Frass
Encyclopedia
Frass is the fine powdery material phytophagous (plant-eating) insects pass as waste after digesting plant parts. It causes plants to excrete chitinase
due to high chitin
levels, it is a natural bloom stimulant, and has high nutrient levels. Frass is known to have abundant amoeba
, beneficial bacteria
, and fungi content. Frass is a microbial inoculant
, also known as a soil inoculant
, that promotes plant health using beneficial microbes. It is a large nutrient contributor to the rainforest
, and it can often be seen in leaf mines
.
Frass can also refer to the excavated wood shavings that carpenter ant
s kick out of their galleries during the mining process. Carpenter Ants do not eat wood, so must discard the shavings as they tunnel.
Chitinase
Chitinases are hydrolytic enzymes that break down glycosidic bonds in chitin. As chitin is a component of the cell walls of fungi and exoskeletal elements of some animals , chitinases are generally found in organisms that either need to reshape their own chitin or dissolve and digest the chitin of...
due to high chitin
Chitin
Chitin n is a long-chain polymer of a N-acetylglucosamine, a derivative of glucose, and is found in many places throughout the natural world...
levels, it is a natural bloom stimulant, and has high nutrient levels. Frass is known to have abundant amoeba
Amoeba
Amoeba is a genus of Protozoa.History=The amoeba was first discovered by August Johann Rösel von Rosenhof in 1757. Early naturalists referred to Amoeba as the Proteus animalcule after the Greek god Proteus, who could change his shape...
, beneficial bacteria
Bacteria
Bacteria are a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria have a wide range of shapes, ranging from spheres to rods and spirals...
, and fungi content. Frass is a microbial inoculant
Microbial inoculant
Microbial inoculants also known as soil inoculants are agricultural amendments that use beneficial microbes to promote plant health. Many of the microbes involved form symbiotic relationships with the target crops where both parties benefit...
, also known as a soil inoculant
Soil inoculant
Soil inoculants are bacteria or fungi that are added to soils in order to improve plant growth by either:*Freeing up soil nutrients for plant use.*Entering into symbiotic relationships with plant root systems....
, that promotes plant health using beneficial microbes. It is a large nutrient contributor to the rainforest
Rainforest
Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...
, and it can often be seen in leaf mines
Leaf miner
Leaf miner is a term used to describe the larvae of many different species of insect which live in and eat the leaf tissue of plants. The vast majority of leaf-mining insects are moths , sawflies and flies , though some beetles and wasps also exhibit this behavior.Like Woodboring beetles, leaf...
.
Frass can also refer to the excavated wood shavings that carpenter ant
Carpenter ant
Carpenter ants are large ants indigenous to many parts of the world. They prefer dead, damp wood in which to build nests. They do not eat it, however, unlike termites. Sometimes carpenter ants will hollow out sections of trees. The most likely species to be infesting a house in the United States...
s kick out of their galleries during the mining process. Carpenter Ants do not eat wood, so must discard the shavings as they tunnel.
External links
- Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Insect Poop: insects that put their poop to good use — About.comAbout.comAbout.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....
: Insects, by Debbie Hadley