Insect Farming Can Buy You a Toyota in Thailand

[Tywais]

As often happens when I'm searching for one thing I stumble across something entirely unrelated but interesting.

A rising chorus of chirping crickets greeted Aunt Jai as she lifted the blue mosquito netting off the concrete pens outside her house. Bubbling away with enthusiasm, she quickly pointed out every little detail of her modest cricket farm.

“Those are the breeders… These are the young house crickets… There you can see some of their eggs, if you lift that cassava leaf…” For a 62-year-old, she is shockingly nimble, bouncing around between each of her 15 concrete pens, proudly showcasing the insects that have brought her so much success.

She laughed and made a sweeping gesture to the tens of thousands of crickets around her. “I used to be just a normal farmer!”

Thailand, like many countries, has a long history of eating insects, or what is called “entomophagy.” But while many of these countries have seen a decline in insect-eaters—due in no small part to insect-eating’s negative portrayal by the West—Thailand’s insect-eating community has actually grown and diversified beyond historical levels, thanks to a changing perception of insects as food.

Today, Thailand is praised by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) as “one of the few countries to have developed a viable and thriving insect farming sector” with “more than 20,000 insect farming enterprises … registered in the country.” The sector now constitutes a multi-million-dollar frontier of farming; it is growing so quickly that it continues to outpace academic research and government oversight.

With only two years’ experience, Aunt Jai is among the new wave of Thais entering the insect-farming industry. Yet, unlike some other farmers, she was not aware of its potential, instead setting out with the simple goal of sating her daughter’s cravings.

More here - Munchies.vice.com

[cobbler]

Ok , ive seen this done. Anybody got the knoe how ?

[TomYumpoochai]

I think it starts with a mummy cricket and a daddy cricket and some food in a dark box......

[Kasset Tak]

I know that you can buy the eggs for hatching crickets and other of these bugs that they are farming. My students made a one year project about breeding crickets, they invested 2000 Baht for the first eggs and in the end they made a 2000 Baht profit in one year. Another pair of students bought piglets for 2000 Baht, took care and feed them for 4 months (3 batches/year) and sold them with a profit of 15,000 Baht (batch) when the feed and vaccination costs where deducted, that left them with a total profit of just over 40,000Baht in one year...

On the other hand, if anything goes wrong you loos less money with bugs! My friend have a pig farm. He takes 1200 piglets for each batch. During the rainy season close to 400 pigs died for him leaving him with an over 200,000Baht loss for this batch

[mercman24]

just to say, some really interesting posts for a change and no stupidity, a good read, thanks.

[Millenial]

World renowned and published insect breeder speciality butterfly's steven bird resides in Thailand . He is currently in the UK awaiting his mothers health to get better or for her to pass on to pastures new .

If you would like me to put you in touch personal message me and I'll put you in contact, inc name, location and email.

[dotpoom]

I've read one and a half pages and still haven't seen anything about the Toyota?

[Bernard Flint]

Much prefer to be lazy and see my pension funds,and bonds give me a good life

[nahkit]

  On 11/24/2014 at 5:59 AM, dotpoom said:

I've read one and a half pages and still haven't seen anything about the Toyota?

“Crickets paid for this farm. Crickets bought my car,” she said, pointing at a relatively new Toyota. “Cricket farming can pull you out of poverty.”

The very last sentence, they did it just to taunt you.

[louse1953]

  On 11/24/2014 at 8:01 AM, nahkit said:

  On 11/24/2014 at 5:59 AM, dotpoom said:

I've read one and a half pages and still haven't seen anything about the Toyota?

“Crickets paid for this farm. Crickets bought my car,” she said, pointing at a relatively new Toyota. “Cricket farming can pull you out of poverty.”

The very last sentence, they did it just to taunt you.

You mean crickets got the deposit,and then borrow the rest from the bank.

[seancbk]

  On 11/24/2014 at 5:59 AM, dotpoom said:

I've read one and a half pages and still haven't seen anything about the Toyota?

Read the source article.

[JungleBiker]

  On 11/24/2014 at 5:59 AM, dotpoom said:

I've read one and a half pages and still haven't seen anything about the Toyota?

Last para at the link provided by OP.

[djayz]

I'm interested to know how a concrete pen, built for insects, looks like. If you happen to have a few photos, I'd really appreciate it if you could post them - if not, no worries.

Interesting story. Thanks.

[rice555]

  On 12/1/2014 at 9:28 AM, djayz said:

I'm interested to know how a concrete pen, built for insects, looks like. If you happen to have a few photos, I'd really appreciate it if you could post them - if not, no worries.

Interesting story. Thanks.

the bottom corner L/H side of the OP has a link with pic's.

rice555

[cobbler]

I know this doesnt help with pics , but, just build it the same as a brick wall . Use hollow block style bricks. Cement render the inside of the pen. Cement the floor

Cheers Cobbler

[djayz]

  On 12/1/2014 at 5:04 PM, rice555 said:

  On 12/1/2014 at 9:28 AM, djayz said:

I'm interested to know how a concrete pen, built for insects, looks like. If you happen to have a few photos, I'd really appreciate it if you could post them - if not, no worries.

Interesting story. Thanks.

the bottom corner L/H side of the OP has a link with pic's.

rice555

Thank you...

[Kasset Tak]

This is from the earth worm farm at Maejo university. I don't remember how many of these they have. They use the earth worms for composting and making bio fertilizer. When I was there they sold worms for 5-600 Baht a kg.

[surinsteve]

Anyone know where to buy mealworm