In a post-apocalyptic world, where food is scarce, how would you survive? One way is to farm grasshoppers for survival.
Why do grasshoppers make such good survival food?
If you can get over the “yuck” factor you have already made a major step. If you have not yet then give it a try. They make such an amazing source of food because of their ability to be farmed. This applies to locusts as well.
Cows, Chickens, and other livestock
I am a big believer in having different types of animals for sustenance. That being said they do require certain things to maintain them. One such example would be cows in how much land you need for them to graze or how much hay you need to provide them.
Chickens require less space that is true, they do however require feed. To produce food on your own or in an apocalyptic situation you need to find a way to produce food long term.
I am a big believer in having chickens that being said there are many cons of raising them in comparison to grasshoppers which are night and day.
Grasshoppers landmass
Grasshoppers do not require a large amount of landmass to produce large quantities of high-protein food. You can easily fit thousands if not tens of thousands in a small space, the size of a room.
Grasshoppers in Bunkers
Think of the applications of growing grasshoppers in bunkers! It is something that has not been explored enough yet. You could even use the grasshoppers to feed fish in an aquaponics setup.
Cages
So let’s say you want to grow some, well you can easily do so in a small mesh cage. They require such little space and provide such a great return. They are a hard thing to pass up on, in a long-term survival situation.
Reproduction
They reproduce extremely fast, which means more protein for you and your family. The life cycle from an egg to being a full-grown grasshopper ranges from a little over a month or two months top.
One female can produce hundreds of eggs within her life span.
Protein
They are made up of over seventy percent protein which you can not find in other meat sources.
What to feed them?
Well, you would need to prepare ahead of time if raising grasshoppers to supplement your diet in an apocalyptic situation came about. The first thing would be how to feed them and that’s probably the easiest thing of all.
My recommendation when growing grasshoppers for food would be to have them eat wheatgrass. It’s a fairly easy grass that will be ready for consumption in around seven days. You could even eat the grass if you wanted as it’s extremely healthy.
You can also grow wheatgrass without soil.
One small light would provide the wheatgrass the sun that it needs and the same for the grasshoppers.
Grasshoppers eating wheatgrass will grow very fast and will be extremely healthy.
So the main preparation, if you would consider this as a long term prepping endeavor you wanted to take part in, is the following:
1. Cage
2. Get large quantities of wheatgrass
3. Get grasshoppers
4. Lamp, Light, and (incubator)
My family would not eat them?
When we are hungry we will eat anything. Have you ever not eaten for a few weeks? If not then you will not truly understand, when a person is starving they will eat what’s in front of them.
A way to overcome the “yuck” factor of eating grasshoppers
There are many alternatives to eating the actual grasshopper whole. I would recommend grinding up the grasshoppers into a powder that could be used to provide protein in other meals.
Basic Materials
There are many containers that you could use, such as see-through storage containers or an aquarium. The key thing is to make sure you have a mesh screen or a lid on the top of whatever you put them in. You do not want them coming out!
If you go the aquarium route I would recommend making sure the mesh is extremely small in the holes. This will prevent baby grasshoppers from getting out.
You could also make an easy cage in the shape of a square with mesh on all sides if you did not like the other two options.
A normal lamp or bulb will be a great source of heat for the little guys.
How To Ensure They Reproduce
The key thing in all of this is to make sure you keep having more grasshoppers. Keep a cup/tray of slightly moist (not soaked) sand for the eggs to be laid in. Then take that cup/tray into a second cage where they will hatch and pop out from. I would put the cup of sand in an adult grasshopper cage once they are a month old.
Incubator
If you want grasshoppers year-round in an apocalyptic or diester scenario then using an incubator would be key. You must incubate the eggs and you will have new grasshoppers in 2-3 weeks instead of months in the wild.
This is the way that you can have them going all year!
Feeding Grasshoppers
You can feed your grasshoppers a mixture of greens like cabbage, nightshade, lettuce, or grass. Use a variety of vegetation. Wash the greens first so all the pesticides and residues are completely removed.
Hydration from Food
Grasshoppers do not need to be watered as long as you provide them with fresh food. They get their hydration from their food and do not require further sources of water. Keep the humidity of the habitat low and the tank dry.
Hatching Nymphs
Grasshoppers will lay their eggs 2 to 3 cm below the surface of the sand you provide them because they prefer to have some ground to cover the eggs. They lay 60 to 80 eggs at a time in a frothy cluster. Incubate the eggs at 83 degrees Fahrenheit.
The eggs will hatch three to four weeks after they have been laid. The baby grasshoppers, or nymphs, will push their way up to the surface after hatching.
Breed Grasshoppers for Survival Foods
Breeding grasshoppers for survival food is a great way to have a steady supply of nutritious, protein-rich food. Grasshoppers are fast-growing and can produce large numbers of offspring in short periods. This means that you can quickly create a large stockpile of healthy food if necessary.
You can even create an entire food chain starting with your grasshoppers. Grasshoppers could feed chickens or fish.
Farming grasshoppers is a great way to survive in a post-apocalyptic world. With careful planning and preparation, you can ensure your survival during this difficult time.
