This Kanni larva is collected from the sheabutter tree. It should be boiled and dried in the sun before it is consumed. Generally salted and eaten as a snack, but can be used as an ingredient in vegetable soup in the Nigeria region. Said to be the most widely eaten bug in Africa, it sells for twice as much as beef.

The Kanni is a species that appears from December to January. It is much sought after but has become difficult to find due to annual bush fires that destroy the pupae laid only about 5cm underground. Defoliation of the tree usually indicates the presence of this caterpillar. A pyramid of eggs is laid on a twig that when hatches out, will feed nearby. The final instar is normally collected before the caterpillars fall to the ground and pupate. Unless disturbed this species does not move far from the area the previous generation occupied. Thus, the species can be collected annually at the same spot.