I get quite a bit of email, much of it generated from this site (this site has received over 150,000 visitors, and many are generous enough to take the time to write me). Receiving all this email is in some respects exceptionally gratifying (bwahahaha, I get a great deal of email! I must be important! Or not...), but in other respects extremely frustrating, since I receive approximately the same questions over and over and over again. In the hopes of preventing the unneccessary multiplication of bytes, I present this list of Frequently Asked Questions...check to see if yours is listed.

What is your favorite kind of insect to eat?

I am quite fond of mealworms, personally. Chocolate covered crickets are tasty as well.

Where can I get edible insects?

From a pet store, bait shop, or bulk insect supplier. Sheesh, don't you guys read the Recipes page?

Do you know of any restaurants in (fill in your area here) that serve insects?

No.

Are you a scientist/professor/journalist?

Bwahahahaha...yes, I'm a scientist...a MAD scientist!!! Erm, actually, I'm none of the above; I'm a seventeen year old homeschooler, and have no qualifications other than the ability to write and a life long interest in entomology. You can read more about me on my (cleverly named) About the Author page.

Could you send me a book or brochure?

Nope!

Could you send me more information on the nutritional value of (insert your favorite insect species here)?

In general, no.

Could you send me more recipes?

Nay. When it comes to this web page, what you see is what you get. While I can be prevailed upon to track down more esoteric information about entomophagy, most of my pertinent knowledge about insect eating is already contained on eatbug.com. If you are interested in learning more about entomophagy, there is a startlingly large amount of information about entomophagy available in various printed resources, and there are also several other entomophagy sites on the net. In other words, "go look it up!"

Can you help me with my science project?

I can certainly try; however, since I have various Real Life obligations (not the least of which is scholastic work of my own!), it may be a while before I get back to you.

Do you eat mealworm larvae, or beetles?

While both larvae and beetles are edible, most people prefer eating the larvae...besides, if you eat all the beetles in your colony, you won't have any more larvae or beetles, rendering this a moot question.

Can you catch parasites/diseases from eating insects?

Properly raised crickets and mealworms do not carry any parasites or diseases communicable to man. The only dangers potentially posed by entomophagy are those of allergic reactions to insects (if you're allergic to shellfish, you're probably allergic to insects too), pesticide contamination (be careful where you harvest your insects!), and the potential for insects such as wild caught cockroaches to carry disease (don't eat the cockroaches you find under the kitchen sink).

Do you know where I can buy premade insect food products?

Hotlix is the only company I know that sells such products; they sell lollipops with insects inside (intended as a novelty, but they taste pretty good), and mealworm snack foods (sold as "Larvettes") .

Do edible insects have medicinal qualities?

While I know that various cultures believe that insects have medical value, I really couldn't tell you who believes which insect has what medicinal property. In general, I assume that whatever insect I'm eating has about as much medicinal value as the average cow..."Take four heaping handfuls of mealworm every day for relief of hunger."

Are you married?

Yes, people have actually asked me this question. The answer is no; I'm a mere 17 years of age, and am not contemplating such a drastic course of action for quite some time.