Frass

Frass in the Oak leaf mine of a final instar larva of the moth Ectoedemia heckfordi

Frass from final instar larva of Entometa apicalis

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 ants kick out of their galleries during the mining process. Carpenter ants do not eat wood, so they must discard the shavings as they tunnel.

See also

• Feces
• Guano
• Chitosan

Bibliography

• Allaby, Michael (ed.) (2004). "frass." A Dictionary of Ecology. Oxford Paperback Reference.
• Speight, Martin R., Mark D. Hunter and Allan D. Watt (1999). Ecology of Insects: concepts and applications. Wiley Blackwell.
• Weiss, Martha R. (2006). "Defecation behavior and ecology of insects". Annual Review of Entomology 51: 635–661. doi:10.1146

External links

• Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Insect Poop: insects that put their poop to good use — About.com: Insects, by Debbie Hadley