Wild harvesting of edible insects in Bandundu Province, Democratic Republic of Congo
On this page I have written a short overview of termites, palm weevil larvae and some of the caterpillars eaten in the part of DRC where I lived (and worked as a bonobo habituation assistant) from September 2012 - February 2013. Please click here for a very basic introduction to the region, including an summary of diet and subsistence patterns.
Information regarding these and other edible insects, and their feeding plants, was gathered from interviews with local village residents. Wherever possible, insects and plants were also identified to Genus or species level. As a result we were able to document Traditional Ecological Knowledge about this little-studied but biologically rich environment; the results have been submitted for peer-reviewed publication.
Information regarding these and other edible insects, and their feeding plants, was gathered from interviews with local village residents. Wherever possible, insects and plants were also identified to Genus or species level. As a result we were able to document Traditional Ecological Knowledge about this little-studied but biologically rich environment; the results have been submitted for peer-reviewed publication.
Beetle larvae (Coleoptera)
'Bakiyo'
Bakiyo (also 'Mposo') are a species of palm weevil larvae. The majority of locals who like to eat Mvinzu (the local name for caterpillars, also extended to palm weevil larvae) consider the Bakiyo to be the tastiest.
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'Makokolo'
'Makokolo' are a species of palm weevil larvae, used both as bait for fish and as human food. They are found in the same trees as Bakiyo and collected in the same way, but taste completely different ('deuxieme qualite'!)
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Caterpillars (Lepidoptera)
'Ndualonga'
Ndualonga are a species of African silkworm (probably Anaphe spp.). They construct communal nests in January and February, and these nests can be kept (full of live, ready-to-eat caterpillars) for up to 4 months.
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'Bapakala'
Bapakala (probably Imbrasia obscura) are large, colourful caterpillars with spiky skin that must be singed on a fire before cooking.
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'Yiilo'
Yiilo (probably Imbrasia epimethea) grow to a size similar to Bapakala - if they are found when small, they are sometimes taken back to a tree closer to the village to give them time to grow before harvesting.
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'Benkiyete'
Benkiyete are a small species of caterpillar found in the savannah.
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Termites (Isoptera)
'Ndonge'
'Ndonge' (Macrotermes spp.) are termites, eaten opportunistically when the winged larvae migrate from the mounds.
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A child in Ipope holding a bowl of freshly collected termites, with their wings removed
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A termite mound in the village of Ipope
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