Aquaculture is assuming ever more importance in diminishing the pressure on wild stocks in the seas and to satisfy the demand of fish worldwide. Prices of feed used in farming fish are increasing, due the rise in demand. Research on sustainable sources of feed was recently intensified and insects as meal to substitute soybean and fish meals and fish oils seems a promising field. In particular only very few papers have explored consumer interest in fish feed. The objective of this study is to explore the attitude and behavior of Northern-Italian consumers of farmed fish fed on insects considering the different phases of the purchasing process: from a general claim to interest in sustainability about the use of marine resources to the attitude in to eating finfish products if fed on insect meals and finally to the

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the novel food market due to the growing demand for protein-rich food and the diversification of the protein sources currently used. The edible insect and insect based-food sector has recently experienced an increase in the quantities produced and traded. This increase has occurred thanks to awareness-raising actions and the development of European regulations. The limited development of this sector does not permit in-depth market and business analyses, since it is still in formation, which means that it is still a relatively unexplored field of study, especially on the European scene. The objective of this study is to carry out a preliminary investigation of the consistency, typology and product assortment of the companies located in the European Union and which are focused on the production and marketing of insect-based products. The survey was performed through the investigation of the E-commerce catalogues and Internet websites of the companies. The study also focuses on the main insect species used, the origin of the raw material used and the prices of products currently available on the European market. The results show that companies are mainly located in the northern European countries and that the most used distribution channels are the E-commerce websites, compared to physical retail outlets. Most companies also buy their raw material from third party companies, even non-European ones, and then process or only resell the product. The products which sold the most were whole insects or insect meal, mainly based on Tenebrio molitor or Acheta domesticus. Prices showed a high variability, in particular related to the species used and how it is packaged.

Since global demand for aquaculture products is expected to increase dramatically in the near future, policymakers and companies are considering the adoption of insect-based feed, which is more economically viable and environmentally sustainable than fish or vegetable-based meals currently used. Nonetheless, fish farmed with insects are still perceived as innovative products by consumers, and further studies exploring these demand-side concerns must be conducted to make sure a market for such products exists. This study focuses on the factors that can favour the acceptance of farmed fish fed with insects of a sample of young Italians. In particular, within the theoretical framework adopted in this analysis, we let acceptance be expressed by different dimensions, each potentially influenced by individual factors, such as socio-economic characteristics, as the provision of information on the nutritional and environmental benefits of insect-based feed for aquaculture, and as consumer psychometric indicators. In this respect, we use the by-dimensional definition of environmental attitude proposed by environmental psychologists, that considers attitude toward environmental protection and toward nature. In this survey, we reached 482 consumers, aged less than 40, using social networks. A Factor Analysis was performed to identify the different dimensions of the acceptance process. We then applied the Rasch model on consumers’ reported behaviours toward environmental protection or nature to retrieve their environmental attitudes. We performed a Seemingly Unrelated Regression to assess the importance of socio-demographic, information, and psychometric variables on the different dimensions of acceptance. Results indicate that the use of psychometric variables to study the acceptability of an innovative food product seems particularly appropriate. In addition to the role of environmental attitude, acceptance is also explained by some socio-demographic variables, with men and younger consumers being more inclined to accept the product. Acceptance is also higher among informed respondents, confirming the importance of reducing information asymmetries.

Honey bee colonies are affected by many threats, and the Varroa mite represents one of the most important causes of honey bee disease. The control of the Varroa population is managed by different methods, and in recent years, biotechnical practices are considered preferable to chemical approaches in order to safeguard honey bee health and avoid residues in bee products as well as the appearance of acaricide resistance. However, little is known about the economic performance of beekeeping exploitations in relation to the methods used for tackling Varroa. This study aims to investigate the economic impact of total brood removal (TBR) as a biotechnique to keep Varroa mites under control, and compare this to other common biotechniques and chemical Varroa control in numerous Italian beekeeping case studies. A pool of economic and technical indexes was proposed. The proposed index pool can be included in the development of an expert system (such as a decision support system) able to address the optimal management of this very complex activity, which requires natural resources, land protection, capital and high technical skills. The result showed that the adoption of the TBR biotechnique vs. other biotechniques led to an increase in terms of total revenue (increase values ranging from 11% to 28%) even though more labor is needed (increase values ranging from 43 to 83 min/hive) and a loss of honey production could be recorded in some cases. Additionally, the total expenses, represented mainly by supplemental nutrition and treatments with oxalic acid, affected the economic results of the biotechnical practices. The use of biotechniques vs. chemical control resulted in decreased treatment costs and increased feeding costs. The advantages resulting from not using synthetic acaricides (which are dangerous for honey bee and human health as well as the environment) as well as the advantages linked to the production of new nuclei (which are involved in the maintenance of bee stock and counteract the decline in honey bee population) and pollination ecosystem services could make beekeeping farms more resilient over time.

For beekeepers, the beehive stock represents a fundamental means of ensuring the continuity of their activity, whether they are professionals or hobbyists. The evaluation of this asset for economic purposes requires knowledge of the rhythms and adaptations of honey bee colonies during the annual seasons. As in any breeding activity, it is necessary to establish the numerical and economic size of the species bred. Beekeepers are interested in this evaluation to monitor beehive stock. For keeping economic accounts of stock, a specific tool has been developed and proposed, here called the “Honey Bee Colony Inventory (HBCI)”. The HBCI can be used as either a final or preventive scheme to assess the numbers of honey bee colonies and nuclei, and the mortality rate, in order to calculate the monetary value. This tool allows the strength of honey bee colony stocks to be monitored, including fluctuations throughout the year, and will prove useful for determining solutions to maintain or increase how long stocks last. Data can be registered in countries such as Italy where the veterinary authorities request data on the stock owned and its variations. Due to widespread Varroa mite infestations, in recent years, beekeepers have experimented with a range of different biotechniques that have included queen caging as well as drone and total brood removal. To verify its effectiveness for gathering honey bee colony data, the HBCI was used in nine beekeeping farms applying different biotechniques to control Varroa mites: chemical treatment, total brood removal, queen caging and old queen replacement by royal cell insertion. The results are compared and discussed. Out of the nine farms, seven showed negative monetary value according to the HBCI, as expected, due to multiple factors such as the unfavorable climate trend of 2017 in the studied area. The positive aspect is that the application of this tool will allow farmers to monitor, manage and maintain their beehive stocks.