A formicarium apparatus may be made of at least one module wherein the module further is made of at least one base plate, at least three central nests, and at least one top layer, which are parallel to each other. The base plate may be at the bottom and top layer may be at the upper most surface, and the central nest/s may be sandwiched between the base plate and the top layer. The base plate and the top layer may be detachably attached to the at least three central nests by screws through screw-holes. The central nests may be perpendicular to each other. The module may further be made of interface connector, interface connector ports, interconnect adapter, hydration ports, and ventilation sections. The formicarium apparatus may be customizable and expandable in up to six directions with no or little ant escape.

An apparatus for growing invertebrates, such as arthropods, rheumatoid worms and nematodes is described. The apparatus includes a rotatable casing defining a chamber and at least one growing platform inside said casing. Inside the casing there is a group of first pipes having a pipe wall. The first pipes are configured to act as growing platforms providing growing spaces for the invertebrates. Preferably the number of first pipes is more than three. The first pipes may be immovably attached to the casing.

The present disclosure provides a procedure for obtaining an algae-based composition for feeding Tenebrio molitor larvae. The procedure includes receiving algae and separating rock remains and plastic materials from the algae. The procedure also includes washing the algae with fresh water to eliminate traces of sand, small crustaceans, and other unwanted elements, in addition to reducing salinity. The procedure further includes drying the algae for between 2-4 days, grinding the dried algae, and mixing the ground algae with an agri-food additive until a composition is obtained that contains proteins 18-24%, fats: 2-4%, carbohydrates: 50-70%, moisture: 5-20%, and ash: 1-8%.

The present invention relates to a modified Slmyc2 gene, which may comprise at least one modification as compared to the wild type sequence of SEQ ID No. 5, which modification leads to the reduction or absence of SlMYC2 protein activity, wherein the modified Slmyc2 gene is capable of conferring an aberrant glandular hair phenotype to a Solanum lycopersicum plant. The modification may be suitably selected from a modification that decreases the mRNA level of the Slmyc2 gene, a modification that decreases the level of the SlMYC2 protein and/or a modification that decreases the activity of the SlMYC2 protein, as compared to the wild type Slmyc2 gene of SEQ ID No. 5.

A cage for the industrial production of insect eggs is made up of an enclosure delimited by a ceiling and four side walls defining a confined box-shaped space for the insects. The enclosure contains an area for accommodating at least one container of pupae and means for attaching and extracting collectors for collecting the eggs laid by the insects confined in the cage. The front wall of the enclosure has at least one first opening that can be closed by a first door for accessing the area for accommodating at least one container of pupae, a second door for enabling an operator to access the inside of the cage, and at least one opening lined with additional closure means for inserting and removing the egg collectors. The cage has a dark inner space that communicates with the first door and with the rest of the enclosure.

The mobile workstation for automated insect farming installation comprises a displacement system to move the mobile workstation by mechanical cooperation with a guiding system of the insect farming installation, a control system to control the mobile workstation. The mobile workstation is alimented by one source of energy and comprises one active system to perform one action onto a substrate. The active system comprises a ploughing system. The mobile workstation comprises an actuation system to place the ploughing system alternatively in an active condition where it is adapted to plough the substrate and a passive condition where it is adapted to stay outside of the substrate.

Systems and methods are provided for rearing invertebrates by utilizing a plurality of crates arranged into at least one stack, each crate in the stack defining an airflow path there through from an inlet opening in a first wall to an outlet opening in a second wall opposite the first wall of each crate. The plurality of crates are arranged in a climate controlled chamber.

The present disclosure provides a method for screening a probiotic strain in promoting reproductive health by using a reproductive disorder model of Caenorhabditis elegans. Cyclophosphamide (CTX) drug intervention is applied to the C. elegans to destroy a normal reproductive system of the C. elegans, thereby obtaining the reproductive disorder model of the C. elegans. Strains capable of significantly improving a reproductive capacity of individuals with reproductive disorders are selected from 3,985 kinds of gene-knockout strains in a Keio gene-knockout library of Escherichia coli; and homologous gene knockout is conducted on a probiotic strain E. coli Nissle 1917 by gene editing, and a probiotic strain with a potential to promote the reproductive health is selected.

Systems and methods for sorting and imaging insects, including egg and larval life stages, useful for automated high throughput bioassays.

Systems and methods for sorting and imaging insects, including egg and larval life stages, useful for automated high throughput bioassays.