Helping you grow and harvest edible mealworms right on your kitchen counter, the world’s first desktop-sized insect hive aims to aid a rebranding of an unpopular but nutrient-rich source of protein.

The Livin Farm by Katharina Unger and Julia Kaisinger is just a few two feet tall and contains eight shelves for housing mealworms at various stages of growth, from egg and pupae to beetle.

The pupae mature in the top drawer, turning into egg-laying beetles. The eggs in turn fall through holes in the floor and grow into worms.

The key to the whole operation is a customized micro-climate within the case as well as a fan, filter and ventilation system. The insects themselves can subsist on vegetable scraps and other kitchen waste.

A button on the box vibrates the operation, separating insects from waste automatically rather than the conventional and less appealing way: sorting by hand. These are chilled in the bottom drawer for storage or can be frozen before being minced and boiled into meals.

Each harvest yields a few hundred grams with protein amounts roughly equivalent to similar weights of meat. The inputs are where the real savings is: less space, water and energy are needed for this system to work.

If the ‘yuck factor’ seems tough to overcome, consider for a moment the foods that have become popular over time across cultures, including the rise of sushi (raw fish and seaweed) in the United States and elsewhere.

Artistic inspiration can strike anywhere. For Swedish photographer Magnus Muhr, inspiration came from dead insects. As bizarre as it sounds, the photographer poses tiny dead flies onto paper, draws arms, legs and backgrounds behind them, and then photographs them in their new environments. The result is a hilarious series of photographs.

The pictures are simple and fun; the backgrounds are kept clean and minimalistic so they don’t interfere with the overall picture. The little arms and legs actually look like they belong to the critters. There’s no word on whether the insects died of natural causes or were killed by the artist.

The insects look at home in pretty much whatever configuration Muhr puts them in. They manage to be adorable, even though playing with dead bugs is a bit gross. Looking at them up close may inspire shudders, but they’re actually very innocent-looking compared to other insect photography subjects. In the pictures above, the text roughly translates to “It was good?” “You’ve done great with the British cuisine…it tastes like shit!” and “Guys…I have to sneeze…”

Above, the captions read “It’s the latest craze” and “Are you bi, or…?” (in Swedish, the words for “bee” and “bisexual” are similar). The configurations that Muhr puts his insects into can be alternately weird, cute, and puzzling. But they’re always interesting little worlds. Who knows where Muhr’s imagination will take the little bugs next? Muhr also creates more serious photography, which can be found in his online portfolio.