Abstract: The utilization of the black soldier fly (BSF) Hermetia illucens L. for recycling organic waste into high-quality protein and fat biomass for animal feeds has gained momentum worldwide. However, information on the genetic diversity and environmental implications on safety of the larvae is limited. This study delineates genetic variability and unravels gut microbiome complex of wild-collected and domesticated BSF populations from six continents using mitochondrial COI gene and 16S m...
Abstract: Macphail’s “null hypothesis,” that there are no differences in intelligence, qualitative, or quantitative, between non-human vertebrates has been controversial. This controversy can be useful if it encourages interest in acquiring a detailed understanding of how non-human animals express flexible problem-solving capacity (“intelligence”), but limiting the discussion to vertebrates is too arbitrary. As an example, we focus here on Portia, a spider with an especially intric...
Abstract: Tsetse transmit African trypanosomiasis, which is a disease fatal to both humans and animals. A vaccine to protect against this disease does not exist so transmission control relies on eliminating tsetse populations. Although neurotoxic insecticides are the gold standard for insect control, they negatively impact the environment and reduce populations of insect pollinator species. Here we present a promising, environment-friendly alternative to current insecticides that targets the...
Abstract: Riverine tsetse (Glossina spp.) transmit Trypanosoma brucei gambiense which causes Gambian Human African Trypanosomiasis. Tiny Targets were developed for cost-effective riverine tsetse control, and comprise panels of insecticide-treated blue polyester fabric and black net that attract and kill tsetse. Versus typical blue polyesters, two putatively more attractive fabrics have been developed: Vestergaard ZeroFly blue, and violet. Violet was most attractive to savannah tsetse using l...
Abstract: This study aimed to provide a systematic overview of the progress made in utilizing remote sensing for assessing the impacts of land use and land cover (LULC) changes on water resources (quality and quantity). This review also addresses research gaps, challenges, and opportunities associated with the use of remotely sensed data in assessment and monitoring. The progress of remote sensing applications in the assessment and monitoring of LULC, along with their impacts on water qualit...
Abstract: Shimba Hills is a wildlife area in Kenya and a major focus of tsetse-borne trypanosomes in East Africa. In Shimba Hills, tsetse-borne trypanosomes constrain animal health and smallholder livelihoods. However, epidemiological data to guide hotspot-targeted control of infections are limited. This study assessed the dynamics of tsetse-borne trypanosome risk in Shimba Hills with the objective to describe infection hotspots for targeted control. Tsetse flies (n = 696) collected in field...
Abstract: A recent discovery highlighted that mosquitoes infected with Microsporidia MB are unable to transmit the Plasmodium to humans. Microsporidia MB is a symbiont transmitted vertically and horizontally in the mosquito population, and these transmission routes are known to favor the persistence of the parasite in the mosquito population. Despite the dual transmission, data from field experiments reveal a low prevalence of MB-infected mosquitoes in nature. This study proposes a compartme...
Abstract: This research aims to advance knowledge on the impact of four processing methods on volatile compounds from insect-based baked products (cookies) to provide insights on consumer acceptance. Samples were exposed to double step enzyme digestive test, volatiles characterized through headspace analysis, while semi-trained panelists were recruited for the sensory test. Blanched and boiled samples of R. differens had considerably higher digestibility (83.42% and 81.61%, respectively) (p ...
Abstract: Recent literature highlights the potential of animal pollinator-dependent (PD) crops in enhancing food and nutrition security, although there is a lack of detailed household-level estimates. In this study, we investigate the nutrient composition, productivity, and contribution of PD and pollinator-independent (PI) crops to household nutrition in four sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries. We also evaluate the impact of reallocating resources from PI crops to PD crops on nutrient defc...
Abstract: In response to growing food demand, edible insects are perceived as an opportunity to alleviate food insecurity. With its wide edible insects’ biodiversity, the Democratic Republic of Congo is one of Africa’s most critical entomophagous. This study aimed at giving a first insight on inventory showing diversity, perception, consumption, availability, host plants, harvesting techniques and processing techniques of edible insects in South-Kivu, DRC. It recorded twenty-three edible...
Abstract: Currently, no data exist on the utilization of the newly described cricket species (Scapsipedus icipe) meal as additive in food products, though they have high protein (57%) with 88% total digestibility as well as a variety of essential amino acids. This article presents the first report on the effects of processing techniques and the inclusion of cricket meal (CM) on the nutrient and antinutrient properties of four porridge products compared to a popularly consumed commercial porr...
Abstract: Globally, there is growing interest to recycle organic waste using insect larvae into high-quality frass fertilizer through circular economy approach. This paper presents the first comparative report on the nutrient concentrations, fertilizing indices, nutrient supply potentials and compost maturity of nine edible insect frass fertilizers. Our results revealed that frass fertilizers from all the insect species had adequate concentrations and contents of macronutrients [nitrogen (N)...
Abstract: Over the last 30 years, the global positioning system (GPS) tracking collars have significantly enhanced livestock grazing behavior studies. Practices designed to understand and improve livestock grazing distribution can now be accurately and cost-effectively monitored with GPS tracking. The behavior and spatiotemporal microhabitat selection of Mashona cattle relative to the season in a semi-free-range grazing system was evaluated using a low‐cost GPS herd activity monitoring (GP...
Abstract: Tin (Sn) is a promising substitute for lead (Pb) in organic–inorganic hybrid halide perovskite-photovoltaic devices, but it is prone to delivering low power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) due to the poor quality of Sn-perovskite films. In this work, anilinium hypophosphite (AHP) co-additive is used to fabricate high-quality FASnI3 (FA+: formamidinium) perovskite films with suppressed phase-segregation and prolonged charge carrier lifetime. Perovskite films containing 0.05 M AHP a...
Abstract: Globally, there is growing interest to integrate cricket-based ingredients (flour) into food products to combat food and nutrition insecurity. However, there is lack of information on in-depth nutrient profile of the two cricket species (Scapsipedus icipe and Gryllus bimaculatus), which are the most widely consumed in Africa. Here we determined the nutrient composition of two cricket species and compared them with published records of key animal and plant sources. Our results revea...