Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Black Soldier Fly project

Like I said before, if it's not one thing it's another and it's almost like a duh thing. I think I have mosquitos larvae in my water pan.

My husband told me to go ahead and order a BioPod so I'm on my way to http://blacksoldierflyblog.com/ to get me one!

Tweeza

That's easy to fix, add fish to the pan!

...and thanks!

I would add fish but the pan and barrel are on a slant and the backside barely has enough water to keep the prepupas in. The pan is pretty shallow.

The prepupas don't seem to know how to swim. I seems that when they hit the water they're in shock until they're removed and then they come alive! It only takes them a split second to start climbing up the straight sided container.

I only deal with the dark ones (prepupa stage). I still have an aversion to touching the larvae. I pick up the prepups by hand only if I have too but I still love them. I am getting better though.

Tweeza

Hi GW,

Thank you for posting this blog it has proven to be very beneficial.

I wanted to inquire to see if a closed loop indoor system has been successfully implemented for the Black Soldier Fly as it has for Waxworms where they can be cultured and grown and reproduced in indoor units?

If this is at all possible with BSF it will certainly help us folk who live in the northern colder climates of the US. Thank you once again for all your help and ocntributions on this website.

Jav

Hi Jav and welcome to the forum.

So far I don't think anyone has been able to mate BSF in artificial light. I'm pretty sure some have done it in greenhouses though. BSF mate in flight so they need at least a little flying space. I think I've heard about 10 X 10 ft enclosures being successfully used.

Even without indoor breeding there's no reason you can't compost with BSFL. They should do well in the summer up north and you can extend the function of a colony right through a cold winter with some simple insulation. If you're curious you can read about winter bioconversion at ESR's website:



Source

I think I know what you mean!
These guys are just asking for a nice cooling swim. heeehee.

Randy, it looks like you're feeding those pups pretty well!

Are you getting immature larvae climbing out of your unit regularly? This looks like a perfect example of what the page at ESR that I linked to was saying; in cooler weather the immature larvae that are climbing your ramps would be staying in the unit to process those scraps.

What will you ever do with all of those extra larvae that are dropping into the collection bucket......?

Can you give us an odor report?

Since I got the BioPod, I'm feeding a good bit more. As a result:
(1) the BSF larvae have increased tremendously.
(2) the amount of "tea" produced is probably 10-12 ozs per day.
(3) the inside unit is hotter and the larvae are exiting before they are mature (black).
(4) I have noticed a return of regular flies.
(5) there is a smell that wasn't present before.
I have rigged up a funnel into a milk jug in order to catch the tea. This helps me stay ahead of the tea production, but it exposes the tea smell (whereas the normal set-up doesn't), and I think that this is causing the return of the flies and the smell that I mentioned.
My fish are loving the lighter larvae (although they eat the black with no hesitation), so all in all things are going good.
I went fishing a couple of night ago at another lake and the BG loved the larvae. In the interest of different genitics, I caught about 20 little ones (2-3") and brought them back to my pond.

I agree that it's probably the exposed liquid that's attracting the house flies. I think the repellent properties of the BSF larvae work best if concentrated in a more closed container. One downside to exposing the tea is that it will attract females to lay outside of the unit, but it looks like you're getting plenty of eggs laid so it shouldn't be a problem. I have BSF laying in several areas because of my different tests and they still are barely noticeable. They are the ultimate respectful visitors.

I think I've mentioned before that I want to test some methods of running a BSF unit without a drain. I may get a second BioPod and try sealing off the drain hole to test the different approaches.

I also had a thought about a way to regulate the heat during these hot summer days. I'm thinking it might be advantageous to withhold feeding the larvae until sundown so they can do the majority of their work in the cooler evening hours and then rest more in the daytime.

Thanks for sharing your results rm.

GW, are there any links or places I can obtain more information from folks who have implemented an indoor system via Greehouses or 10 X 10 sheds or the likes of?

Thanks again.
Jav

Give this a read:

http://www.thebiopod.com/pdf/colony2002.pdf

rmedgar, is the odor you're getting a bad one? A colony of BSF will often have a noticeable smell, but it shouldn't be strong and it shouldn't be foul. The usual smell should be pleasant in an earthy way, like wet straw. If yours isn't you need to make some adjustments.

Can you estimate how many pounds of scraps you're adding each day? What types; fruit, veg, grain, meat, dairy?

I assume you've got the BioPod in full shade but I just had a thought. By placing the pod in a location that gets some wind action you could theoretically increase it's performance because of the venting/cooling action. I realize that shaded and exposed to breezes might be difficult to arrange, but I think it would be the best place.

You may want to try feeding only at sundown. My theory is that the larvae will then do most of their work in the cooler evening hours.

Please keep me posted.

GW, you may have already answered this question, so forgive me asking again. Why is this form of recycling household food trash & creating fish food more desirable than using compost bin with red worms? I did the red worm thing at our old farm(prior to pond) & used the worms in my garden...du

Thanks for asking david. Composting with BSF larvae may be more desirable but it all depends on your goals.

BSFL can consume almost anything plant or animal, except for high cellulose items like grasses and paper.

BSFL can consume food scraps several times faster than earthworms and they can process meat, dairy, oils, and citrus. Scraps can be placed on top of the compost without mixing in or chopping them.

BSFL are self-harvesting and can be held with almost no effort for weeks. Worms require period harvesting which involves several steps.

BSFL have a wider range of acceptable moisture and temperatures (33 - 100 degrees). They can also tolerate a wide range of pH and are resistant to many chemicals. In one test a BSFL was submerged in isopropyl alcohol for 2 hours and survived.

Earthworms might be the better choice if your main goal is to produce compost in quantity. (BSFL reduce most household scraps by up to 95% of their original volume)

BSFL can't eat grass or paper.

Having said all of that, the best method for processing organic waste is the combination of BSFL and earthworms.

Here's a post from my blog for more info: POST

Hi everyone. Thanks for all the wonderful information. I actually stayed home from work today to read about the BSF. I think I take a great deal of comfort in finding a group of people as strange as I am. To get to the point, I am located in the Philippines and have a small piggery. The cost of animal feed especially protein sources have gone crazy high in price in the last six months that I’ve started to become interested in alternative sources to traditional sources like fish meal and soy bean meal.
Do you think it’s possible for the BSFL to be a feasible protein and fat supplement to the pigs existing diet? We have more pig waste than anyone could ever want, Maybe 5 tons a month. It’s always hot here and there are enough insects to blot out the sun. Any advice? Thanks.

Hi Santarosa, welcome.

I believe black soldier flies are common in the Philippines and your situation seems ideal for using them. You may find some good information in this article: http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/waste_mgt/smithfield_projects/phase2report05/cd,web%20files/A2.pdf

The BSF larvae are proven to be a good supplement for swine and many other animals. Please let us know if you try working with them.

I know that this isn't really important, but when I was filling the feeder at my dad's pond this morning a BSF landed on a 2 X 4 in front of me. I would have never known what it was if not for this thread. I couldn't get a picture though.

Actually Bruce I appreciate the report. I plan on creating a map to plot sightings of BSF around the country. Did you confirm that it had white legs?

Uh, oh.

No, I didn't. It just looked so much like some of the images that I'd seen on this thread that I assumed it was a BSF. I'm not sure if it did, or didn't have white legs. If it didn't, is there a chance I was seeing something different?

It's not unlikely that you saw a black soldier fly, but there are over 100,000 species of flies. The family Stratiomyidae (soldier flies) has 1500 species.

The banded legs and the forward facing moth-like antennae are the easiest ways to identify BSF.

Bruce, at your place I think it was more likely a Black Mannequin Fly.

You're right. It's the Genus Emjay.

GW, I wish I would have looked closer. I'm going to watch closely today out there. It very well may have had the correct legs, but I was so interested to see this new fella that I blew the part about solid identification.

Great Bruce, I appreciate the effort. I think the best time to observe them is a sunny afternoon.

A google image search for "Black Mannequin Fly" produced some interesting results. Thank you for your contribution also Theo.

Yep. My top hit was this nice looking potential girlfriend for M.J. She's in K.C., Bruce - not too far if you want to add her to your scarecrow collection.

Here's where I saw him.