Charlotte Payne

We've been attempting to do exactly this.One of the challenges with our caterpillars, Cirina butyrospermi, is that they only emerge once a year. This means that for the short period when they're ab...

At every interview I've had about edible insect research - whether an interview for a studentship or for a newspaper - I've been asked, 'But what do they taste like?' In case you were wondering the...

Currently, we have 30 pupae in the lab, and before we try and break the diapause and mate them, we’re figuring out which artificial diets to try out first. Here’s a picture of what the caterpillars...

Happy international women's day!In celebration, I thought I'd post a lab note about some of the women we're working with in Southwestern Burkina Faso, and a short explanation for why it's crucial t...

1. The scientific name of our caterpillars is Cirina butyrospermi (C.b.). ‘Butyrospermi’ means ‘butter seed’, referring to the only food plant of the caterpillar - the shea tree. The nuts of this t...

It’s my last day here in Burkina Faso, and it’s been emotional.What would you like first, the good news or the bad news?In the spirit of optimism, I’ll go for the former, and I have three pieces of...