Quote:
Originally Posted by Neapolitan
I know you are pretty enthused about eating bugs but maybe those barriers are there for a reason, don't you think? Why do most people have those barriers? Are people afraid to eat things like that because 1.) they are ugly and their innards are slimy & disgusting or 2.) they're not accustom to eating bugs or 3.) is it because like being a picky eat a survival trait? Ticks, Fleas and Mosquitoes (among other things) are known to carry pathogens which can be transferred to humans and animals when are bitten by one - is there any danger of getting sick from eating bugs or insects?
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If you look away from the fact that some are poisonous and generally unpleasant (for example many insects produce a chemo defense which basically makes them taste like ****), I don't think it's particularly dangerous, no. Note that all your examples are blood suckers which are really the worst of the lot because they can be highly efficient vectors for parasites and diseases like malaria and lyme disease. However, most edible creepy crawlies are not blood suckers and the diseases and parasites they carry are likely specialized to those taxonomic groups and will not hurt humans.
Some of our fears certainly have basis in our evolutionary history, but I'm sure a lot of it (if not most by far) is cultural. After all, there are many insect/arachnid eating cultures in the world.