Undergraduate Honors Thesis Projects

Date of Award

Spring 2023

Document Type

Honors Paper

Degree Name

Biology-BS

Department

Biology & Earth Science

Advisor

Dr. Sarah Bouchard

First Committee Member

Dr. Bennett Grooms

Second Committee Member

Dr. Regina Prusinski

Keywords

Nutrtition, Blaptica Dubia, Insect, Growth

Subject Categories

Entomology | Higher Education | Other Animal Sciences | Other Nutrition | Zoology

Abstract

For animals under human care, their welfare is extremely important and often challenging to maintain. Nutrition plays a critical role in overall animal welfare, and without proper nutrition, nutritional diseases may arise, particularly in insectivores. Many studies have investigated the nutritional content and nutrient plasticity of common feeder insects like crickets (Acheta domesticus) and mealworms (Tenebrio molitor). However, research has yet to investigate in detail a less popular, and anecdotally more nutritious dubia cockroach (Blaptica dubia). I reared B. dubia on five different diets until their 7th instar, and then collected them for nutrient analysis. B. dubia reared on a diet which consisted of 45 % chicken feed, 25 % fish food, 25 % turtle pellets, and 5 % calcium supplement, had the best nutritional content overall among all diets observed in this study. The B. dubia fed that diet were highest in protein, calcium, and ash, lowest in chitin, and had a moderate amount of fat. The diet did not have an impact on how fast B. dubia grew and developed, but it did decrease gestation time. This successful nutrient manipulation of B. dubia opens the doors for future research on more dietary manipulation for the insect, as well as creating a nutrient dense feeder insect that is better than many studies done on both crickets and mealworms.

Licensing Permission

Copyright, all rights reserved. Fair Use

Acknowledgement 1

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Acknowledgement 2

1

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