Black Soldier Fly larvae, aka Phoenix worms

The major obstacle to this is to obtain a clean source of waste. As oxymoronic as that sounds...sewage isn't just crap anymore. I wonder if BSF would biomagnify all the potential toxic compounds in the waste?

The major obstacle to this is to obtain a clean source of waste. As oxymoronic as that sounds...sewage isn't just crap anymore. I wonder if BSF would biomagnify all the potential toxic compounds in the waste?

critterguy, most people will be interested in applying this technology at the residential level to process their kitchen scraps which are relatively "clean". Some sources report that BSFL reduce pathogens like salmonella and E. coli via their powerful and efficient digestive systems.

critterguy, most people will be interested in applying this technology at the residential level to process their kitchen scraps...

So, how would this be different from keeping a red wiggler compost bin, the current popular method for kitchen scraps?

So, how would this be different from keeping a red wiggler compost bin, the current popular method for kitchen scraps?

I'm not experienced at vermiculture so I did some quick searches. There was some variation in the data so please correct anything that seems wrong:

Red wigglers are not efficient for processing meats, dairy products, oily foods or grains. Black soldier fly larvae readily consume all of these food types. Worms also don't process citrus, and large food needs to be chopped. BSFL do process citrus and chopping isn't necessary.

With worms it's recommended that you bury the food scraps to avoid odor and pest problems. With BSFL the scraps can be put on top because they don't last long enough to spoil and smell bad. BSFL give off an info-chemical that repels other flies and it's relatively rare to see another species in the container.

Worms require periodic harvesting because their castings are toxic to them, and this has to be done manually. BSFL will self harvest when they are mature. In their last stage as larvae their mouth is replaced by an appendage that helps them crawl out of the container. They empty their gut and excrete an antibiotic in preparation for pupation. The container can be designed so that the prepupal larvae drop into a bucket when they exit the container, and they can live in the collection bucket for several days, maybe even weeks before being collected. At this stage they don't eat.

Worms require a fairly specific environment with regards to moisture, ph, and temperature. Different sources recommend keeping worms at a minumum of 54 and up to 70-84 degrees depending on the source of the information. BSFL are much more tolerant. Once a BSFL was tested by being submerged in isopropyl alcohol for two hours and it survived. They can survive between just above freezing and about 100 degrees.

Worms process about three times their weight in food scraps per week. I assume five pounds of worms would be a substantial quantity and would consume 15 pounds of food per week. A BSFL colony in a 2 foot diameter container can process 11 pounds of food every day. Even with 10 pounds of worms you would still be limited to 30 pounds of scraps per week.

Most kitchen scraps are converted into BSFL at a rate of 5 to 1. If you want to use BSFL as forage for animals the 2 foot container can produce up to 2 pounds of larvae per day.

I can't personally guarantee all of the statistics I quoted for BSFL, but from my experience the figures are at least close. I don't have anything against keeping worms, but I doubt that they can compare with the ease and efficiency that BSFL reduce food waste.

Please pardon the double post but I wanted to add this really cool link: Really cool BSFL video

Please pardon the double post but I wanted to add this really cool link: Really cool BSFL video

Man, don't trip and fall into that culture.

that video was awesomely disturbing..especially the very last bit when the fish was all consumed and the worm mass was writhing back and force in search of more. The hell with cremation, that's how I want to go...put me right back in the system!!!!!

Black soldier fly larvae won't kill or eat anything that is alive, but you don't want to be near them if you're dead animal or plant matter.

So, how would this be different from keeping a red wiggler compost bin, the current popular method for kitchen scraps?

As Jerry said, the BSF will certainly process more, faster. But... if you have the space for the larger amount of worms needed to process the same amount, the primary difference will be the end result. With worms you get highly bio-active compost. With BSF you get high-protein larvae and some residue. That means BSF are great if you *want* fly larvae or if you're doing it in a location where you can just let them pupate and fly away, but the average urban/suburban composter probably has no use for fly larvae. Vermicompost is great for gardens, planter boxes, and even houseplants.

I've been doing red wigglers for quite some time, and the speed with which they can process food is impressive if you hold them in the right conditions. My 15lbs or so of them in one bin turned two completely full 5gal buckets of food scraps (including some meat and dairy) into almost finished compost in 2 1/2 weeks.

Another advantage of worms is that they reproduce completely within the bin. No need to collect new flies/eggs. You do need to empty the bin occasionally, but no more often than 2-4 times per year. Many people on the web who report otherwise are simply using bins that are too small.

Bottom line is that they're complementary technologies, not competitors. If you *want* fly larvae as the end result, then BSF are the way to go. If you want compost for your garden, red wigglers are the choice. BSF may be more appropriate in large-scale rapid processing. Time will tell on that, since worms are already used for it and BSF are just getting going.

(And BTW, my first Farmers Market selling worms, vermicompost, and composting stuff starts tomorrow! http://vermontworms.wordpress.com/ )

Cheers, Jase

Interesting points Jase. I agree that raising worms will be better for some people than black soldier fly larvae with the ideal situation being a combination of both. I've read that the byproduct of a BSFL colony makes excellent worm bedding.

Congratulations on your farmers market adventure!

Jase: I was talking about your mentioning of their ability to possibly be used in sewage treatment.

Bottom line is that they're complementary technologies, not competitors. If you *want* fly larvae as the end result, then BSF are the way to go. If you want compost for your garden, red wigglers are the choice. BSF may be more appropriate in large-scale rapid processing. Time will tell on that, since worms are already used for it and BSF are just getting going.

Jase, I had a conversation with Dr. Olivier last night and it turns out your statement was right on the money. He is very interested in vermiculture and he feels that the combination of the two technologies represents the most powerful waste management option available. Apparently BSFL residue is a superior medium for earthworms and serves to boost their performance in some way. I think my next step is to learn about vermiculture so I'll be checking out your website in the near future.

PS. Here's a couple of fun videos I shot recently:

Toads eating black soldier fly larvae

More Toads Gone Wild

Fascinating thread - I have been following with interest. Ubermaggots - you gotta love it!

I just posted a very concise article by Dr. Olivier about Bioconversion using black soldier fly larvae and redworms at my blog. He relates bioconversion to carbon emissions. It doesn't have a lot of new information, but it presents the research very well considering it's just a few pages.

LINK




...and here's a toad:

I've been feeding BSF larvae to the Redears in my pond. They instinctively hit the immature, light colored larvae, but some of them are tentative about the dark, mature larvae. The dark ones are the final larval stage before pupation and these are the self harvesting stage. They are also the cleanest because they've migrated out of the food scraps. The prepupae are a little harder skinned than the immature larvae so I think that they seem a little more foreign to the fish. I currently have 2 dozen larger Redears in my pond and in that group there are 2 or 3 individuals that adapted to the prepupae immediately, and several that take them half of the time. That makes me think it will be easy to condition them to take this type of larvae as well, or almost as well as they take the immature larvae. The larger fish are about 6 - 8 inches (17cm) and I've seen individuals eat 20 or more medium size larvae in one feeding. I'm actually curious if I could overfeed them, or if they will stop feeding on their own. Each time I've fed them I've run out of larvae before they stopped taking them.

The Redears aren't eating pellets yet and I have a plan to pellet train them using the BSF larvae. Yesterday I made a paste with the fish pellets and I cover the larvae with it before feeding. When the coated larvae hit the water it creates a little cloud of pellet mash and the fish get a good taste of it when they eat the larvae. The fish are spawning now and they're concentrated in one small area of the pond so it's a good time to try this.

In the video I linked to you can also see several smaller Redears. These are fish I stocked in April that were 1.25 inches (32mm) long and are now 3 - 4 inches long (9cm).

VIDEO

It's been a long time since I posted here but I would like to share my newest version of a DIY BSF composter made with a standard 5 gallon bucket. I think this design will be very efficient and it can be put together for maybe $20 or less. BSF larvae are gaining in popularity with aquaculturists and I can only imagine that having a steady supply of juicy larvae would be a good thing for most of you. It's also nice to have a convenient and eco-friendly way of disposing of kitchen scraps and waste. Please let me know if you have any questions or suggestions.

Cheers!

blacksoldierflyblog.com/bsf-bucket-bio-composter-version-2-0/

I recently uploaded a video to YouTube explaining how my DIY BSF composter operates:

Bucket composter part 1

Bucket composter part 2

Don't forget the popcorn!

This has come back to my attention again after observing for the first time an adult BSF (in LB, CA attracted to light at night), and confirming it really was one when larvae took over a failing worm bin at home(the bin was improperly designed/fed so most of the worms had died).

If that system auto-harvests and produces clean larvae as the result(and excellent worm bedding/compost) it would be an interesting thing to tinker with. Probably not in my current living situation tho!

Hi critterguy,

What about your living situation would be a problem? If you operate the bucket properly it won't smell bad at all.

You still might not want it indoors...