I have nothing against bugs. In fact, I find them quite fascinating for several reasons:


1. There are far more of them than any other creature on earth;
2. The life span of some of them can be as short as a few hours;

3. There are far more of them than any other creature on earth.


But my bug tolerance was challenged recently, while in Harbour Island, Eleuthera. Apparently, every so often (like when we visit), a certain type of caterpillar or silk worm decides that it wants to leave its nice, cozy nest in the leaves of a certain tree and commune with humans. There were several of these certain trees in the pool patio area of the house we stayed in, so there was a veritable extravaganza of communion going on.


However, we’re not talking one or two caterpillars here. We’re talking about as many caterpillars as there are leaves on a tree.


Thousands. Hundreds even.


And the manner in which they made their way down from the trees—hanging from the end of a silk thread that they wove until they hit something--reminded me of some coordinated military helicopter invasion:


Sergeant caterpillar: Soldier, on my order. Remember to begin inching as soon as you land.
Soldier caterpillar, thorax shaking with intrepidation: Yes, sir.

Sargeant caterpillar, with a wave of his fleshy appendage: Three, two, one, go! Jump, son, jump! And Godspeed.


They landed on the patio, they landed on the chair, they landed on the beach toys, they landed in your hair (note: intentional rhyme).


While one or two rapelling caterpillars might provide fodder for an interesting conversation while relaxing on the beach, a thousand of them had us swiping at imagined webs in the air every 12 seconds and maintaining constant motion while on the patio to avoid getting crawled upon.


However, I have since found out—much to my disappointment--that I actually missed a golden epicurean opportunity. Caterpillars, and insects in general, make good eatin’.


In the words of Mr. William F. Lyon of Ohio State University: In the United States, some restaurants (Washington, DC) are incorporating insects into their recipe books and menus. On the menu are interesting dishes such as stir-fried mealworms and caterpillar crunch (a combination of trail mix and fried caterpillars). Insects can be substituted for everyday recipe ingredients.


Not only are they tasty, says Lyon, but they are also nutritious. Apparently my body would have been much better off with stir-fried Dijon caterpillar and a side order of weevil chips than the cheeseburgers we cooked on the grill.


The nutritional content of edible insects and other animals based on a 100 gram serving are as follows:



Termite

(Macrotermes subhyanlinus)
Energy (Kcal) = 613 Protein(g)= 14.2 Iron(mg)= 0.75 Thiamine(mg)= 0.13 Riboflavin(mg) = 1.15 Niacin = 0.95


Caterpillar

(Usata terpsichore)
Energy (Kcal) = 370 Protein(g)= 28.2 Iron(mg)= 35.5 Thiamine(mg)= 3.67 Riboflavin(mg) = 1.91 Niacin = 5.2


Weevil

(Rhynchophorus phoenicis)
Energy (Kcal) = 562 Protein(g)= 6.7 Iron(mg)= 13.1 Thiamine(mg)= 3.02 Riboflavin(mg)= 2.24 Niacin = 7.8


Beef

(Lean ground)
Energy (Kcal) = 219 Protein(g)= 27.4 Iron(mg)= 3.5 Thiamine(mg)= 0.09 Riboflavin(mg)= 0.23 Niacin = 6.0


Fish

(Broiled cod)
Energy (Kcal) = 170 Protein(g)= 28.5 Iron(mg)= 1.0 Thiamine(mg)= 0.08 Riboflavin(mg)= 0.11 Niacin = 3.0


A brief glance at these figures shows that while caterpillar may not actually provide as much protein as my burger did, it kicks butt for Thiamine content! And let’s not even get into Iron and the all-important Riboflavin.


Oh well. Next time we go to Harbour Island, I’ll have my frying pan ready.