61 replies to this topic

[drtrmiller]

I hope to offer this to U.S. customers soon, as a highly experimental protein substitute.  

 

Editor's note: "Whole Insect Protein Extract," or WIPE, describes the composition of the food.  The product will have a different trade name/pseudonym when it becomes available for sale. Update: The product will be called "byFormica Blue."

 

Overview:
 
byFormica Blue is 100% derived from live, whole insects that have been made into liquified form, and has the consistency of ketchup or mustard. The ants first drink all the available liquid, which consists of water and insect fats, after which a solid paste remains on the feeding dish, mostly protein. The ants then collect these solid particles for storage or immediate feeding to larvae.

WIPE Composition and Critique:
 
Except for an evaporating preservative agent, no sugar or other ingredients are added.

In contrast, ants generally are not attracted to, and will not consume standalone protein from whey or casein (both milk products), which is traditionally incorporated in all-in-one meridic ant diets. This critical difference in receptivity, along with scientific journals unable to replicate positive outcomes for synthetic diets containing whey or casein proteins, ultimately lead me to the conclusion that such denatured, bovine-derived proteins are unrecognizable to ants, and likely have no nutritive value on account of being poorly absorbed, if they are able to be assimilated or broken down at all.

WIPE Storage:
 
Currently, the WIPE mixture must remain at or below 0 C for extended periods, but it should resist 2-3 days in shipping at room temperature. The pilot test batch has been stored at or below freezing temperatures for over 15 months, as of this writing, with no apparent change in quality.

The preservative agent keeps the mixture from freezing solid, and evaporates completely after a few minutes once dispensed in small amounts. It is important to note that prior to evaporation, the preservative acts as a deterrent, so ants will be repelled from the food until the preservative evaporates out.

WIPE Benefits:
 
Over 90% of the insoluble particles (such as chitin) have been mechanically removed from the solution. Consequently, one obvious benefit from this potential food, is that no or negligible waste or frass is produced when using this insect extract, aside from uneaten amounts left on the feeding dish, if any. Particles that are too small to be removed during manufacturing are generally lumped together with the protein particles for storage and consumption by larvae.

I have experienced positive receptivity across a few different omnivorous species. I hope to get a good amount of feedback regarding receptivity and efficacy from users who purchase the experimental product, before investing more time in processes to improve the usability and hopefully eliminate the cold storage requirement.

 



1st video notes: Off camera, the ants in the video eventually consumed or otherwise stored 100% of the food, including all residue, from the feeding dish, similar to the behavior observed at the end of the second video, below.

The ants will sometimes appear to attack or chew the liquid as in 2:32 of the Camponotus video, which is typical behavior towards protein foods, regardless of whether it is a solid or liquid state.



2nd video notes: The video was recorded over a 30-minute period, and splits at the 1:30 mark to show the beginning and end in a condensed 3-minute clip.

 

 

Oct 17 Update:

 

 

byFormica is very close to a commercial release of the first-ever insect-based food for ants, byFormica Blue.

 

The main ingredients are whole, live insects — Waxworm moth larvae, mixed soldier fly larvae and pupae, mixed surinam cockroach nymphs and adults, silkworm moth larvae, and subterranean termites make up the largest proportion of ingredients, by far.  Additional ingredients are added only to naturally preserve the product, and to make the food easily visible when ingested or stored.

 

We separate the meat from the bones — A raw, no heat process separates the indigestible skins and exoskeletons from the liquid and meat contained in the insect.  At no stage are the insects cooked, heated, dried, or substantially altered. We then recycle the skins and exoskeletons by feeding them back to other insects capable of consuming them, before processing those insects in a later stage.  We achieve a precise 70% moisture content for the final product, with the other 30% being pure proteins and lipids.  The result is a food that your ants can consume fully, with virtually no waste or garbage.

 

Enhanced nutrition compared to commercial feeders — Commercially bred insects are notoriously deficient in phytonutrients compared to their wild counterparts.  For this reason, we add some carefully selected wild insects to byFormica Blue, and also feed some of our stock an enriched diet that balances and restores the final nutritional profile of our food to that which is similar to wild insects, and beyond that of which commercially raised feeders alone are capable. Use as a supplement, or as a replacement, to highly perishable feeder insects.

 

Goodness concentrated in each bottle — Due to our novel manufacturing process and bug selection, each 15 ml bottle contains the nutritional equivalent of about 130 insects, with an average weight of over 150 mg per insect before processing.

 

Precisely control colony growth — Each bottle contains about 500 drops of liquid, which are easily served on provided plastic serving trays, up to 6 drops per tray.  The growth of a large colony may be easily adjusted by feeding more or fewer drops, or with greater or lesser frequency.  Along with an ad libitum amount of Sunburst Ant Nectar, a single 15 ml bottle of byFormica Blue provides enough food to rear hundreds of larger ants, or thousands of smaller ants.

 

Served liquid stays fresher, longer — When used as directed, the liquid product stays fresh on the feeding tray for weeks after drying, with minimal loss in quality.  A drop of water may be added to dried product, to increase its attractiveness.  Compare that to commercial feeders, which may turn black and rot if not eaten quickly.

Edited by drtrmiller, October 17 2016 - 5:08 AM.

[ctantkeeper]

this looks amazing!!! I would love to test it out for you if you need beta testers.

[Bcam43]

This is good. Very very good!

[Saftron]

Same here, would definitely like to try.

[XZero38]

I would like to help out as well, see how my ants take to it.

[sgheaton]

I've got the specimens for testing if you'd like another persons help.

[ctantkeeper]

ctantkeeper, on 08 Aug 2016 - 12:49 AM, said:

this looks amazing!!! I would love to test it out for you if you need beta testers.

I am currently doing research on M. emarginatum (a new species that was identified 30 years ago), which I guarantee that you haven't tried your formula on. I also have Tetramorium caespitum, Lasius neoniger and Aphaenogaster fulva to test it out on!!!!! message me if interested

[Batspiderfish]

Centrifuge?

[drtrmiller]

Batspiderfish, on 08 Aug 2016 - 3:35 PM, said:

Centrifuge?

 
No, the volume I produce is probably too much for that to be too useful.  Homogenization may improve the product consistency and quality for future versions, however.

 
 
Verbose Update:

I'm coloring it blue to more clearly visualize whether it is being stored, and/or disposed of, and/or fed to larvae.  After only 12 hours, the results are promising. It appears the ants are consuming the vast majority of material very quickly, and their larvae have already started turning colors (more photos, hopefully, soon).  I see no blue material in the foraging area trash pile, and only a few small bits in the nest storage area with some small roach carcasses.

 

 

Also, I understand that many of you want to test the Whole Insect Protein Extract (WIPE).  Please note, however, that I will not be offering free samples. One thing I will be doing differently, however, due to the bleeding edge nature of this product, is including a UPS return label in each order, and offering free returns if users can not get the product to work to their satisfaction.  Free shipping and free, no-RMA-required returns make testing WIPE a risk-free proposition.

While the product is in development, product volume will be 15 ml bottles, as I don't want to waste thousands of live insects on something people will never use, and processing involved is quite unique.  Later, if the product shows commercial and practical viability, then I'll look at 30-60 ml bottle servings.  

 

Based on my knowledge of worker composition by diet, I would estimate a 15 ml bottle to yield no less than 75 adult Camponotus or other large species workers, and no less than 600-750 smaller species like Tetramorium or Lasius workers, when fed to a vigorous colony over a 90-day period at about 3 drops per day (3 drops, the recommended serving size, is shown in the photo, above).

The ideal ant colony for a product like this, is one with a fair number of workers and lots of developing brood.  One key viability indicator for me, personally, is whether S. invicta (and similar myrmicine ants), which has a fast turnover rate for brood development, can thrive and rear multiple generations of brood with just WIPE and Sunburst Ant Nectar.  The old Blue 100 food fared poorly with S. invicta (the brood did not mature). Many generations of positive brood growth with no other food sources would mean that the colony is assimilating the proteins, lipids, and other nutrients found in the WIPE product as expected, and would constitute a positive outcome, in my book.

Edited by drtrmiller, August 11 2016 - 7:26 PM.

[ctantkeeper]

That sounds great, I would love to try out a small sample myself, once I have some money put aside. I actually prefer it with the dye (Being able to see the food visibly appear in the digestive tracts of larvae makes feeding a slightly more interesting experience and is one of the reasons for why I enjoyed using blue 100 so much.). Glad to see ants are accepting it.

[drtrmiller]

Quick Update:

Here is a very young S. invicta colony with only 11 workers.  Within the past few days, they have only had access to byFormica Sunburst Ant Nectar (yellow) and Insect Extract (blue).  Prior to this diet, they had access only to Sunburst for the past two weeks, and no access to any insect or other protein.

If these and my other small colonies are able to rear additional brood with no other foods, then that will be a promising start.


 

[john.harrold]

I'd be happy to buy it and give it a try.

[benjiwuf]

I would love to try this out when it becomes availible in europe.

[drtrmiller]

Null

Edited by drtrmiller, September 27 2016 - 1:33 PM.

[Kevin]

drtrmiller, I noticed that your website isn't linked to your domain, and it directs to amazon. Did you discontinue selling grotubes, formicariums, etc? All that's listed on your amazon is ant food.

[drtrmiller]

Null

Edited by drtrmiller, September 27 2016 - 1:32 PM.

[Gregory2455]

How is this going?

[dspdrew]

I tested this stuff out and it's amazing.

[Superant33]

It is the sole source of protein for two of my colonies. There has been a huge increase in brood with these two colonies (both C. sayi). It has been incredibly effective. All of my colonies consume it (I have honey pots, 5 Pogonomyrmex queens, and the previously mentioned carpenters). I have stopped feeding it to my honey pots (M. mimicus?) because I need to save it. It is the only thing my Pogonomyrmex queen will eat. I am hoping that Terry offers it on Amazon, or some other source. I need more!!

[drtrmiller]

Below are the preliminary results from the many reports I've received from users who have tested the food.  I have a good variety of nearly 10,000 live insects that I'll be working with to produce the first commercial batch of food in the coming days.
 
Definitions:
 

• Large colony — Colonies with greater than 20 larvae, typically with greater than 50 workers.
• Small colony — Colonies with fewer than 20 larvae, typically with fewer than 50 workers.

Preliminary Results:
  
95% of large colonies were receptive to the food.  Of those that were receptive to the food, 95% had blue larvae after 24 hours, indicating the ants were feeding the food to brood.  Also of those that were receptive to the food, 85% consumed or stored all the food offered within 24 hours.
 
67% of small colonies were receptive to the food.  Of those that were receptive to the food and had larvae, 70% had blue larvae after 24 hours, indicating the ants were feeding the food to brood.  Also of those that were receptive to the food, 50% consumed or stored all the food offered within 24 hours.
 
When comparing gross totals, the results may be displayed on the following chart:
 

 
Important Notes:
  
As the majority of the ants tested originated from or near desert habitats in the southwest United States, the data set for testing is largely incomplete.  As more ants are tested from different regions, the overall results may change.  A single negative result does not necessarily indicate incompatibility, whereas a positive result usually does rule out incompatibility.  The current data set mostly indicates the first result obtained, as users did not often report successive results, especially when the first result was negative or appeared conclusive.

 
The only semi-claustral genus tested thus far was Pogonomyrmex.  Pogonomyrmex spp. represented 18% of all tests conducted, of which all 100% were successful. In all cases, queens with no brood were observed eating, collecting, and storing the food.  More tests must be completed on semi-claustral ants from cooler climates, such as Myrmica, as well as from genetically distant and geographically isolated genera, such as Myrmecia, to better understand whether this food preparation may be a useful tool in rearing semi-claustral species.

 

Very little data is available on long-term efficacy.  For "large colonies," as defined above, I have reared 3 or more successive generations of brood while feeding only the insect extract, Sunburst Ant Nectar, and distilled water.  I would expect that if a large, healthy colony is receptive to the food, it would continue to grow as long as the food is provided regularly.  In my case, I feed 6 drops per large colony, 1-3 times a week, and I reduce feeding frequency when I observe that the ants are storing food more quickly than they can consume it or feed it to larvae.  The goal is to have the ants store as little as possible.  This way, no food ends up in the garbage area, and so there is almost zero waste.

 

While I have not kept perfect records, I can report anecdotally that a Camponotus pennsylvanicus colony studied, in particular, increased in population from appx. 150 workers (Aug 1), to over 300 workers (Sep 27) in a period of less than 8 weeks, with no signs of slowing down.  A Solenopsis invicta colony with approximately 400 starting workers, increased brood count by over 200% after a 4 week period—especially promising, considering that this same species failed to thrive when provided the "Blue 100" food (a meridic diet based on the work of Dussutour and Simpson, consisting mostly of sugar, egg, whey and casein).

 

Recommended Use:
  
Best when used with:

• Larger colonies with 20 or more hungry larvae (receptivity was found to increase with the number of larvae)
• Healthy, normal, active colonies
• Colonies fully producing, not about to enter or exit diapause (30 days from/to hibernation)

Not recommended for:

• Small colonies with fewer than 20 larvae
• Weakened, neglected, or unhealthy colonies
• Colonies about to enter or exit diapause (30 days from/to hibernation)
• Fully liquid product must never be dispensed in poorly ventilated areas such as test tubes or containers with fitted lids
• New or inexperienced antkeepers

Use with semi-claustral queens having few or no larvae should be considered experimental.
 
Features & Benefits:
 

• All the nutrition of fresh, live insects, in a bottle in semi-liquid form
• Minimally processed to retain as many nutrients as possible
• Extremely long shelf life of up to 10 years (when properly stored)
• Most indigestible chitin is removed, reducing waste/garbage accumulation
• Dispensed food stays fresher longer than whole insects
• Blue indicator dye to verify ants are feeding food to larvae
• Precise portion control (by the drop) for easy measuring
• Included feeding dishes reduce messes

Edited by drtrmiller, October 17 2016 - 8:16 AM.