How do you know if somebody is doing CrossFit?

They will be sure to tell you all about it!

The CrossFit community is a passionate group to say the least. With all seriousness, you can definitely tell if somebody is avid about CrossFit, and has been doing it for awhile… Their muscles will be bulging out of their shirt.

With this growing nationwide Crossfit trend, many CrossFit enthusiasts are practicing the accompanying Paleo diet.

As a bug guy, this Paleo lifestyle struck my curiosity… “Are insects Paleo?”

What Is Paleo?

You’ve heard it called the caveman diet. Others call it the ancestral, primal, real-food, or nutrient-dense diet. Whatever you call it, the Paleo way of eating mimics the eating habits of our ancient ancestors.

Paleo (short for Paleolithic) is about eating the foods that were prevalent during the Paleolithic era. Sorry, jelly-filled powdered donuts where not available back then. Needless to say, eating Paleo is very challenging for most. In terms of weight loss, and changing your body shape; results can be amazing.

Paleo foods include lean meats, seafood, grass-fed beef, veggies, roots, berries, various nuts, and eggs. Pasteurized dairy products, grains, legumes, and refined foods are strictly off limits. So where do insects fit in on the spectrum?

Are Insects Paleo?

While the thought of eating bugs is repulsive to some; insects are a healthy, protein packed, meat alternative food option.

So is this healthy meat alternative Paleo? Short answer… Yes.

According to Paleo traditionalists, anything with a face is Paleo; and that includes insects. With this definition, apparently cannibalism is also Paleo.

A Paleo diet is less about avoiding grains, legumes, pasteurized dairy and refined foods; and is more about eating nutrient rich foods that work well with your body. Insects like crickets, scorpions, grubs, and grasshoppers are packed with protein and are actually very healthy when prepared correctly.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, some insects contain twice the protein of raw meat and fish, while others, particularly in their larval stage, are also rich in fat, vitamins and minerals. Now that’s Paleo!

 

Paleo Flow Chart

 

Entomophagy- The Practice Of Eating Insects

Eating insects might seem like a gross act, better left for ‘Bizarre Foods’ host Andrew Zimmern. The truth is Entomophagy, or the act of eating insects, is a way of life for millions of people worldwide. People in less developed countries rely on insects for protein and other nutrients needed for survival. Scientists have long been touting insects as a protein-packed meat alternative that could help meet the world’s growing food demand.

While the practice of eating insects, may be unsettling for some people’s palates, different species of beetles, ants, bees, grasshoppers and crickets are eaten in 23 countries in the Americas, 29 countries across Asia, and 36 countries in Africa. In Thailand alone, 200 different insect species are consumed and are commonly sold as street snacks throughout the country.

Learn more about different country’s insect cuisine by clicking here.

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Anthony Ball

It’s April Fools Day and all of us are on high alert; making sure our family, roommates, friends and coworkers don’t pull one over on us.

For all of you pranksters out there, there’s no easier prank to pull off than a classic bug prank. Whether you’re going to dump a jar of crickets on your buddy as he takes a shower, put a fake fly in somebody’s spaghetti, or put a tarantula on your boss’s desk; a creepy bug can be the cornerstone of any successful prank. Here are a just a few April Fools pranks involving bugs:

Scorpion Prank

Thumbs up for scorpions! Watch what happens when a massive Emperor Scorpion is let loose on this poor girl in the bathroom. “Get it away; it’s going to KILL ME… HE WILL KILL US ALL!!!” You may want to turn down the volume on your computer for this one.

Bug Exterminator Prank!

Note to pest control professionals everywhere… Here’s how you don’t spray for cockroaches. While technically the prank doesn’t involve any actual bugs, a bug exterminator is equally effective.

Spider Prank

Don’t get startled this April Fools Day if a spider mysteriously lands on you from the sky.

The Cockroach Prank

This cockroach prank was featured on one of our previous blogs entitled A Roach Is Not A Love Bug. It is too good to not share again. Enjoy!

Cricket Prank – Infesting Your Coworker’s Truck

I just found another definition for the word MADNESS… The sound of 2000 crickets chirping in unison inside your truck.

Drive Thru Bug Prank

As if fast food employees didn’t have it bad enough already, now they have to put up with giant cockroaches on there hands. Let’s just hope the only cockroaches found at your favorite drive thru are fake– just like the one in this prank.

Giant Hairy Spider Dropped On Boyfriend

It’s easy. It’s a classic. It’s a simple spider on a string, and this poor sap lets his girlfriend get the best of him.

Mixed Nuts and Worms Prank

One thing we know for sure, food and worms don’t mix. Watch what happens when a bag of meal-worms is placed in a unsuspecting woman’s favorite snack.

 

Roach Prank

Why haven’t I ever though of this before… A giant plastic roach tied to some fishing line. The possibilities are endless! It can definitely go a long way in making most anybody squirm.

 

Big Scary Spider Prank

Who knew dogs were just as scared of spiders as we are? My dog just eats them! I guess when the spider is as big as a domesticated cat, even a dog will run.

 

All of us bug guys here at Blog Pest Control and Bulwark Exterminating would like to warn you to be on the lookout this April Fools Day for scorpions, roaches, crickets, and spiders. Have a safe April Fools Day. Happy pranking!

 

 

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Anthony Ball

I recently had a lot of fun putting together a Spotify playlist of popular bug songs. While putting it together, I found several bands that also shared their names with pests. Here is my top ten bands named after bugs or pests:

10. Katydids

The Katydids reached stardom briefly in the early 90’s before guitarist Adam Seymour left the bad to play with The Pretenders. Before splitting, The Katydids released two moderately successful albums entitled Katydids (1991) and Shangri-la (1991).

 

Katydids, also known as long-horned grasshoppers, are best known for their appearance that mimics that of a leaf.

9. Adam and the Ants

Adam and the Ants, led by singer Adam Ant, became notable as a British cult band during the late-1970s punk rock era. Adam and the Ants have had a major influence on artists like Nine Inch Nails and Fat Boy Slim during the band’s short career.

Ants are one of the most successful groups of insects, and a common pest. They are social insects that live in underground colonies, but many enter buildings looking for food.

8. Iron Butterfly

Iron Butterfly rose to fame in the late 1960’s. They were even booked to play at Woodstock, but were unable to after getting stranded at the airport. Their album, In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida is one of the world’s 40 top-selling albums, selling more than 30 million copies.

While Butterflies are generally not considered pests, some species can damage domestic crops or trees in their larval stages. Traditionally, butterflies are a popular motif in the visual and literary arts across many different cultures.

7. Papa Roach

Papa Roach has sold more than 18 million album copies worldwide, and are best known for their songs “Last Resort”, and “…To Be Loved.” Their music is best described as rap metal. Their first album, Infest, reached triple platinum in 2000.

Roaches are one of the most common and hardy household pests in the United States. They invade our homes looking for their favorite foods like sugary sweets, salty snacks, and even hair or fingernails.

6. Alien Ant Farm

Alien Ant Farm got their name from a dream guitarist Terry Corso had about aliens cultivating the human race, like we were all in an ant farm. The band has had four successful albums, and has contributed to several Hollywood movie soundtracks; including 2002’s Spiderman. Their most popular song is “Smooth Criminal.”

The United States hosts almost 1,000 different species of ants. While they are considered one of the most common household pests, only 25 species commonly infest homes.

5. Ratt

One of the biggest bands in the early 80’s glam metal scene was Ratt. Their songs “Round and Round,” “Lay It Down,” and “Wanted Man” helped to launch the band into superstardom.

Rats are very common household pests during the colder winter months. If you are seeing droppings, fresh gnawing, or tracks near your property; chances are you might have a serious rat infestation.

4. Buddy Holly and The Crickets

Even though Buddy Holly and The Crickets’ success was short lived because of an unfortunate plane crash, they may be one of the single most influential creative forces in early rock and roll. “That’ll be the Day” is the group’s most popular recording; and in 2011 Buddy Holly was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Crickets are best known for their characteristic chirping noise, used by males to attract female crickets. As the temperatures rises, their songs become louder and faster.

3. Scorpions

Just by listening to “Rock You Like a Hurricane” before any football game, one comes to the realization that Scorpions are one of the greatest hard rock bands of all time. In case you need any more proof, the band has sold over 150 million records, released 23 albums over the last 40 years, and played around 5,000 concerts in over 80 countries.

Much like the band, scorpions have been around a long time and are incredibly resilient. They require a focused pest control strategy. A testament to their durability was proven when lab experiments froze scorpions for weeks, leaving them unharmed when they were thawed. On top of that, after U.S. nuclear testing scorpions were discovered near ground zero with no adverse side effects.

2. Bee Gees

The Bee Gees, made up of brothers Robin, Maurice, and Barry Gibb were one of the biggest recording artists during the late 60’s to early 70’s. During the group’s 45 years of stardom, only Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Michael Jackson, Garth Brooks and Paul McCartney have outsold them.

While bees are considered beneficial insects by pollinating plants, they earn the title of pest by stinging and contributing to several deaths a year; common when a sting victim has a severe allergic reaction.

1. The Beatles

The Beatles are the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed act in the history of popular music. John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr have sold 177 million albums in the US, more than any other artist.

Beetles constitute almost 25 percent of all known life-forms; more than any other order in the animal kingdom. There are some species of Beetle that have been awarded the distinction of pest. A few include: the Colorado potato beetle, the boll weevil and the Carpet beetle. They repeatedly create insect control problems when they invade and destroy household items and agricultural crops.

 

I hope you enjoyed my list. Did I miss any?

 

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Anthony Ball

Ah, Valentine’s Day… A day of love… A day of romance.

A day of cockroaches?

This week loving couples across the country are making romantic plans in anticipation for the big day. Reservations are being made at the finest restaurants. Bouquets of beautiful red roses and boxes of expensive chocolates will be at a premium as couples pull out all the stops to show that special someone just how much they are loved.

Getting “Unlucky” On Valentine’s Day

After a romantic Valentine’s Day dinner, you head home with that special someone. Upon arrival, you have Barry White softly playing in the background. You blindfold your date. She is guided upstairs through a trail of rose petals that lead to a candlelit bubble bath. As you remove her blindfold, any chances of getting “lucky” this Valentine’s Day are suddenly vanquished.

See for yourself:

 

 

A Roach Is Not A Love Bug

An ill-timed visit from a cockroach can turn an intimate Valentine’s date into a nightmare, complete with screaming and attempts to flee.  The sight of a roach can induce a primitive reaction of disgust, nausea, and even vomiting with your date; sucking out all the day’s romance and ensuring your previous gestures are overlooked.

Your only chance to save the evening is to play the hero and squash that disgusting cockroach under your shoe, and promise your lovely lady that you will sign up for Bulwark’s Roach Control so this doesn’t happen again next year.

More Evidence Valentine’s Day Roaches Are A Bad Idea

Valentine’s Day cockroaches are a bad idea, especially when handed to a woman in a red heart-shaped box that looks like a it should be filled with chocolates.  It really isn’t a pretty site.

Guy Pranks His Girlfriend With A Box of Cockroaches!

 

 

Guy Gives Girlfriend Box Full of Cockroaches on Valentine’s Day

 

 

Happy Valentine’s Day

All of us bug guys here at Blog Pest Control and Bulwark Exterminating would like to wish you all a Happy Valentine’s Day. May your day be filled with love and romance; and may it be cockroach free!
 

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Anthony Ball

 Top 10 Sports Teams Named After Bugs

Last week the sports world was shocked to hear that the New Orleans Hornets will be changing their name to the New Orleans Pelicans. The name, logo, and mascot change will be official when the NBA kicks off season. This name change also means that there are no more professional sports teams left with an insect as their name, logo, or mascot. Sad day!

This name change by the New Orleans hornets got me thinking… What other sports teams are named after insects or pests? Here is my top ten list; from ten to one:

10. University of Richmond Spiders

 

 University of Richmond Logo

The University of Richmond adopted the name “Spiders” in 1894, after an article in the Richmond Times-Dispatch used the term to refer to pitcher Puss Ellyson’s lanky arms and stretching kick. To this day, Richmond is the only university in the United States with the spider as its official nickname.

The Richmond Spiders play in the Atlantic 10 Conference, and their men’s basketball team recently made the sweet 16 in 2011.

9. Salt Lake Bees

 

 

Bees have long been a symbol of the state of Utah. In fact, a beehive appears on the Utah state flag; the state motto is “Industry” (for which bees are known); and Utah is widely known as the “Beehive State.” It makes sense that the State’s only minor league baseball team be named the Bees. The Salt Lake Bees are currently an affiliate for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

8. Greensboro Grasshoppers

 

 

The Greensboro Grasshoppers, who play in Greensboro, North Carolina, changed their name to the Grasshoppers from the Bats in 2005. The Grasshoppers are a minor league Class A baseball team, who play in NewBridge Bank Park. They are the farm team for the Miami Marlins.

7. Sugar Land Skeeters

 

 

The Sugar Land “Skeeters” play professional baseball (not MLB) in Sugar Land, TX. The name “Skeeter was given to the team after the results of a fan poll. The name Skeeter is southern slang for mosquito. Mosquitoes are very common during the warm, muggy summer nights in Texas.

6. Fort Wayne Mad Ants

 

 

The Fort Wayne Mad Ants are an NBA D-League team located in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The term “Mad,” as in Mad Ants, was used to describe General “Mad” Anthony Wayne who the city was named after. The Mad Ants are a developmental team for the Pistons, Bobcats, Bucks and Pacers of the NBA.

5. University of Arkansas at Monticello Boll Weevils

 

 

Some Universities opt for a ferocious jungle cat for their mascot in the hopes of provoking fear in their opponents. Other universities choose a powerful symbol of power and status, like a king or knight. Not the University of Arkansas Monticello… They chose a Boll Weevil, an irritating insect known for damaging gardens and crops.

According to the school’s athletic website, the mascot was chosen because the pest was admired for its toughness and the terror it could strike to the farmers. Maybe the Boll Weevils are not such an easy opponent after all.

4. San Antonio Scorpions

 

 

The San Antonio Scorpions are a professional soccer team that joined the North American Soccer league in 2012. The Scorpions are excited to kick off their 2013 season at Toyota Field in San Antonio, TX on April 13th.

3. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

 

 

The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets are probably the most high profile team left, that’s named after an insect, now that the New Orleans Hornets have changed their name. The football team is one of the top 20 winningest Division I-A programs of all time.

2. University of South Carolina Sumter Fire Ants

 

 

University of South Carolina Sumter sponsors four collegiate teams; baseball men’s and women’s soccer, and softball. They are known as the Fire Ants, the most diabolical of all ant pests found in The United States. Sting victims rarely receive a single sting; instead, a person typically receives many hundred stings simultaneously.

1. UC Santa Cruz Banana Slugs

 

 

The Banana Slugs of UCSC are given my #1 ranking because their mascot is local to the University, unique, and of course a bug. A banana slug is a slimy yellow mollusk that slides across the ground, leaving an oily residue wherever it goes. They are native to the forest floors along North America’s Pacific coastal states, stretching from Southeastern Alaska to Santa Cruz, California. In February 2008, ESPN Sports named the UCSC Banana Slug as one of the ten best nicknames in college basketball; as have Reader’s Digest and Sport’s Illustrated.

 

California Banana Slug 

Did I Miss Any?

 

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Anthony Ball

On December 21, this Friday, the Mayan calendar indicates the end of an earth period and the beginning of another. Many around the world have taken this to mean that the world will actually end altogether on Friday, and apparently its suppose to be some big nuclear explosion. Like, maybe all the countries around the world leave their nuclear weapons too close to the fireplace, and Friday happens to the be the day that it all goes wrong.

I’m gonna try and hit a nice steakhouse before Friday morning, and I definitely encourage all of you to find time to got out with a bang (pun intended). Treat yourself to a nice dinner. Go buy that one expensive gift you’ve always been wanting. Or, better yet, just go buy the most expensive car you can afford.

While I, and maybe a few of you, will be checking a few things off our bucket lists, I’ll tell you who doesn’t have a care in the world right now – cockroaches.

That’s right. Those little critters spit in the direction of all nuclear missiles. They laugh in the face of radiation fallout. The meteor on path to earth is their disco ball, and the music is blazing.

Some believe that if there is anyone, or anything, that is capable of surviving a nuclear meltdown, its cockroaches. In fact, in a piece called The Cockroach Papers: A Compendium of History and Lore, journalist Richard Schweid indicates that roaches survived the atomic explosions of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In the years to follow this would lead to the notion that cockroaches may eventually inherit the earth should all of humanity and wildlife become extinct due to nuclear war.

Even modern media perpetuates this thought. In Disney Pixar’s movie WALL-E, the main robot character, WALL-E, is befriended by a cockroach in a post-apocalyptic world. The two are seen numerous times with one another on earth, where there are only garbage and ruins in sight. All other human life has sought refuge in space craft orbiting the earth.

So just how exactly would a cockroach survive a nuclear holocaust? They need some of the same resources us humans do. Food. Water. Shelter. First Aid. Navigation. Cable Television.

Cockroaches will eat anything. Literally. Usually they are confined to less than crumbs to feed from. If the inhabitants of the world perished, let’s just say there would be an abundance of…food…laying around.

Water? Even if acid rain started falling from the sky I’m sure they’d drink it. Anything to add some flavor, right?

Everybody needs a place to live. Those little guys would have entire cities to themselves. If I were a roach I’d go straight to the upscale neighborhoods and get one of the bigger homes for myself. Finders keepers!

It’s our observation that roaches don’t really care for one another. They’d definitely have to look out for their own hides because medical attention will pretty much be non-existent. Every roach for themselves.

Hopefully any nuclear explosions on earth won’t disrupt the GPS satellites that orbit the earth. I’m not sure if there would be enough Garmins for every roach to have their own, so they might have to share.

And since there’s not going to be very many humans on earth, things might get a little boring. They can set up as many flat screens as they want and never have to pay one bill for their subscriptions. That’s the life!

So, who’s SOL on Friday? Humans.

And who’s winning the lottery? Roaches!

Thanksgiving Turkey

The turkey has been a staple of Thanksgiving since the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag Natives ate it for their first Thanksgiving in 1621. Thanksgiving is colloquially called “Turkey Day” since turkey is the most common main dish of the holiday.

This year alone, American turkey growers have raised 270 million turkeys; which will correspond to the five billion pounds of turkey Americans will eat this Thanksgiving. That’s a lot of turkey!

While Americans love eating their turkey for Thanksgiving, turkeys equally love eating all sorts of bugs. Turkey’s raised on farms traditionally eat corn and seeds, but wild turkeys love eating insects and other creepy crawlies in order to get much needed protein. Some may even consider enlisting a turkey for scorpion control. (Have it your way, bugs or bird poop. Or call a professional.)

But really, as a bug guy, the whole turkey dinner thing got me thinking:

What would a turkey’s dinner look like on Thanksgiving?

 

Appetizer

A rustic arrangement of escargot featuring the Leopard Snail

Salad Course

A lovely Flowering Dogwood salad tossed with North American Millipedes

Main Entrée

A large assortment of raw Grasshoppers, Field Crickets, and Black Carpenter Ants, served with a side of Wolf Spiders, and generously garnished with Dandelion.

Dessert

A delectable Earthworm Mud Pie sprinkled with Chiggers.

 

For Bulwark’s complete list of what turkeys eat, click here.

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

With Thanksgiving fast approaching, and the holiday season is in full swing, Bulwark Pest Control would like to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving! No matter what your plans are or where you’ll be, there are many things to be thankful for. Take some time this week and reflect on all of your many blessings. Watch a lot of football, enjoy the company of your loved ones, and eat way too much pie. Have a Happy Turkey Day!

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Anthony Ball

I recently had fun compiling a playlist on Spotify of popular songs about bugs. Natural progression took me to putting together a list of my top 10 movies featuring bugs. Here’s my list counting down from 10 to 1:

10. Antz (1998)

A neurotic worker ant (Woody Allen), named “Z” helps princess Bala (Sharon Stone) escape her suffocating royal life. While doing so he meets many new friends along the way and discovers his own individuality; all while falling in love with the princess. The film give’s audiences a glimpse into the dynamics of an ant colony, and is packed with the voice-overs of many famous actors.

Starring: Woody Allen, Sharon Stone, Gene Hackman, Jennifer Lopez, Danny Glover, Christopher Walken, Sylvester Stallone, Dan Aykroyd

9. Them! (1954)

Them! is a cult classic and the first bug movie ever made. The film was influenced by the fears over atomic energy testing in the 1950’s. Atomic tests in New Mexico cause ants to mutate into giant man-eating bugs that wreck havoc on humanity.

Starring: James Whitmore, Edmund Gwenn, James Arness, Joan Weldon

8. Mimic (1997)

A foolish entomologist, Dr. Susan Tyler, genetically engineers a bug to kill cockroaches in the New York subway system. The genetically engineered insect breeds, and rapidly evolves; having the ability to copy human form. Now the malevolent insects are out to destroy their only predator, by feasting on mankind!

Source: Bloodygoodhorror.com

Starring: Mira Sorvino, Jeremy Northam, Josh Brolin

7. Eight-Legged Freaks (2002)

Giant spiders attack a small Arizona town. Assortments of horrific venomous spiders get exposed to a toxic chemical that causes them to develop and grow to mammoth proportions. Really bad CGI, and blood and guts galore, make this a cult classic. Watch for spider cameos by jumping spiders, tarantulas, trap-door spiders, and orb-weaver spiders.

Starring: David Arquette, Kari Wuhrer, Scarlett Johansson

6. Bee Movie (2007)

Barry B. Benson (Jerry Seinfeld) is a new college graduate who’s excited about starting a job at the “Honex” honey factory. Barry seeks out on his own adventure when things don’t go quite as he expects at the honey factory. He makes friends with a human (Renee Zellweger) who helps him sue the human race for taking all of the bee’s honey.

Starring: Jerry Seinfeld, Renée Zellweger, Matthew Broderick, John Goodman, Chris Rock, Kathy Bates

5. The Fly (1986)

This brilliant remake of the 1958 original, is widely regarded as a classic. An eccentric scientist, Seth Brundle (Jeff Goldbloom), is in the finishing stages of testing his teleportation machine when a house fly gets into the machine with him. He slowly transforms into a grotesque half fly, half man monster.

Starring: Jeff Goldblum, Geena Davis, John Getz, Joy Boushel

4. Honey I Shrunk the Kids (1989)

A clumsy inventor unintentionally shrinks his kids, and the neighbor kids, down the size of bugs. They are thrown out with the trash, and must make their way back inside the home to get their father’s attention. The treacherous journey back across the yard involves encounters with a scorpion, a bee, and other perilous insects. This film might have one of the best titles of all time.

Starring: Rick Moranis, Marcia Strassman, Matt Frewer, Kristine Sutherland

3. A Bugs Life (1998)

A group of grasshoppers bully a colony of ants until one particular ant (Flik) gets fed up. Flik ventures out of the colony in search of help and brings back circus bugs to combat the grasshoppers.

Starring: Dave Foley, Kevin Spacey, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Hayden Panettiere

2. Starship Troopers (1997)

We must not forget that other planets have bugs too, right? The heroes of Starship Troopers combat arachnid like bugs on the planet Klendathu. The film was a massive hit at the box office, and spawned lots of sequels.

Starring: Casper Van Dien, Denise Richards, Dina Meyer, Neil Patrick Harris

1. Arachnophobia (1990)

A recently discovered spider from Venezuela is accidently brought to a small American town, breeding with local spiders. This creates a new race of poisonous spiders that begin killing off town residents one at a time. Jeff Daniels overcomes his fear of spiders as he battles them to their death. John Goodman makes for one heck of an exterminator.

Starring: Jeff Daniels, Julian Sands, Harley Jane Kozak, John Goodman

What Do You Think?

I had a lot of fun putting together this list of popular movies about bugs, but this is just my opinion. What are your favorite bug movies? I’d live to hear from you!

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Anthony Ball

Move over raw veggies and iced soy mocha’s, and make way for… BUGS?

Madonna endorses the Flaxseed Diet; Beyonce, the Maple Syrup Diet. Now a few celebrities have come out and admitted to not only eating bugs, but loving them! Could this be the next trend in Hollywood foods?

Celebrities Eating Insects

Angelina Jolie and her family frequently travel the world for vacations and movie shoots. During their travels, Angelina Jolie admits to indulging in local delicacies, which sometimes includes crickets, roaches, and other insects. The actress opened up in a promotional video for Louis Vuitton’s Core Values campaign and said her and her kids fell in love with eating crickets during a family trip to Cambodia.

“The biggest thing actually — to be honest — here in Cambodia is my boys love to eat crickets. It’s their favorite thing. … When I first gave it to them, I thought — I wanted them to understand. Culturally, I wanted them not to be turned off by something that was of their culture. So I bought it and … they ate them like Doritos, and they wouldn’t stop. And they brought to-go boxes home, and I had to actually ban the cricket-eating at a certain point because I was afraid they were gonna get sick from eating too many.”

“They’re good! They are like potato chips,” Jolie adds. “We’ve had ‘the beetle.’ They call it a cockroach; I think it’s more like a beetle. I have yet to have the tarantulas on a stick or spider soup here. It does seem like an odd thing to eat — no, it does! I don’t know if I can get around the fur, but” — she says, with a knowing smile — “you gotta try everything.”

Angelina Jolie and her family aren’t the only Hollywood stars eating insects. Salma Heyak, star of the upcoming movie ‘Here Comes the Boom,’ says she loves eating grasshoppers, ants, and worms.

“We eat bugs and we have many recipes for some of them. Escamoles, which are the eggs of these little ants, are amazing when fried with a little guacamole. And there are many different recipes for worms.”

Entomophagy—The Act of Eating Insects

Eating insects might seem like a disguising act, better left for ‘Bizarre Foods’ host Andrew Zimmern. The truth is Entomophagy, or the act of eating insects, is a way of life for millions of people worldwide. People in less developed countries rely on insects for protein and other nutrients needed for survival.

A History of Eating Insects

Dining on insects is definitely an old practice, dating back to the beginning of man-kind. Ten thousand years ago hunters and gatherers ate bugs to survive. Greek and Roman aristocrats loved to eat beetle larvae that had been raised on flour and wine. The Old Testament mentions ancient Christians and Jews the eating of locusts, grasshoppers, and beetles. Paiute Indians weren’t always hunting buffalo, frequently engaging in Mormon cricket hunts. Fast forward to today. Many types of insects appear on menus, remaining a traditional food in many cultures throughout Latin America, Asia, and Africa.

Insect Cuisine

Thailand

Thailand just might be the insect eating capital of the world. Vendors will sell crispy insects from carts at outdoor markets, and fried crickets are served liked peanuts in bars.

Brazil

In Brazil, içás, or queen ants, are a preferred snack indulged in by most of its citizens.

China

The Chinese munch on a large variety of insects, from water bugs boiled and drenched in vinegar to live scorpions soaked in liquor. Chinese beekeepers will often eat the larvae from their beehives.

South Africa

Insects are commonly eaten with cornmeal porridge. That sounds pretty appetizing.

Japan

The Japanese savor aquatic fly larvae sautéed in sugar and soy sauce. Restaurants all over Japan serve up healthy portions of aquatic insect larvae, boiled wasp larvae, and fried silk moth pupae.

Bali

The people in Bali love to remove the wings from dragonflies, and then boil them in coconut milk with ginger and garlic. Yum!

Ghana

In Ghana during the spring rains, winged termites are collected and fried, roasted, or even made into bread. The termites are high in proteins, fats and oils, all of which are needed for a healthy, well-balanced diet.

Mexico and Latin America

In Latin America ants, fire-roasted tarantulas, and cicadas are common customary dishes. One of the most famous culinary insects in Mexico, the agave worm, is eaten on tortillas and placed in bottles of tequila. Chocolate-covered locusts and candy-covered worms make getting your daily dose of protein oh-so sweet.

Keeping An Open Mind

Most of us here in The United States are turned off at the thought of eating insects. There are even shows like ‘Fear Factor,’ where contestants regularly gag down creepy crawlies in order to win. With most of the world’s population dining on insects, and now Hollywood celebrities recommending eating them, should we be keeping more of an open mind? I for one am not in any hurry to pop a handful of fried cockroaches in my mouth, but maybe I’m in the minority.

 

What’s the best tasting insect you’ve eaten?

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Listen Here:

 

Popular Bug Songs Playlist: 

 

Ants Marching – Dave Matthews Band

Spiderwebs—No Doubt

Day of the Locusts–Bob Dylan

Honey Bee – Blake Shelton

Spider– They Might Be Giants

Fireflies– Owl City

The Spider—Weezer

Butterfly—Mariah Carey

Ticks– Brad Paisley

Boll Weevil — Presidents of the United States of America

Attack of the Giant Ants—Blondie

Bugs – Pearl Jam

Boris the Spider–The Who

Butterfly Kisses – Bob Carlisle

Spiders– System of a Down

Butterfly—Crazy Town

Earwigs to Eternity–Alice Cooper

The Spider Bite Song – Flaming Lips

Junebug – The B-52′s

Gnat Years—Absofacto

Mosquito Song—Queens Of The Stone Age

Red Mosquito—Pearl Jam

Funkier Than A Mosquito’s Tweeter–Ike & Tina Turner

Honey And The Bee—Owl City

Fly Trouble–Hank Williams

The Wasp—Thee Doors

Bee of the Bird of the Moth — They Might Be Giants

The Black Widow – Alice Cooper

The Spider And The Fly – The Rolling Stones

Butterfly in Reverse—Counting Crows

La Cucaracha–A.B. Quintanilla y los Kumbia Kings

The Itsy Bitsy Spider—The Music Makers

 

– Compiled by Bulwark Exterminating

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