The Insect Farming Initiative is proud to host their first webinar for Spring 2026. This webinar covers pests and diseases facing the insect farming industry. 

• Pest problems in insect farming and their control
  • Dr. Christos Athanassiou, Research Professor, Kansas State University
  • With the increase of the production of edible insects, these quantities will be infested by different pests, especially during their processing and storage. In similar facilities, this problem can be reduced with insecticidal applications, which, apparently, cannot be applied in the case of insect farming, given that insecticides will affect the “beneficial insects”. In this context, care should be taken to adopt targeted control measures that affect pests, but not live insects that are reared for food or feed. In this presentation, some indicative control measures will be illustrated, emphasizing in non-chemical control measures.
• The insect health dilemma in mass rearing systems: Pathogen risks, diagnostics and management 
  • Dr. Loretta Mugo-Kamiri, Postdoctoral Associate, University of Georgia
  • Insect mass rearing environments are excellent conditions for the growth and spread of pathogens, something that we see in the mass production of other forms of livestock as well. This presents a great challenge for the industry due to the risk of colony collapse and economic losses caused by diseases. There is therefore a need to produce healthy insect colonies given the growing importance of this industry. In this webinar, I will highlight the important groups of pathogens identified as problematic for insects reared for food, feed and other uses, diagnosis methods and measures that can be taken to limit future outbreaks or even treat existing ones.
• Protecting farmed insects: can we combat entomopathogens with myxobacterial predators?
  • Dr. David Whitworth, Professor, Aberystwyth University in Wales, United Kingdom
  • "Outbreaks of entomopathogens pose serious threats to edible insect farming. While good infection control practices can limit the introduction of new pathogens, active disease can still arise from endogenous, covert infections that become destabilised. Manipulating the insect microbiome offers one potential strategy to prevent dysbiosis and suppress opportunistic pathogens. We have recently been investigating whether myxobacteria—a phylum of non pathogenic, soil dwelling microbial predators—can protect farmed insects from disease. Our experiments involve challenging insects with fungal entomopathogens in the presence or absence of myxobacteria, alongside characterising how both myxobacteria and pathogens influence the insect microbiome. Early results indicate that myxobacteria are not harmful to insects, do not themselves induce dysbiosis, and can confer protection against entomopathogenic infection. These findings suggest that myxobacteria may have potential as a safe, microbiome compatible component of insect farming health management.
• Q & A Panel
  • Following all presentations, the audience can ask questions for presenters to discuss. 

Those interested in this event must register to receive the Zoom information. The Insect Farming Initiative serves multiple areas of prioritization in Insect Farming, that are structured in three major categories. Education is first, which will be carried out through specialized and targeted activities, such as workshops, webinars and practical exercises. Second, we will create a pilot insect production unit, for both research and demonstration, that will serve as a “reference point”. Finally, we will promote research on a wide range of areas, from insect genetics to waste management protocols, that can be further adopted by the farmers. The Initiative is lead by Dr. Christos Athanassiou, Research Professor of Entomology (athanassiou@k-state.edu).