• Blog
  • Main Website
  • Commercial Pest Control
  • Pest Control Reviews
  • Contact Us
deBugged
  • Blog
  • Main Website
  • Commercial Pest Control
  • Pest Control Reviews
  • Contact Us
Home  /  Countries  /  L is for Lay Your Bugs On Me
24 July 2013

L is for Lay Your Bugs On Me

Written by Jackie
Countries cockroahes, crickets, entomophagy, escargot, flies, insects, snails Leave a Comment

Slug and snail invasion - One night's catchThe other day a news piece caught my eye on the telly – it was the rather bizarre scene of three snails that had been placed on a poor woman’s face.  I can only assume that she was subjecting her face to this “pleasure” for a particular purpose. Indeed, it turns out snail slime is the latest natural beauty treatment hailing from Japan!

Apparently snail slime has anti-ageing properties and this new treatment currently available only in one beauty salon in Tokyo (but coming to a high street near you soon, no doubt!) is known as an escargot facial.

Before I got carried away with trying to collect all the slugs, snails and ants currently inhabiting my garden and smearing them across my face (yuck!), I thought I had better research this topic a little.

Could insects have health benefits for us humans?

Well, I know about those tiny little fish (Garra rufa) used for fish pedicures – they obviously provide some benefit in the feet department, but then, they are not insects.

On the face of it, this seemed like a rather silly question. Aren’t we always told about how dirty cockroaches are? And how flies contaminate our foodstuffs? Ticks just suck our blood, and in worst cases transmit Lyme disease.  What good can there be in insects? Well, it turns out, our main health benefits from insects may simply be derived from us eating them.

Ever heard of entomophagy? It is the practice of eating insects as food. Earlier this year, the UN urged people once again to eat insects to help fight world hunger.  100g of grasshopper contains more calcium and iron than 100g of minced beef. The surprising (to me) nutritional value of insects must certainly seem very appealing to dieters and health fanatics.

For example, if you are after a carb-free diet but still need to get your daily intake of protein and calories, why not try a hearty bowl of termites? Apparently crickets are good for healthy bones and just four of these insects contain as much calcium as a cup of milk! If you are fed up of taking vitamin supplements, insects could be a serious alternative. There is at least one restaurant I know of in London (there must be more) that offers chilli and garlic locusts and crickets –  but surely anything tastes good with a bit of chilli and garlic, right?!

Jokes aside, I am sure that entomophagy will continue to grow over the coming years, though I don’t know how quickly. An estimated 2 billion people around the world already consume insects as part of their regular diet…it is us Europeans who need to jump on the “insect band wagon” so to speak.  Perhaps a little more celebrity endorsement is required, like the one from Salma Hayek, who eats bugs for breakfasts.

Suffice it to say, there is no need to purposefully have insects crawling or sliming across your skin for any major health kick.

Share On
 Previous Article K is for Kissing Bugs and Other Blood-sucking Nasties
Next Article   M is for Moths

Related Posts

  • Sting for Irish homeowners as wasps may be sticking around!

    August 31, 2022
  • How to Prevent Flies in House

    July 21, 2022
  • The amount of silverfish in Ireland’s capital has been nearly ‘Dublin’!

    March 24, 2022
  • Top counties for fleas in Ireland in 2021

    Ireland’s Top 5 Worst Affected Counties For Fleas In 2021

    February 23, 2022
Jackie

I joined UK Marketing for Rentokil Pest Control in January 2009. What an enlightenment that has been….cheese mites, bed bugs and confused flour beetles, I never knew such things existed but I’ve certainly learnt how Rentokil expertise and experience eliminates them. Now my mission is to use the website to show the population of the UK that whatever their pest problem, Rentokil have the solution. Life outside of work revolves around my husband and kids, so life is pretty hectic!

Leave a Reply

Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Need some advice?

Talk to one of our experts:

For your Home

0818 882 438

For your Business

0818 882 428

Checking...

Ouch! There was a server error.
Retry »

Sending message...

Quick Form

Fill in the form below and we will be in touch soon


Find us on Twitter

Find us on Facebook

Find Us on LinkedIn

Rentokil Pest Control

Rentokil Pest Control is part of Rentokil Initial — one of the world’s largest providers of business services. Formed over 80 years ago, the company has grown to become UK’s longest-established, best known and most trusted pest control service provider.

Camberley.
3,500+ employees



Rentokil Pest Control

Categories

  • Birds
  • Commercial Pest Control
  • Countries
  • Crawling Insects
  • Flying Insects
  • Property Care
  • Rodents

SUBSCRIBE TO THE DEBUGGED BLOG


Latest Video

Recent Posts

  • Bed Bugs Are Back September 29, 2022
  • Sting for Irish homeowners as wasps may be sticking around! August 31, 2022
  • How to Prevent Flies in House July 21, 2022
  • Are Horse Fly Bites Harmful? June 20, 2022

© 2022 Rentokil Initial plc and subject to the conditions in the Legal Statement.

  • Pestaurant
  • Noises in the Attic
  • Top Household Pests
  • Specialist Services
  • Why Rentokil
  • RI Supplier Code
  • Supplier Terms and Conditions
  • Manage Cookies
  • Company Information
  • Legal Statement
  • RI Supplier Code
  • Cookie Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
  • eBilling
myRentokil
myLearning
  • Ambius.ie Ambius.ie
  • Initial.ie Initial.ie
  • Rentokil-Initial.com Rentokil-Initial.com