Biological Features of <i>Tenebrio Molitor</i>, <i>Zophobas Morio</i> and <i>Hermetia Illucens</i> Larvae as the Source of Feed Protein for Animals

Abstract

Introduction. Due to the world’s population growth, the need for food products increases. The only way to solve the problem is to develop the animal husbandry, poultry and fish farming, which are currently facing the acute deficit of protein feedstuff. Due to the chemical composition, the larvae of the yellow mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) beetle, zofobas (Zophobas morio) beetle and the black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) could be efficiently used in the compound feed production. Therefore, our research aims at the comparative study of the biological features of the above insects and their larvae in the context of improving the technology of the new types of feed protein production.Materials and Methods. The research was conducted by comparing the biological features of the following insects: Tenebrio molitor, Zophobas morio and Hermetia illucens.Results. The specific temperature conditions in the native ranges of the studied insect species were revealed. That could benefit the larvae artificial rearing technology. The aspects of the natural fodder base influence on the formation of the larvae nutrient medium upon their rearing for feed protein production were determined. The larvae growth intensity of the studied insect species was compared.Discussion and Conclusion. The study of Tenebrio molitor, Zophobas morio and Hermetia illucens biological features brought us to the conclusion that using their larvae as feed protein in production of the compound feed is expedient. Based on the chemical composition features of the above larvae, both in their natural and protein feed flour form, they can be recommended for feeding the valuable fish species, poultry, pigs and small domestic animals.