Making Feed from Japanese Beetles

[centrarchid]

Fish at moment, but will be doing with chickens this evening. Chicken side for now cannot be research quality. I am pretty sure they will eat it.

 

[centrarchid]

Here is how a scratch mix was presented with layer pellets and beetle pellets on ends. From top to bottom; pelleted layer feed, shell corn, oats, BOSS and beetle pellets. Not a proper experiment but birds did spend most effort pecking back and forth between BOSS and beetle pellets. I really think they can detect smells a lot better than they are give credit for.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

The only traps that I am aware of that actually catch large quantities of J Bs involve the use of sex hormones to lure them in. I my experience this is counter productive because you are only encouraging large numbers of lonely J. Bs to congregate in and around your garden all of them looking for the orgy that their noises tells them is in progress.

 

[centrarchid]

The only traps that I am aware of that actually catch large quantities of J Bs involve the use of sex hormones to lure them in. I my experience this is counter productive because you are only encouraging large numbers of lonely J. Bs to congregate in and around your garden all of them looking for the orgy that their noises tells them is in progress.

In most years the traps lured the beetles away from we tried to protect. The 2017 population was so large the traps did likely cause beetles to concentrate around traps and crops near them. Numbers were so great the beetles had little trouble finding mates. No matter where you went over most of the state of Missouri where upland habitat was not dominated by native plants, one could see numerous beetles flying constantly. To my reasoning, the aggregations are more than just about finding a mate, it is about overwhelming predators and possibly even plant chemical defenses.

 

[HenOnAJuneBug]

I'd have to try a solar convection dehydrator. I saw a video of someone who designed one like this and he said that air flow is the key. Also he liked this top-down flow design because air flow pushed heat collecting at the top downwards.

 

[theoldchick]

What an interesting experiment.

 

[centrarchid]

I'd have to try a solar convection dehydrator. I saw a video of someone who designed one like this and he said that air flow is the key. Also he liked this top-down flow design because air flow pushed heat collecting at the top downwards.

I wonder what kind of poundage such a device could dry per run and what the range of run durations would be. Humidity part of the time will be problematic even with good air circulation and heat. I can see need for freezing a lot as beetles trapped followed by an extended period of drying later.

 

[HenOnAJuneBug]

I wonder what kind of poundage such a device could dry per run and what the range of run durations would be. Humidity part of the time will be problematic even with good air circulation and heat. I can see need for freezing a lot as beetles trapped followed by an extended period of drying later.

I have no idea, but a design like that is certainly scalable to larger quantities. Looks like it would be a good project for a student.

 

[centrarchid]

I am looking to dry several hundred pounds. My gut feeling is they need to be squished first to speed drying. We have half dozen large chest freezers which is not enough volume to handle what is anticipated.

 

[Blue Tiger]

Soybean meal might have a purpose other than nutritional that might make effort practical. Pellets smelling like sillage which can be down right pleasant.


Sieves used to screen pellets made of Japanese Beetle biomass and heat treat treated soybean meal. Sizes are 0.157 inches, 0.0787 inches, and 0.0394 inches.

Sizes produced by sieving; top left largest, top right second largest, lower left second smallest, and lower right outright fines. All but fines in size range of available on market and they would be salvageable if wetted.

Better than 95% of mix run through meat grinder dried into the coarsest size that is most desired. Pink, red, and orange colors eye can see not showing in photograph below.

Blue Tiger = centrarchid