Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia illucens)

[Coba]

Thanks to Mr. OrganicLearner I've been looking into these creatures a little more...

I've been getting them in my worm bins these past few years... when I get lazy with the worm's diet, leaving exposed green manure and dead fish, I've not noticed them doing anything besides stinking up the bins and my worms don't like them... they start to disappear when these grubs are around.

I've always disliked their presence, until today...

here's some of what I found to change my mind,
Here is a nutrient comparison chart between swine manure and the residue from BSFL.

BSFL residue vs. Vermicompost

but, this is not what I found most fascinating, this is...

Soldier fly pre-pupae meal should have a value similar to that of menhaden fish meal.

the larvae themselves are a valuable source of amino acids... if fed properly.

just as good, they carry the good bacteria we should all know and love B.subtilis

Four strains of Bacillus subtilis were evaluated. B. subtilis strains S15, S16, S19, were isolated from the gut of black soldier fly larvae.

looks like they can be harvested then freeze dried then processed into a nutrient rich meal

www.cals.ncsu.edu/waste_mgt/smithfield_projects/phase3report06
/pdfs/B.10.pdf,

www.cals.ncsu.edu/waste_mgt/natlcenter/sanantonio/Newton.pdf

The real trick is going to be, getting Mrs. Coba to go along with having maggots in her freezer...

 

[moses wellfleet]

I have a real fancy set up for my guys......it was very expensive and lots of maintenance. It is comprised of one old tin trashcan and all of my kitchen scraps. Fancy uh?

The bsf showed up on their own. At first I figured they where some sort of maggots or something. Got bummed out that I had already ruined my compost. After some research I figured out what they where and what they did. Now I take good care of the little guys and girls. Do grubs even have a sex? Anyways.

This is basically what I know about them: (not sure if it's all correct)

They thrive in a "green" compost pile. Meaning it's a pile comprised of mostly "green" kitchen scraps, yard waste etc. Things that haven't had time for the moisture to evaporate. Basically they like "raw" organic matter. If you have them chances are your compost has too much moisture and isn't composting properly. They don't like temps over 100 degrees f. They also don't like the light.

They will eat just about anything. And they will do it relatively quickly. I could see them being very useful if someone had trim to get rid of......

From what I have read out there it seems like people are kind of split on the subject. Some people really don't seem to like their presence, others welcome them.

They help keep smells and other worse bugs at bay. They don't let bacteria build up which it what helps keep smells at bay.

You can feed them to fish and birds. I guess they love 'em.

I can't find the link where I read about one guy feeding his dog's poop to 'em. I just remember reading that he put the turds through his bsf and then feed that to his worms before he used it as compost. I have no idea if it's true or if that would kill all the bad stuff that's in pet waste.

Here are a few links on them:

https://blacksoldierflyblog.com/
https://www.esrla.com/brazil/frame.htm
https://extension.oregonstate.edu/news/story.php?S_No=802&storyType=garde

Here are my bunch
View Image

I look forward to hearing what other people's experiences with them.

That is incredible, this is all I managed to pick out my compost heap for chicken feed:

 

[moses wellfleet]

I’m still using these guys to process anything from shit to rotten potatoes. Really amazing creatures.

Does anyone know how to keep a colony going through winter when temps drop?

 

[chilliwilli]

I’m still using these guys to process anything from shit to rotten potatoes. Really amazing creatures.

Does anyone know how to keep a colony going through winter when temps drop?

Maybe try to heat the bin and have a seperate mating chamber indoors so u can produce eggs no matter what temps are outdoor. There are some videos on utube about solider fly farms.

 

[St. Phatty]

I’m still using these guys to process anything from shit to rotten potatoes. Really amazing creatures.

Does anyone know how to keep a colony going through winter when temps drop?

Build a container with a cubic yard volume, and fill it with manure & straw.

For example just the contents of an animal stall (bird, horse, goat) that needs to be "mucked out".

Then put the black fly part on top.

Then invite your neighbors over and tell them that's what's for dinner.

 

[moses wellfleet]

Yes so it seems 26C is the optimum temp for the larvae to process waste.