I attended a lecture at the American Museum of Natural History by Cody Schultz and Kevin Bachhuber. The presentation was centered on a farm created by Bachhuber called “Big Cricket Farms” located in Youngstown, Ohio. Before the lecture actually began, I noticed people crowding around a table in the front. Upon further exploration, I discovered that there was food on the table. I got excited and was about to take a cracker and pesto when someone said, “Here, try our cricket pesto! Or have some mealworms over here.” I then looked at the table more and saw buttons that read “I eat bugs” and “I love bugs” followed by a quick retreat back to my seat.
As the lecture began, Bachhuber began to explain what “Big Cricket Farms” was and its benefits to society. Once the FDA approved the consumption of insects, he began to spread his knowledge on the impact of consuming the protein-filled insects. Through his research, he found that out of the 7 billion people on earth, 1 billion have a protein deficiency and created cricket farms around the world can help lower that number immensely. He also found that there was evidence of insect consumption that spurred brain development. Crickets were also nutritious based on their ability to take on the nutritional benefits, including Omega-3 fatty acids, and flavor of things they eat. This information has led to the creation of various cricket treats, like cricket flour and protein bars.
Bachhuber also illustrated some of the challenges he faces as he tries to sustain a cricket farm. He found that the hardest part about it was the marketing of the product itself and convincing others that it is not gross to consume insects. He also found trouble at times when feeding the crickets, especially the newborn crickets who are very sensitive. Bachhuber told the audience about the numerous times when he observed a baby cricket die after a touch or drown in a drop of water.
This difficulty in feeding led to his partnership with Schultz who is involved in 3D printing. Schultz created a feeder for the smaller crickets to climb up and eat, creating a safer environment for them and preventing deaths. He also designed and printed out items that were specific to a certain project, such as tools to help build a cricket enclosure. Schultz also went on to talk about the benefits of 3D printing, as well as its ability to create something specific to a certain project, print more than one item at a time, immediately modify objects, and tailor specific ideas to a company whose prototype can then be sent off to other branches. What made the entire 3D printing section of the lecture interesting was the fact that they tied together two completely different topics, crickets and printing, so effortlessly and actually made the two make sense in the context of their project.
Overall, the talk was actually intriguing considering it was mainly about a topic that was foreign and pretty gross to me. The thought of eating insects was something that I did not think many people actually did, especially in America. After attending this lecture, I do not see it as something that is completely foreign and outlandish as I once had. However, as interesting as the lecture was, eating crickets is something I probably will not try in the near future.
