons or limes. Termites can be ground up and cooked as a 'pan bread'. Bees have a mild to spicy taste and are crunchy - be sure to remove their stinger first. (Bee pollen and royal jelly are very nutritious - look for them along with the honey and the hard resinous propolis if robbing a hive for survival. Honey and propolis have many first-aid uses.)