สำนักราชบัณฑิตยสภา

สิ ริ วั ฒน์ วงษ์ศิ ริ วารสารราชบัณฑิตยสถาน ปีที่ ๓๗ ฉบับที่ ๑ ม.ค.-มี.ค. ๒๕๕๕ 139 Abstract Edible Insects to be Used as Food During Natural Disasters Siriwat Wongsiri Associate Fellow of the Academy of Science, The Royal Institute, Thailand Insects are animals that have a long evolutionary ancestry stretching back more than 300 million years and are also the most numerous animals on earth with over 1 million scientifically named species. Of this number there are both insects that are beneficial and those that cause harm to humans, but of those only 8000 species have been found to be true enemies, destroying agricultural crops, interfering with the lives and well- being of people, or perhaps have the ability to cause diseases that endanger mankind. Apart from these, insects for the most part are useful in various ways including in the agricultural and medical industries, and as an important source of food for man which has been used in times past. The studies of various research groups have found that there are some 1681 species which are used for food by man in the countries on the continents of Asia, Australia, Africa, America and Europe. In Thailand, it has been found that more than 150 are used for food, including waterbugs, grasshoppers, silk- worms, and bamboo moth larvae. With the world population presently approaching 7 million people, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is promoting insects as a source of food for people worldwide. There is a treasure trove of insects which have a short lifecycle and reproduce in great quantities at a time, which causes them to adapt and rapidly increase numerically in a very short period of time. The breeding of insects for food therefore is one way to lessen the problem of food shortages of man, and can be done rapidly in times of crises especially with climate change, or when faced with natural disasters which may occur at any time. These edible insects are not only good for food but also delicious. From studies performed by various agencies it has been found that many insect species also have a high nutritional value including carbohydrates, fats, proteins and minerals, and as such are able to be a good replacement food for man. Key words: eatable insect, honey bee, silk worm, bamboo worm