Edible insect consumption called entomophagy is very important in ensuring food security especially in a developing country like Nigeria, but promotion of entomophagy after a long period of adoption of western diets demands a comprehensive inventory of edible insect consumption in the past. At present, there is little or no repository of document with comprehensive information on edible insects consumed in the south eastern states of Nigeria and methods of use is also scarce in literature. It becomes imperative to assess edible insect consumption in the region as a background for promotion of entomophagy in the area. The study used questionnaires and oral interviews to obtain information on types of edible insects consumed, season of harvest, cooking methods, local dishes with edible insects, people’s reaction to edible insect consumption, challenges of entomophagy business and ethno-cultural beliefs on edible insect consumption. Of the 2,000 individuals sampled, 56.4% were males, 43.6% females, with 22.4% children, 19.6% teenagers, 24.2% young adults, 16.6% older adults and 17.2% aged above 60 years of age. The result showed that seventeen insect species belonging to six orders were consumed and harvesting is mainly during the rains, though some recorded year round availability. Restricted seasonal availability and high collecting costs are among the reported barriers to edible insect consumption The most common cooking methods documented in the study were frying or roasting. Six traditional dishes were found to include edible insects. Four ethno-cultural beliefs on some edible insects were also documented. Edible insect farming is therefore recommended as a strategy to bridge the gap between insect protein supply and demand in the region.

Survivability, growth performance and nutrient composition of the African Palm weevil (APW) (Rhyncophorus phoenicis) reared on four different substrates was investigated following earlier finding that Sugar cane tops (SCT) and Spoilt water melon (SWM) could be useful in captive rearing of the weevil. This necessitated a search into other waste fruits that could be used as media for rearing of APW as their infestation of oil and raffia palm is not only unfriendly to the environment but also wastage of economic resources. The growth and nutrient composition of the larvae in three waste fruits (Not rotten but not fit for human consumption): Spoilt Water Melon (SWM), Ripe Paw paw (RPP), Spoilt Pine apple (SPA) and Sugarcane tops (SCT: Off Cut from the tip of sugarcane) were compared in this study. One hundred and twenty newly emerged APW larvae of similar weights collected from "Mgbo swamp" in Ebenebe town, Anambra State, Nigeria, were used for the study which lasted for ten weeks. Thirty larvae were randomly assigned to each of the treatments (Culture media). The experiment was designed on a 4 x 3 Completely Randomized Designed, whereby each treatment had 30 APW larvae in three replicates of 10 larvae per replicate. The larvae were housed in plastic bowls of 30cm diameter and 40cm height. The bottom part of each bowl was perforated to let out moisture and the top covered with mosquito net to avoid flies. The substrates in each housing unit were removed and replaced with fresh ones on weekly basis to minimize microbial attack. Survivability, growth performance in terms of weight gain and increase in linear body measurements within 10 weeks were monitored and used as indices of the suitability of each of the culture media. At the end of the experiment three larvae were randomly selected from each replicate and taken to the

The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential benefits of substituting dietary fish meal with grasshopper meal on the growth performance of broiler chickens. The study was carried out in a mini-animal house of the Department of Biological Science, Federal University of Kashere, Gombe State, Nigeria. Seventy-two, 2-weeks old Arbor acres chicken strain were procured from May Farms, Gombe. The grasshoppers were collected using sweep net trapping method. They were oven dried and milled using local milling machine and incorporated into poultry diets by replacing dietary fishmeal at 0% (Control, A), 50% (B) and 100% (C). Each dietary treatment had 24 birds triplicates of eight birds per replicate in a completely randomized design. The birds were randomly allotted into pens demarcated with plywoods. The birds were fed the experimental diets throughout the six weeks period of the experiment and were subjected to similar managerial and dietary conditions during which time data was collected and used to evaluate weekly weight-gain, feed intake, feed conversion ratio, feed efficiency ratio and linear body measurements monitored. The weight-gain were significantly different (p<0.05) among the treatment groups where birds on Treatment C(1720.11±2.11 g) was highest followed by those on treatment B(1480.00±2.12 g) and the least mean final weekly weight gain of 1,287.98±1.20 g was observed in Treatment A; Also feed intake exhibited the same pattern of weight gain. For linear body measurements, the highest body length increase was recorded in Treatment C (21.39±1.01 cm) while the least was recorded in those on Treatment A, (15.49±1.10 cm). The same trend was observed for body width increase, thigh length increase, shank length increase and wing length increase. This study showed that dietary  grasshopper meal promoted growth of broiler chicken and so would conveniently replace dietary fishmeal. Therefore, establishmentof insect farms are highly recommended to produce enough grasshopper meal to meet the demands of poultry feed industries. Keywords: Arbor acres; growth parameters; dietary grasshopper; chicken body; liner measurement

The performance of broiler chicks fed on two common species of edible insects: African palm larva (Rhynchophorus phoenicis) and winged termite (Macrotermes bellicosus) in south east, Nigeria were studied using 135 day old Arbor acre birds. Three dietary treatments (T1, T2 and T3) representing Diet A (control: vital feed based fishmeal), Diet B (African palm larvae meal; APLM), and Diet C (containing winged termite meal; WTM), respectively, were used. T1 comprised of a standard feed of brand name ‘vital feed’ containing fishmeal which served as control while T2 and T3 both had insect meal: APLM and WTM, respectively, in place of fishmeal. Forty five broiler chicks were randomly assigned to each of the three dietary treatments at the rate of fifteen chicks per replicate and three replicates per treatment in a completely randomised design. The experiment lasted for eight weeks. During this period, the birds were subjected to similar husbandry and sanitation practices. Weekly record of feed intake, weight gain and linear body measurements were taken. Data obtained were subjected to ANOVA appropriate for completely randomised design and the differences between means were separated using least significant differences. The result showed that chicks fed with control diet based fishmeal (Diet A) had the highest feed intake compared to those fed Diet B and Diet C. Broiler chicks on Diet B however had the highest records in all performance indices (weight gain, feed efficiency ratio, specific growth rate, protein efficiency ratio and linear body measurements) investigated followed by Diet C and lastly Diet A. The study therefore recommends the use of insect meal for complete or partial replacement of fishmeal in poultry feed formulation.

The influence of insect protein origins on broiler chicken meat parameters were studied using 135 day old Arbor acre birds subjected to three dietary treatments: Diet A comprised of a standard feed of the brand name ‘vital feed’ containing fishmeal as the major protein source (control), while Diet B and Diet C contained insect meal from African palm weevil larvae (Rhynchophorus phoenicis), respectively, winged termite (Macrotermes bellicosus) as replacement for fishmeal. Forty five broiler chicks were randomly assigned to each of the dietary treatments at the rate of fifteen chicks per replicate making three replicates per treatment in a completely randomised design. The experiment lasted for eight weeks. During this period, the birds were housed in similar cages and subjected to similar husbandry and sanitation practices, such that the only source of variation was the dietary treatments. After eight weeks of the experiment, carcass quality and organ weight measurements were analysed using appropriate statistical analysis. The result obtained showed that the broiler chickens fed insect meals performed significantly (P<0.05) better in terms of live weight gain (2,200.85±64.23 g and 2,046±58.40 g for Diet B and Diet C) compared to control. Carcass quality relating to defeathered weight and eviscerated weight also followed a similar trend with Diet B (2,187.74±62.72 g and 1,788.93±70.70 g), Diet C (2,015.83±74.62 g and 1,466.97±100.05 g), and Diet A (control; 1,526.47±47.40 g and 1,240.30±64.53 g). The records of cut-up parts and organ weight measurements were also significantly different (P<0.05) for the birds on insect meal (Diet B and Diet C) than those on fishmeal based diet (Diet A). The result showed that insect meal can effectively serve as a major source of protein in poultry feed formulation.