Substrate quality, density, humidity, and temperature in insect farming significantly affect insect welfare indicators, with optimization research improving both productivity and potential wellbeing.
Insect welfare optimization faces scientific uncertainty about the nature and extent of insect subjective experience, but substrate and environmental management that reduces observable distress indicators and promotes normal behavior is warranted on precautionary grounds. Overcrowding, suboptimal temperature, and inappropriate humidity cause measurable behavioral changes suggesting impaired welfare regardless of unresolved sentience questions. Management that minimizes insect distress indicators while optimizing production represents the most defensible approach given current knowledge.