Insect-based compost and vermicompost production, quality and performance

Abstract

In an attempt to utilize large amounts of Japanese beetles, Popillia japonica (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) that were captured using a mass trapping system, compost using Japanese beetle carcasses was prepared with the layer method. Carbon sources included shredded paper, wood chips and leaves, while the sole nitrogen source was frozen Japanese beetles. In addition, Japanese beetle-based vermicompost was prepared in the greenhouse by mixing the Japanese beetle-based compost with sphagnum peat moss and moist shredded paper and exposing this mixture to composting earthworms (Eisenia fetida). Chemical analyses of the Japanese beetle carcasses indicated that 10.8% of their body weight is nitrogen (N). Analyses of the resulting Japanese beetle-based compost and vermicompost indicated that both types of materials are good quality soil amendments. Greenhouse studies were conducted to quantify the effects of varying proportions of Japanese beetle-based vermicompost and compost mixed with a potting medium and varying dosages of synthetic fertilizer 20-0-0, on mean fresh and dry weight of lettuce shoots and leaf area. Japanese beetle-based compost and vermicompost increased lettuce biomass to an extent that was comparable with the addition of synthetic N-based fertilizer. A mixture of 15 and 30% of each compost type with potting media significantly increased plant weight and leaf area compared with potting medium alone. Results indicate that composting and vermicomposting insect carcasses are a simple, effective and affordable method to augment fertilization in support of organic production.

Waste Management through Composting: Challenges and Potentials

“…They can either be present non-deliberately [86] or inoculated. Different insect species such as the Black Soldier Fly (BSF) [87], Japanese beetles [88], cricket [89], Milichiidae [90], and housefly larvae [91]. Of all these species, BSF is the most popular, due to its ability to degrade a wide range of substrate [92,93].…”

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) for Small-Scale Farms in Developed Economies: Challenges and Opportunities

“…For example, an experimental mass-trapping technique developed for managing Japanese beetle ( Popillia japonica Newman) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) on small-scale fruit farms captured very high numbers of beetles (more than 10 million over three years) and kept crop damage low [119]. In a novel extension of this strategy, the collected beetles were subsequently composted and converted into high-quality soil amendments that could help offset the costs of the traps and lures [120].…”