FI128903B

FI128903B - Feeding device and system for feeding insects

Info

Publication number: FI128903B
Application number: FI20185126A
Authority: FI
Inventors: Johannes Nikola; Timotej Kovacic
Original assignee: Entocube Oy
Priority date: 2018-02-12
Filing date: 2018-02-12
Publication date: 2021-02-26
Also published as: FI20185126A1

Abstract

The invention is concerned with a device (1) for feeding insects with feed. The device (1) comprises a container with an upper part (1a) and a lower part (1b). The walls of the lower part (1b) have holes (2), which are dimensioned to be permeable for the feed but impermeable for the insects to be fed. The invention is also concerned with a system for feeding insects with feed to said device (1) from a feed storage (4). An input channel (5) is connected to the device (1) for feeding the feed into the device (1) from the feed storage (4), which can be an external or internal feed storage (4).

Description

FEEDING DEVICE AND SYSTEM FOR FEEDING INSECTS

TECHNICAL FIELD The invention is concerned with a device and a system for feeding insects.

BACKGROUND Human consumption of insects is common to cultures in most parts of the world. Currently, more than a billion people consume insects as food as a part of their diet. Most insect consumption occurs in areas naturally abundant with them, such as South- and Central Africa, East Asia and South America. Insects are most commonly foraged from nature. However, due to rising populations and a corresponding rise in dietary needs, farming has become a widely spread way to produce insect-based foods. Caterpillars, bugs, beetles, termites, ants, and crickets are examples of edible insects for humans. Hundreds of species of crickets, locusts, beetles, wax moths and various other insects are also used as pet food and fish bait all over the world. Crickets are especially important for human consumption because of their protein content. Among the hundreds of different species of crickets, the house cricket (Acheta domesticus) is the most common species used for human consumption. In many parts of the world, crickets are consumed dried, baked or seasoned. Crickets are farmed for animal feed as well, since many reptiles, fish and birds consume them. © Crickets are usually housed in small containers of a relatively high temperature (around

O N 30°C) and furnished with simple items to provide shelter.

S N Insect farming is a relatively young industry and is currently an incredibly labour-intensive z process. Insects reguire manual feeding (via distribution of fresh or granulated foods or a © 25 — the application of food wastes), watering (which is often somewhat automated by adopting D technologies for feeding chicks or small rodents), handling, harvesting, cleaning and aid 0 Oo in reproducing.

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Especially, the methods of feeding the crickets require improvements. Crickets and insects in general are feed simply by using some bowls or vessels or by distributing the food on the floor of the containers they are housed in. The drawback of such solutions is that the insects and so their excrements are in direct contact with the food which thereby become contaminated leading to safety risks and is harmful for the health of the crickets. Neither is the feeding efficient in that way since it is difficult to evaluate the need for the food at run-time and therefore requires continuous human work and attention. The object of the invention is to avoid these drawbacks.

SUMMARY The invention is concerned with a device for feeding insects with feed. The device comprises a container with an upper part and a lower part. The walls of the lower part have holes, which are dimensioned to be permeable for the feed but impermeable for the insects to be fed. The invention is also concerned with a system for feeding insects with feed to said device from a feed storage that have an output for feeding the feed into the container from the feed storage.

co The preferable embodiments of the invention have the features of the sub claims. & 3 An input channel can be connected to the device for feeding the feed into the device from = the feed storage, which can be an external or internal feed storage. Such an input channel E 25 can be any form of a channel like a duct, pipe, tube or chute.

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N W When the feed storage is an external feed storage, the output of the feed storage can be > connected to one end of the channel for feeding the feed into the container from the feed storage, the other end of the channel ending up to the container e.g. from above or from the side.

The invention device is primarily meant for feeding crickets. The permeability of the feed and the insects can be controlled by the size and shape of the holes as well as by the storage feed flow.

The shape and density of the holes can vary depending on the feed properties (such as grain size etc), insect or population size. The holes can be preferably bigger downwards than upwards of the lower part e.g. because it is easier for the insects to eat at a higher height, especially if the height of the device, such as of the cylinder, is 1 meter or more. The hole diameter can vary from 1 mm to 6 mm and the thickness of the walls can vary from 0,5 — 5 mm depending on the feed and the insect. The holes can be provided by using a mesh material of e.g. stainless steel constituting the walls of the lower part.

The device can e.g. have the form of a cylinder of an example size of 70 dm?, a diameter of 100 mm, and a height of 300 mm, the height of the lower part being e.g. 100 mm. The thickness of the walls of the lower part can be e.g. 1 mm and the size of the holes being e.g. 1 mm. In a bigger scale, the cylinder height can be extended to 1 000 mm or more. The surface area and the hole size of the lower part are the key parameters for adjusting the feed flow. The area of the lower part can either be fixed and having been adjusted in accordance with the consumption of the feed and/or then the exposed area of the lower part can be co 25 made adjustable. & g When the exposed area of the lower part is adjustable, and the device has the form of a S cylinder, the device can be a telescope construction allowing an outer cylinder to be E moved around a desired portion of the lower part thereby allowing adjustment of the © 30 exposable area of the lower part. 0a > The exposed area of the lower part can also be made adjustable by designing the lower part of the device as a telescopic double wall construction allowing one of the walls to be moved upwards in a desired extent.

A further possibility is to design the lower part as a double wall construction, wherein both wall have holes, whereby the construction allows one of the walls to be moved in a horizontal direction with respect to the other wall either to cover the holes of the other walls or to place them so that the holes coincide or partly coincide, or a part of the holes coincide completely or partly. Advantageously, the upper part of the device is of a slippery material of low friction to prevent the insects of climbing along it.

The form of the bottom of the device has the design of an elevated middle portion, for example an upward directed cone inside the device. Alternatively, the bottom of the device is inwards concave.

The feeding of the insects can be automated so that the system of the invention further comprises a sensor detecting the amount of the feed and giving input to a controller, and a controller instructing a feed storage to feed the feed into the device automatically in accordance with sensor input.

Such a system can alternatively comprise a timer, whereby the feed to the device takes place in a controlled timely manner according to set values to the timer.

The system can also comprise means for setting a continuous feed to the device.

In the following, the invention is described by some example embodiments by means of figures. The invention is not restricted to the details of these examples.

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FIGURES

N = a Figure 1 is a schematic illustration of the device of the invention N 30 Figure 2 is an architecture view of the system of the invention co

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DETAILED DESCRIPTION Figure 1 is a schematic illustration of the device of the invention. The device in figure 1 comprises a container 1 formed as a double-cylinder with an upper part 1a constituting 5 the upper cylinder and a lower part 1b constituting the lower cylinder, the walls of the lower part 1b having holes 2 that are dimensioned to be permeable for the feed but impermeable for the insects to be fed. The size of the holes 2 can vary and be bigger at a lower height than at a higher position of the lower part 1b. The distribution of the holes 2 can e.g. designed to introducing an open area of 50%, but that can vary so that the open area is from 30 % to 90 %, depending on the hole shape and/or diameter and the area of the lower part 1b is fixed in accordance with the consumption of the feed. In the embodiment of figure 1, the exposed area of the lower part 1b is adjustable so that the device has a telescope construction allowing the upper cylinder being the outer cylinder to be moved around a desired portion of the lower cylinder thereby allowing adjustment of the exposable area of the walls of the lower cylinder. Therefore, the upper cylinder is slightly bigger in diameter than the lower one. It is also possible to design the upper cylinder as the inner cylinder in the telescope construction and be make it movable inside the lower cylinder. In such an embodiment, oo 25 the lower cylinder is slightly bigger in diameter than the upper one. g g The telescope construction is also possible for other forms for the container than a S cylinder form.

E © 30 The form of the bottom of the device has the design of an elevated middle portion, such io as an upward cone 3 like in figure 1.

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Figure 2 is an architecture view of the system of the invention. The system for feeding insects with feed comprises a device 1, which comprises a container with an upper part 1a and a lower part 1b, the walls of the lower part 1b having holes 2 that are dimensioned to be permeable for the feed but impermeable for the insects to be fed.

The embodiment of figure 2 has an outer feed storage 4 with an output 8 for feeding the feed into the container 1 from the feed storage 4. The output can be a lid or gate that is open or shut. Feeding means, such as a feeder or a channel 5, is connected to the device for feeding the feed into the container 1 from the feed storage 4.

The system in figure 2 further comprises a sensor 6 for detecting the amount of the feed and for giving an input signal to a controller 7 to which it is connected upon a set value for the amount of the feed. The controller 7 instructs the feed storage 4 to feed the feed into the container 1 automatically in accordance with the sensor input, whereupon the output in the feed storage opens and optionally there are means for forwarding the feed, which are started upon the sensor input. The sensor can e.g. be an optic sensor. Instead of a sensor, there can be a timer, whereby the feed to the container takes place in a controlled timely manner according to set values to the timer automatically starting the feed of feed through the output of the feed storage. The feed can also be a continuous feed set in accordance with the consumption of the feed. Instead of a passive insect based feed flow, there could be added weight on the feed itself to control the feed flow and thus the permeability for the insects. This could be done co 25 by having an automated piston on top of the cylinder for pressing the feed down, which S would be slightly smaller in diameter than the storage cylinder to fit in. g S Instead of a passive insect based feed flow, it could alternatively or also be controlled by E vibrating the feeding means to control the feed flow. For that purpose, a vibrating motor © 30 could be attached to the feeding means, cylinder. 0a

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Claims

1. Device (1) for feeding insects with feed, which comprises a container with an upper part (1a) and a lower part (1b), the walls of the lower part having holes (2) that are dimensioned to be permeable for the feed but impermeable for the insects to be fed, wherein the upper part (1a) of the device (1) is of a slippery material of low friction to prevent the insects of climbing along it, and wherein the holes (2) are provided by a mesh material of e.g. stainless steel constituting the walls of the lower part (1b).

2. Device of claim 1, wherein the size of the holes (2) is various.

3. Device of claim 1, wherein the size of the holes (2) is smaller downwards than upwards of the lower part (1b).

4. Device of claim 1, wherein the area of the lower part (1b) is fixed in accordance with the consumption of the feed.

5. Device of claim 1, wherein the exposed area of the lower part (1b) is adjustable.

6. Device of claim 1, wherein the device (1) has the form of a cylinder. = 7. Device of claim 1, wherein the device (1) has a telescope construction

O N allowing an outer cylinder constituting the upper part (1a) to be moved

QA ? 25 around a desired portion of the lower part (1b) thereby allowing adjustment - of the exposable area of the lower part (1b). = a O 8. Device of claim 1, wherein the lower part (1b) of the device is a telescopic 0a double wall construction allowing one of the walls to be moved upwards in S 30 a desired extent.

9. Device of claim 1, wherein the lower part (1b) of the device (1) is a double wall construction, wherein both wall have holes (2), the construction allowing one of the walls to be moved in a horizontal direction with respect to the other wall either to cover the holes (2) of the other wall or to place them so that the holes (2) coincide completely or partly or a part of the holes (2) coincide completely or partly.

10. Device of claim 1, wherein the form of the bottom (3) of the device (1) has the design of an elevated middle portion.

11. Device of claim 1, wherein the bottom (3) of the device has the form of an upward cone.

12. Device of claim 1, wherein the bottom (3) of the device is inwards concave.

13. System for feeding insects with feed, comprising a device (1), which comprises a container with an upper part (1a) and a lower part (1b), the walls of the lower part (1b) having holes (2) that are dimensioned to be permeable for the feed but impermeable for the insects to be fed, wherein the upper part (1a) of the device (1) is of a slippery material of low friction to prevent the insects of climbing along it, and wherein the holes (2) — are provided by a mesh material of e.g. stainless steel constituting the walls S of the lower part (1b), and S 25 a feed storage (4) with an output (5) for feeding the feed into the container - from the feed storage (4). z ©

14. System of claim 13, wherein the feed storage (4) is an external feed storage io (4) and the output (8) of the feed storage (4) is connected to one end of a > 30 channel (5) for feeding the feed into the container from the feed storage (4), the other end of the channel (5) ending up to the container.

15. System of claim 13, wherein the feed storage (4) is an external feed storage (4) and the other end of the channel (5) ends up to the container from above.

16. System of claim 13, wherein the feed storage (4) is an external feed storage (4) and the other end of the channel (5) ends up to the container to an input in the wall in the upper part (1a) of the container.

17. System of claim 13, wherein the feed storage (4) is an internal feed storage (4) inside the container.

18. — System of claim 13 for feeding insects with feed, further comprising a sensor (6) detecting the amount of the feed and giving an input signal to a controller (7) upon a set value for the amount of the feed, and a controller (7) instructing the feed storage (4) to feeding feed into the container automatically in accordance with the sensor input.

19. System of claim 13 for feeding insects with feed further comprising a timer, whereby the feed to the device (1) takes place in a controlled timely manner according to set values of the timer.

20. System of claim 13 for feeding insects with feed further comprising means = for setting a continuous feed to the device (1). & N 25

21. System of claim 13 for feeding insects with feed further comprising means - for adding weight on top of the feed inside the device (1) to control the feed E flow and thereby the permeability of the feed for the insects.

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22. System of claim 13 for feeding insects with feed further comprising means = 30 for vibrating the feeding channel (5) to control the feed flow.