South Africa's Most Famous Insect

The mopani or mopane worm (scientific name Gonimbrasia belina) is undoubtedly South Africa's most famous edible insect.

The mopane worm is so called in English because it is usually found on the mopane tree, Colophospermum mopane.

Colophospermum mopane

The mopane worm has a complex life cycle in which there is complete metamorphosis, or what is known as "holometabolous".

The eggs are laid by a large and attractive moth, with a name to fit, the mopane emperor moth. Small worms hatch from the eggs and moult a few times before they reach maturity, the stage most sought after for harvesting.

The worms that are not harvested leave the trees and pupate underground. The life cycle is completed when the adult moths emerge from the pupae, mate and lay eggs.

Mopane worms are hand-picked in the wild, often by women and children. In the bush, the caterpillars are not considered to belong to the landowner (if any), but around a house permission should be sought from the resident.

The mopane worm

As mopane worms represent an important sector in the local rural economy, it attracts large numbers of people who seek to cash in on the profits of selling the insects as food. This leads to over-harvesting, and fewer mopane worms the following year. In some areas, farmers and communities have taken steps to reach a balance, so that each year may yield maximum returns without compromising the following year's harvest.

If you definitely think it's gross to eat mopane worms consider this following quote: 

Food Network ran a promotional spot in which an American husband and wife visit a remote African tribe which fed them mopane worms, which the husband described as tasting like "honey barbecued chicken." Later, the headman of the village is a guest of the American couple, who serves him honey barbecued chicken; the headman describes it (in his native language, subtitled in English) as tasting "just like mapani [sic] worms."