Plastic-eating insect discovered in Kenya
Plastic-eating insect discovered in Kenya
Natural ‘plastic eaters’ could help in the fight against pollution in Africa.
Key findings
We carried out a trial, lasting over a month. The larvae were fed either polystyrene alone, bran (a nutrient-dense food) alone, or a combination of polystyrene and bran.
We found that mealworms on the polystyrene-bran diet survived at higher rates than those fed on polystyrene alone. We also found that they consumed polystyrene more efficiently than those on a polystyrene-only diet. This highlights the benefits of ensuring the insects still had a nutrient-dense diet.
Termites can eat it too, but it's not clear how much is eaten vs powdered. Source termite tunneled extruded foam insulation destroyed adjacent to damp wood on an out building in the Pacific Northwest