Survival Skills: 3 Safe Bugs And How To Eat Them

Maybe it’s just so deeply ingrained in pop culture survival that it’s inescapable, but there’s always somebody in one of my survival classes that is expecting to eat bugs. Even on a clearly defined “edible plant class”, someone pipes up about the bug eating part of the lesson. While it’s unsettling and unsavory to most Westerners, the consumption of insects by humans dates back to antiquity and still persists to this very day. And with good reason. Many insects provide a safe, digestible fat and protein resource that is too generous to ignore in some stark regions and famine conditions. So if you find yourself in a survival situation, maybe you can find some bugs too. They’re not as bad as you’d think. Here are my top 3 picks.

Termites

Ripping open a rotten log may seem like a lot of work, but the payoff might be worth the trouble. Termites are the highest calorie bug on this list. These pale colored, ant-looking insects provide about 6 calories per gram. You’ll have to work to get it, though. These little guys go scurrying for cover anytime you damage the wood they reside in. Roast them in a dry pan, and some species take on a shrimp flavor. Living in their closed, woody environment, these insects don’t have as many opportunities to pick up parasites as their open-air relatives. For this reason, if I had to eat bugs raw, it would be termites.

Crickets

Crickets, katydids and grasshoppers are a very diverse group of bugs that are generally safe to eat, if you avoid the colorful members of these families. Red, orange, yellow and blue are usually warnings. The heads and small legs should be removed, and the bugs should always be cooked thoroughly. Bugs with crunchy shells (exoskeletons) are often the most parasite laden. Hunt for them in the early morning, when they are less active from the colder temperatures. This group yields approximately 4 to 5 calories per gram. Their taste ranges from flavorless to fatty tasting.

Worms

There are hundreds of different species of earthworm throughout the world. All are considered safe for human consumption, but they should be purged of the dirt that fills them before you try to eat them. An easy way to clean them out is to place them in a container of damp grass. After a few hours, the critters will be void of the dirt and sand they normally hold. Like all animal foods, worms should be cooked before you eat them. I recommend frying. The good news is that fried worms taste a little like jerky. The bad news, average sized worms are only about 1 calorie per gram (not counting any fat used for frying).

Ready to learn wilderness survival? Take a class! And I won’t even make you it bugs (it’ll be optional).

Written by Tim MacWelch First draft published on outdoorlife.com