Black Soldier Fly, composting, larvae as food

[Vortex]

Great for initial composting.
Great for a composting toilet !!! hey?!
chickens, fish, etc love the larvae.

BSF (Black Soldier Fly) keep other flies away.
Adult BSF have no mouth parts, do not bite or eat, just breed.
They eat meat, earthworms don't.
As i understand it, you can mix them with earthworms just fine.
Easy to start, only a 5 gallon bucket needed tilted at a 30 degree angle
to allow self harvesting of mature larvae .
[A square bucket is MUCH better if you have one]
(believe me, this is all you need .. you can make it much more complex!!)

Some how these suckers don't drown in a soupy mix of garbage, i don't know but mine seem to do ok..
i mention the drowning due to all containers i've seen have drain holes
which i have found isn't required... i might try a drain hole if i get a need
to have more than one bucket.

So, next to nothing has to be done compared to earthworms...
Don't know how good the end resulting poo is for growing plants.

i've grown BSF for two summers now in a 5 gallon bucket.
Oh, initially you will not be able to tell if you have fly maggots or
BSF larvae because they are both white when small.
They get much bigger than maggots.
As they get bigger, they aren't white like maggots.
Don't worry about the fly maggots, they can't climb up and out of
a 30 degree slope and thus never mature.

Black Soldier Fly
Hermetia illucens - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Black Soldier Flies in Compost - Howard Garrett

google videos "black soldier fly"

[Vortex]

too easy

ok i mislead and it was too easy to just use a 5 gallon bucket.

The trouble i've had this year is critter(s) than can tip your 5 gallon bucket
over and eat those plump larvae or those flipping fire ants i have around here.
Well, any ants, not just fire ants

Hanging the bucket off a hook with petroleum jelly on the hook keeps the
fire ants and critters away.. Water keeps the ants away if ya don't
have critters to contend with.

Remember you need that 30 degree angle to allow the larvae to self harvest.

[theremart]

Solider fly

ok i mislead and it was too easy to just use a 5 gallon bucket.

The trouble i've had this year is critter(s) than can tip your 5 gallon bucket
over and eat those plump larvae or those flipping fire ants i have around here.
Well, any ants, not just fire ants

Hanging the bucket off a hook with petroleum jelly on the hook keeps the
fire ants and critters away.. Water keeps the ants away if ya don't
have critters to contend with.

Remember you need that 30 degree angle to allow the larvae to self harvest.

I have seen setups specifically designed for growing these flies. I was considering this for my aquaponics setup, but too busy with what I have been doing.


What is the feed source for what you feeding them?

[Vortex]

I have seen setups specifically designed for growing these flies. I was considering this for my aquaponics setup, but too busy with what I have been doing.


What is the feed source for what you feeding them?

just table scraps, mostly fruit/vegs and coffee grounds ..
they eat meat, etc unlike earthworms.
if it gets soupy over time, it doesn't seem to matter.

best to start out with non-meat items until you get some BSF larvae which
keep other larvae away.

i figured out the BIRDS are getting into my bucket .. it's hanging from a rope
and the mess of "foods" in the bucket has dried out at this point.
i covered the bucket with a plastic bag (mostly) and the catch bucket (a plastic ice cream container) with a fruit mesh bag.

wire mess would be best.

it takes a few weeks for them to get big enough to tell they are not
just maggots.. once you have them they keep other kinds of larvae away.
you don't have to create anything to get them going. a coffee can of
any size can set ya up initially.

.. it's getting them to lay eggs is the only thing you have no control over.

Once you have them .. they keep coming back.

[theremart]

Bsf

Last summer when I was trying to grow some mold on my coffee grounds, I had huge larva growing on the Coffee grounds. I did not know it at the time, but I believe they were BSF.


I am not trying it again to see if I can attact them.

do they only come out a certain time of year? I am here in Florida.

Thanks!

[theremart]

Very cool info on BSF

agroinnovations_78_black_soldier_fly_part_i.mp3

( get parts one and two )

Lots of cool audios at this link ->

The Agroinnovations Podcast - Podcast Search Engine

[Vortex]

good recordings there, thanks.
"do they only come out a certain time of year? I am here in Florida" ...
on the recording it was said sourth-east has the largest population.
Time of year ?, all year long but the slow down in cold weather and
die if it freezes.

[theremart]

Wooo Hooo

I am now harvesting BSF each morning and feeding my fish them. what a real bonus to be able to have a food supply from the scraps of vegtables and old coffee grounds!

I had no idea how fast these guys munch down the food.

Look at this video of what 24 hours and one fish can do!

YouTube - Black Soldier Flies vs Fish


Amazing

[Vortex]

I am now harvesting BSF each morning and feeding my fish them. what a real bonus to be able to have a food supply from the scraps of vegtables and old coffee grounds!

I had no idea how fast these guys munch down the food.

Look at this video of what 24 hours and one fish can do!

YouTube - Black Soldier Flies vs Fish


Amazing

glad to hear ya got BSF now.. they are great at keeping
other flies away from your composting. i think you'll really enjoy them.
30-35 degree slopes will allow for self-harvesting making them even more enjoyable.
i'm still waiting for some to show up for me this year.

[theremart]

Attracting BSF

glad to hear ya got BSF now.. they are great at keeping
other flies away from your composting. i think you'll really enjoy them.
30-35 degree slopes will allow for self-harvesting making them even more enjoyable.
i'm still waiting for some to show up for me this year.

What seemed to attract them in was oatmeal, and also whey.

They are really going to town now, when I stand by the bin, I can hear them churning inside. It is no wonder why they break down compost so quickly, with this guys going at it, they turn the compost for you.

[Bobbyd]

Bread soaked in milk will attrack them and get them fired up.
Bio Pod Plus - Black Soldier Fly (BSF) larvae production.

[Vortex]

Bobbyd and theremart thanks for the info on starter / attract BSFs food.

shortly after my last post, i eye-balled an adult BSF and today another
at the compost pile.

i remembered what theremart had said and how i agreed with his statement
that you can HEAR them crawling / eating in the moist/goo of food waste.

i moved my ear closer and yeppers .. there was "the sound" i've heard often
before..

dug around a little in the goo and eye-balled a critter about 3/8" long too
short to rule determine that it was only a BSF..

i had put out a can of grits, rice, coffee grounds and water, before
eye-balling those other BSFs, in hopes that would attract them but
that was only a week ago so it might be a 2-3 more weeks before
confirmation that it is attracting BSF. Then again the compost pile
might be a larger attraction and the BSF could skip the treats in the
can for the already established colony of BSFs.

[theremart]

Re: Bsf

Congrates Vortex, I know you were looking for them.

[theremart]

Kool link

Black Soldier Fly Composter / Automatic Chicken Feeder | GardenPool.org

Show BSF feeder for chickens. Great simple design.

[ashtweth]

Thanks Mart keep them coming please

Ash