Insects Help Mars Colony

 ...kind of.

Building materials are kind of tough to find on Mars. We can't use concrete or bricks because, well, there's not going to be enough water. We can't just transport stuff, because it's too expensive.

Urea might be usable to make concrete, but scientists have a better idea.

Insect shells.

Chitin! A mixture of chitin and Martian soil, combined with 3D printing, makes a substance that's concrete-like but doesn't need much water to make.

It's also a primary component of fish scales, crustacean shells, etc.

Insects could be a viable protein source for Martian colonists, which would produce chitin for building as a byproduct. (Ugh? Most human cultures do eat bugs and locusts are kosher, people...)

So now I have to think about the fact that this substance, as best as we can simulate it, is kind of...reddish-pink. That's the color of unpainted buildings on Mars.