Edible and Medicinal Insects of North-East India, Special Reference to Manipur

Contents: Preface. 1. Introduction. 2. Order: Odonata. 3. Order: Mantodea. 4. Order: Dictyoptera. 5. Order: Orthoptera. 6. Order: Isoptera. 7. Order: Hemiptera. 8. Order: Lepidoptera. 9. Order: Hymenoptera. 10. Order: Coleoptera. 11. Order: Bio-Prospects of edible and medicinal insects. References. Index.

 

Generally insects are known to us an harmful pests of agricultural, horticultural and plantation crops etc. whereas, insects too provides manifold utility in safe guarding and balancing the Earth’s ecosystem. In world’s crop production, bees, butterflies and moths alone contributed more than 73% as pollinators; predatory insects protect against notorious pests thereby enhancing food production; the silk, topmost fabric, known as “The Queen fabric” is the product of silkworms; and “Honey” the best natural food is the gift of honey bees to the mankind. Among the beneficial insects, “Edible Insect” also contributed as a good protein sources in combating the malnutrition by consuming more than 2000 different species by various ethnic communities of the world. However, “Insects as food and medicinal sources” is a lesser known and neglected topic too for many of us, as it lies more epicentre to ethnic community and TK holders even though it has been serve its existence along with the man civilization. Food and agriculture organization (FAO) of the United Nations Rome, 2013 also encourages the use, reproduction and dissemination of material of edible insect in their information product “Edible insects: future prospects for food and feed security” by Arnold van Huis et. al., 2013. With the beginning of the twenty first century, where the world population is growing considerably, researchers are searching for alternative source of protein to feed the world and to combat the new emerging diseases through novel bioactive compounds and microbes. Therefore, information depicted in this book entitled “Edible and Medicinal Insects of North-East India, Special Reference to Manipur “ is the right approaches to share the traditional knowledge of insect resources utilization through this book for wider circulation for the welfare of human kind.

 

Traditionally, indigenous people of north-east India employed insects in diverse aspects like edible purpose, therapeutic use, industrial uses, means of economic input, cultural aspect, and many other activities, north-east India is inhibited by different ethnic groups having diverse culture and food habits. This book attempted to congregate all the available information of the age old culture and knowledge of the several ethnic people regarding the utilization of insect resources particularly edible and medicinal insects. In this book, above 75 species of insects were described with taxonomic position including common name, vernacular identity, original image, individual specific insect’s information and its uses etc.