>>677661Well, I read this artlice about how insect farming is more sustainable than traditional livestock, and requires smaller areas, and all the benefits, so I did some googling to find what bug was best. Dubias were a natural choice because they can't climb smooth surfaces to escape their bin, they have less shell than other roaches, and people said they don't smell as bad.
So I ordered 20 online, put them in a bin with some chicken feed and water crystals, stuck them in a closet in the warmest part of the house, and in a few months I had enough that we could easily harvest enough for a good meal. I did get one mold problem once, but I haven't had one since I put in the cleaner bugs.
Keeping the moisture and the heat perfect for the bugs but not for mold is the trickiest part, but once you get it, you get it.
I throw table scraps into the bin now, sometimes still a little chicken feed and some crushed eggshells [they attack each other if they don't get enough calcium].
My cat did get into the bin once and slaughter some of them, but overall it's been pretty good.
We have to freeze and eat them pretty often now because they breed SO fast, but if you deshell them and throw them in a stirfry or a stew it's really good, and as I said, they taste a lot like shrimp.
I would recommend b.dubia roaches over crickets, which are loud and can jump out of their enclosure.
