Patent ID: 7429398

Claim:
A method of preserving harvested Ceratomia catalpae larvae for periods exceeding the larvae stage of Ceratomia catalpae for use as fishing bait, the method comprising the steps of: cleaning a batch of live Ceratomia catalpae larvae harvested from Catalpa trees to remove contaminants, including frass excreted by the Ceratomia catalpae larvae; introducing the batch of live Ceratomia catalpae larvae into heated water to blanch the batch of Ceratomia catalpae larvae for a period longer that the time required to kill the Ceratomia catalpae larvae; cooling the batch of Ceratomia catalpae larvae after blanching the batch of Ceratomia catalpae larvae to stop cooking due to blanching the batch of Ceratomia catalpae larvae; drying the batch of Ceratomia catalpae larvae; and freezing the Ceratomia catalpae larvae.