Black Soldier Flies
Scale: 190B to 300B
Industries: Food
Types of Use
Larvae are harvested to produce human food and animal feed
Species Impacted
Hermetia illucens
Total Animals Impacted
190B to 300B
Key Welfare Considerations
Black soldier fly larvae are currently being raised as a novel protein and as a replacement for fishmeal.
Larvae are killed by freezing or shredding.
Larvae often die prior to being killed from drowning or disease.
Organizations
The Insect Institute
The Society for the Protection of Insects
Further Reading and Resources
Cochineals
Scale: 4.6T to 22T
Industries: Dye
Types of Use
Harvested wild and farmed to produce carmine dye
Species Impacted
Dactylopius coccus, other Dactylopius insects
Total Animals Impacted
4.6T to 22T deaths caused by industry
22B to 89B killed per year for dye
Key Welfare Considerations
Between 22B and 89B adult female cochineals are killed per year directly to produce carmine dye, of which between 17B and 71B are wild, and between 4B and 18B are farmed
The farming of cochineal directly causes 4.6T to 21T additional deaths, primarily of male and female cochineal nymphs, and adult male cochineals
The deaths of nymphs, usually via starvation, are possibly the most painful caused by cochineal production
Reducing wild cochineal harvesting is unlikely to have any significant effect on cochineal suffering
Accordingly, insect advocates interested in reducing cochineal suffering ought to focus on eliminating cochineal farming specifically, and not necessarily all cochineal harvesting
Organizations
None currently known
Further Reading and Resources
Crabs
Scale: 5.2B to 15.4B
Industries: Food
Types of Use
Farmed and harvested wild for food
Species Impacted
Eriocheir sinensis, others
Total Animals Impacted
5.2 billion to 15.4 billion killed globally in aquaculture farms
Key Welfare Considerations
True crabs are decapod crustaceans, and dozens of species are farmed for food.
Crabs are frequently killed through being boiled alive or electrocuted
Organizations
Further Reading and Resources
Crickets and Grasshoppers
Scale: 370B to 430B
Industries: Food
Types of Use
Farmed for human and animal feed
Species Impacted
Acheta domesticus, others
Total Animals Impacted
370B to 430B killed per year.
Key Welfare Considerations
Crickets have been farmed for food for centuries, but currently, the industry is expanding rapidly due to an interest in novels proteins.
Crickets often die prior to being slaughtered by drowning, cannibalism, and diseases.
Crickets are slaughtered by being frozen, cooked, or shredded.
Organizations
The Insect Institute
The Society for the Protection of Insects
Further Reading and Resources
Honey Bees
Scale: 18T to 40T
Industries: Food
Types of Use
Raised to produce honey
Species Impacted
Apis mellifera, Apis dorsata, Apis florea, and Apis cerana indica
Total Animals Impacted
18T to 40T seasonally varying population
Key Welfare Considerations
Parasites and pathogens, including fungal and bacterial infections, mite infestations, and viruses
Exposure to pesticides
Food access, including honey supplies for winter
Transportation, habitat design, and colony collapse disorder
Organizations
Further Reading and Resources
Horseshoe Crabs
Scale: 400,000 to 500,000
Industries: Pharmaceuticals
Types of Use
Harvested for blood, which is used in pharmaceutical development.
Species Impacted
Limulus polyphemus
Total Animals Impacted
400,000 to 500,000 bled annually
Around 50,000 die from this process
Key Welfare Considerations
Horseshoe crab blood is extremely sensitive to bacteria and toxins, meaning it can be used to test for contamination during drug development.
Horseshoe crabs are captured, a small amount of blood is drawn, and they are returned to the see. A significant percentage of the horseshoe crabs die from the process.
One quart of horseshoe crab blood is worth an estimated $15,000 USD (as of 2018).
Synthetic alternatives are under development, and may replace the use of horseshoe crab blood in the near future.
Organizations
Further Reading and Resources
Lobsters and Crawfish
Scale: 37.4B to 59.8B
Industries: Food
Types of Use
Farmed and harvested wild for food
Species Impacted
Procambarus clarkii, Panulirus argus, others
Total Animals Impacted
37.4 billion to 59.8 billion killed globally in aquaculture farms
Key Welfare Considerations
Lobsters and crawfish are decapod crustaceans, and dozens of species are farmed for food.
Lobsters are held in grocery stores and restaurants in dense holding tanks
Frequently, lobsters and crawfish are boiled alive
Organizations
Further Reading and Resources
Mealworms
Scale: 290B to 310B
Industries: Food
Types of Use
Farmed for human food and animal feed
Species Impacted
Tenebrio molitor, other species of Darkling Beetle larvae
Total Animals Impacted
290B to 310B killed annually for food
Key Welfare Considerations
Mealworms frequently die prior to being slaughtered from drowning and disease.
Mealworms are typically killed by being frozen, shredded, or cooked.
The mealworm industry is growing extremely rapidly, due to increasing interest in raising mealworms as animal feed and fish feed.
Organizations
The Insect Institute
The Society for the Protection of Insects
Further Reading and Resources
Shrimp and Prawns
Scale: 6.5T to 66T
Industries: Food, Chitosan
Types of Use
Farmed and harvested wild for food
Used for chitosan production
Species Impacted
Penaeus vannamei, others
Total Animals Impacted
6.5 trillion to 66 trillion harvested annually from the wild.
300 billion to 620 billion farmed in aquaculture annually.
Key Welfare Considerations
Shrimp and prawns are frequently killed either by being drowned in fresh water, or by being boiled alive
Organizations
Crustacean Compassion
Shrimp Welfare Project
Further Reading and Resources
Silkworms
Scale: 350B to 880B
Industries: Clothing, Fabrics
Types of Use
Farmed for silk, which is made from the dried cocoons of silkworms.
Species Impacted
Bombyx mori and others.
Total Animals Impacted
400B to 1T die during harvesting or due to disease. Even more are used for breeding.
Key Welfare Considerations
Significant numbers of silkworms die from diseases on farms, and many diseases take days to kill.
Silkworms are typically killed by being boiled in their cocoons, though other methods, such as baking, are sometimes used.
Some moths seem capable of remembering experiences from prior to metamorphosis, suggesting that some neural connections may be kept intact through the metamorphosis, meaning it is possible silkworms are capable of feeling pain when they are killed.
Organizations
Material Innovation Initiative
Further Reading and Resources
Snails
Scale: 2.9B to 7.7B
Industries: Food
Types of Use
Eaten as food
Species Impacted
Cornu aspersum, Helix pomatia, Helix lucorum, Achatina achatina, Archachatina marginata, and Achatina fulica
Total Animals Impacted
2.9B to 7.7B killed per year
Key Welfare Considerations
Slaughter - typically snails are boiled to death
Habitat and environmental design, such as lighting, humidity, and temperature
Population density on farms
Transportation
Organizations
None currently known — potentially vegan advocacy groups
Further Reading and Resources
Rethink Priorities - Snails used for human consumption: the case of meat and slime
Termites
Scale: 130B to 3.4T
Industries: Pest Control
Types of Use
Killed to prevent them from damaging structures.
Species Impacted
Members of the order Isoptera.
Total Animals Impacted
At least 130B to 3.4T deaths caused by treatments (speculative estimate).
Key Welfare Considerations
Termites are typically killed through intentionally slow acting insecticides. The method works by some insects walking through insecticides, and carrying the poison back to the bulk of the colony. These may make insecticides especially painful.
Termites are one of few eusocial insects outside the order Hymenoptera (bees, wasps, and ants). Eusociality involves a high degree of social order, including divisions of labor.
Organizations
None currently known