DON’T TAKE OUR WORD FOR IT.
BUG POOP™ is formulated based on published plant science research into chitin, insect frass, and plant defence pathways.
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Our understanding of chitin’s role in plant biology and the efficacy of frass as a soil amendment comes from extensive research into peer-reviewed academic studies.
1. Defence mechanisms, trichomes and terpenes
Bug poop contains natural insect exoskeleton material rich in the compound chitin. As chitin breaks down, it gives rise to related compounds such as chitosan. Academic plant studies link chitin and chitosan to defence signalling and resilience pathways.
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But what does this have to do with trichomes and terpenes? Both trichomes and terpene compounds are often tied to a plant’s natural defence strategy. Trichomes can act as a physical barrier, while terpene compounds can play signalling and ecological roles in how plants respond to herbivorous insects.
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As evidenced in this 2023 study, chitosan exposure was associated with increased glandular trichome density on new growth and changes in aromatic oil production.
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In simple terms, chitin and chitosan can act like a signal that triggers natural plant defence responses.​
"the addition of chitin and its derivative, chitosan, can affect flowering phenology, speeding up flower production by as much as 15 days."​
"An effective soil fertilizer, capable of promoting plant growth and enhancing soil properties"​​
2. Growth and yields
Bug Poop doesn’t just support plant defence. In published frass studies, insect frass has also been linked to stronger growth, higher biomass, and better crop output.
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Why? Because frass helps build a more productive root zone - adding useful nutrition, organic matter, and biologically active compounds that support uptake and development. Better-supported roots can mean stronger vegetative growth, and stronger vegetative growth can support better output later in the cycle.
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Direct cricket-frass evidence supports this: a 2024 study found that cricket frass improved green bean survival, vegetative biomass, and pod production.
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And in this 2020 field study, insect frass improved maize growth, yield, and nitrogen-use efficiency.
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In short: the literature supports insect frass for growers focused on stronger growth and better production potential.
3. scientific literature
There is a substantial and growing body of academic research on frass, chitin, and related plant-response pathways. It would be too long to unpack every paper in detail on one page, but we want this page to be transparent about the evidence behind the ideas discussed above.
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Below is a selected sample of published studies supporting the broader case for stronger growth, improved crop output, more biologically active root zones, and natural plant defence signalling in addition to the ones linked to previously on this page.
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This is not the full literature base - just a representative starting point for growers who want to see that the science is real and accessible.
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Selected studies:
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Silva-Santos et al. (2023)
Chitosan was associated with increased glandular trichome density, improved essential-oil output, and changes in the volatile profile.
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Ony et al. (2024)
Application of cricket frass improved green bean survival to 88.1% at the highest tested dose, with 35.5 g/plant vegetative biomass and 11 g median pod biomass per plant at that dose.
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Beesigamukama et al. (2020)
Application of frass increased maize grain yield by 27% vs. SAFI and 7% vs. urea at the top nitrogen rate tested, while maize nitrogen uptake increased by 76% vs. SAFI and 29% vs. urea.
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Frass improved yield, nodulation, nitrogen fixation, nutrient uptake, and profitability in Bush Beans vs both NPK fertiliser, and Phymyx (a commercial organic fertiliser). Seed yield increased 72% vs NPK, and 67% vs Phymyx; flowers increased 7–8%, pods 4–9%, and seeds 9–11%. At 30 kg N/ha, frass delivered 3–14× more effective root nodules, fixed 48% more nitrogen than Phymyx, 31% more than NPK, and 91% more than rhizobia-only treatment, and increased nitrogen uptake by 19–39%. Frass produced 73–239% higher net income and 118–184% higher gross margin than Phymyx.
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Beesigamukama et al. (2021)
Application of frass accelerated soil nutrient cycling: the study reports 3–10× higher mineralization rates, 2–4× higher nitrification, 3× higher nitrogen release after repeated application, plus roughly 2× higher phosphorus and 2–4× higher magnesium release than the comparison fertilizer.
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Fahmy & Nosir (2021)This lavender study found that chitosan influenced volatile oil composition, supporting the wider literature linking chitosan to changes in plant aromatic profiles.
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Blakstad et al. (2023)
Application of frass supported plant development and also induced systemic defence responses, reinforcing the case for frass as both a fertilizer input and a defence-priming input.
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Chia et al. (2024)
Application of frass influenced plant growth and resistance to insect herbivory in field mustard, showing that frass can affect both performance and resilience in the same system.
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Arabzadeh et al. (2024)
Application of frass reduced tomato Fusarium wilt severity and limited root colonization in that study, supporting the relevance of frass in plant-resilience research.
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Mutyambai et al. (2025)
Application of frass upregulated maize defence genes and was linked to stronger plant defence and positive effects on growth and yield in that system.
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Anedo et al. (2025)
Application of frass contributed to potato productivity and nematode suppression, with chitin-fortified frass showing especially strong results in that work.
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Makechemu et al. (2025)
Soil-applied chitin triggered localised and systemic plant immune responses, helping explain why chitin-rich inputs are of interest in plant-defence research.
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Mestre-Tomás et al. (2023)
Application of chitosan was discussed as a modulator of volatile organic compound (VOC) emission, with the paper noting that multiple studies have examined chitosan’s ability to induce VOCs in plants and that VOC responses can vary with concentration and exposure time.
This is only a selected snapshot of the literature, not an exhaustive list. The wider evidence base is larger — and we are happy to point interested growers toward additional research.
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