BUG COLOUR CHANGE – IMPORTANT NOTICE

Now, if you have been using The Bug for the past four years or more, I am sure you will have noticed it has changed shade many times during that period. In fact, it has probably been every shade of brown you can think of! Normally the change is quite subtle, but I felt it was right to mention it this time, as it is more noticeable.

Previous batches have been darker than when it was first launched, but it has since gone the other way and is now much lighter than before. Indeed, I am sure in time it will alter again in time, such is the nature of the natural ingredients used within this bait.

Rest assured, however, regardless of colour, the same ingredients are used at the same level, and there is no actual change in the make-up of the bait. The spec of the insect meal we use is always consistent.

There are a few reasons for the change and, if I can use fishmeal as an example, I will try to explain… You will have heard it mentioned many times that fishmeal will change colour throughout the seasons. This is down to both what type of fish is used to make the meal, and what they, usually pelagic fish of some type, are feeding on when they are harvested. Now, unless you use one of the larger bait companies in the UK, you probably would never notice this, as most companies’ fishmeal usage for the year may come from the same smaller batch. Even the 20-ton batches that we and other larger companies buy in may not even change until that quota has been used up. As you can imagine, this takes much longer to filter through the supply chain.

Insect meal, namely black soldier fly (BSF) in this instance, is a completely different beast. There are a host of different substrates the larvae can be fed on, which is how the protein and fat levels are altered. This can affect the colour and the smell of the meal. Aside from this, you are also dealing with a creature that is transforming from a larvae into a fly. As you will all have seen, when a maggot changes into a fly, they are different colours at different stages. The meal itself is made at the larval stage, so colour variations often occur during this process.

Insect meal (BSF) production is a relatively new industry and, although the funding from government bodies around the world is massive, there doesn’t seem to be any one way of producing a meal that is completely consistent industry-wise, as manufacturers are still learning the most efficient ways to compete with fishmeal prices.

We currently use around 50MT of insect meal per year and as much as we try to keep things consistent, we must purchase from several different suppliers to ensure we can get this amount.

This is part of the reason we have put considerable investment into our own insect farm through British Aqua Feeds to create a more consistent product. Unfortunately, this is a costly and complicated process, and until the farm reaches production capacity to be able to keep DNA supplied, which should be soon, we may still suffer the odd inconsistency.

This is part and parcel of DNA’s way of doing things differently and these hurdles come with the territory, I’m afraid. Life would be boring if we all did things the same way. We appreciate your understanding in this matter and thank you for your continued business. Also, If you managed to read this far, thank you!