Black Soldier Fly LarvaeHermetia illucens

A high protein food source for birds, fish, pigs, amphibians, and even dogs that you can

“make” at home while composting your waste.

Why are BSF larvae so beneficial?

Currently used animal feed is not sustainable

• 15% of all wild caught fish go towards feeding farmed fish, pigs, and poultry.

• The ocean is a fragile ecosystem that should be left alone…

• About 95% of soybean production goes to animal feed..

• Soy takes valuable resources to produce (land/water) and relies on chemical agricuture and GMO technology.

Excellent Foodsource and Sustainable Organic Waste Management

• In contrast, BSF larvae is a nutritious animal feed (42% protein, 35% fat, dry weight) that rivals soy and fish while only requiring waste products to produce.

• This means two incredible things: little to no new resources are used to create BSF larvae AND we are diverting waste from dumpsites while turning it into valuable compost without off-gasing methane and nitrogen.

• They also are able to compost materials that red worms can not, such as manure, meat, dairy products, and cooked foods.

• This means there should be no more organic waste coming from your household.

They are also not at all like a pesky fly!

• BSF are harmless: the adult fly does not sting, buzz, or harbor disease and only lives for 5-8 days.

• The fly actually looks like a pretty, slender black wasp.

• During their winged stage they do not feed on anything, therefore they do not have any interest on landing on your food in the kitchen.

BSF Life Cycle

• The adult phase (the fly) is exclusively sexual. There only purpose is to mate and lay eggs. They do not eat during this phase, which is part of the reason that they are not pests.

• Female BSF lays 500-900 eggs near to moist, nutrient rich organic refuse.

• Eggs incubate in about 4 days.

• Once hatched the larvae begin vigourisly feeding and are able to reduce large quantities of waste in a short time. At this stage they are a light cream to light brown colour and are often a bit larger than the mature pupae stage..

• Under ideal conditions the larvae can mature in 10 days but could take up to a few weeks.

• Once mature they no longer eat and will look for a way out of the food waste in order to find a place to burrow into soil and pupate into a fly.

• This takes about 10 days. At this stage they are a dark brown/grey colour.

How to make a BSF composter Many different DIY guides on the internet show a similar setup with a few

variations. But they should all have the following qualities:

• A way to control moisture like a lid and/or drainage (BSF like moist waste but not anaerobic waste).

• An enticing place for the BSF to lay it’s eggs including holes to get into the container if it is lidded.

• A 35º < ramp for the pupae to climb up and self harvest into a collection bucket.

Tips• Hermetia illucens lives around the world in climate zones 7-10.

• They can survive colder conditions by going dormant through winter but you will propably have to buy starter grubs since there may not be a native population.

• The bin should be placed in the shade.

• Limit meat, fish, and dairy to 5% of the total feed offered.

• Many sources say that BSF are not efficient at breaking down high fiber materials. However, red worms are, so keep your worm bin!

• A thriving colony of BSF larvae is supposed to deter other flies from inhabiting the bin.

• Be sure to scatter a few of the mature pupae into places where they can become flies so the cycle can continue.

• 100 lbs of waste can be reduced to 5 lbs of compost and produce 10 to 20 lbs of live larvae.

• BSF larvae castings (compost) can be given to red worms to create an even richer compost.

• Try not to over or under feed your BSF larvae. Whereas red worms wait for the waste to develop bacteria (that is actually what they eat), BSF larvae will eat the food waste immediately, so it is best to not overfeed to avoid bad smells.

• It is best to have separate bins for BSF and red worms.

• A commercial bin called the Biopod is available for sale if you would rather not build one yourself.

Some considerations• Some websites say to not feed animals intended for human

consumption larvae that have been raised on manure. There is little info given as to why exactly, and many people do, so it is up to personal discretion.

• Do not feed animals immature larvae since they could be parasitic if they survive the journey into the stomach. Very few, but several cases of miasis have been found with BSF larvae.

• Be sure to assess your animals nutrition needs and design a an appropriate diet. For example, chickens would like 1/3rd greens, 1/3rd seeds, and 1/3rd grubs. Another example is that BSF larvae should not be the main thing fed to tillapia since they are vegetarians.

Useful Links

DIY BSF Larvae containers:• http://blacksoldierflyblog.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=492• http://www.treehugger.com/green-food/how-to-build-a-diy-black-

soldier-fly-grub-composter-video.html

Video series about BSF:• http://www.livingwebfarms.org/black-soldier-fly-production/4587

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