GW - I put the leaves in the bottom of my trashcan before adding any compost because I wanted the compost a little bit off the ground when I started. I figured that the enzymes in the bsf juice would compost them pretty quickly once it got started.
My colony has only been going a couple weeks but they're already started to really churn out the juice. I've read that this is good fertilizer. Have you ever tried it? I going to set up some trays with basil seeds.. water some, fertilize some with bsf juice and one with fish emulsion and see the results. I wonder how much to dilute the bsf juice... a few tablespoons to a gallon? maybe use the same ratio I use on the fish emulsion?
Earlier in the year I had problems with vinegar (fruit) flies around one of my compost bins. I had been trying to compost a bunch of rotting oranges from the orange tree in my front yard. The vinegar flies where up in that compost bin like nobodies business. I was even trying to figure out practical ways to catch them for fish food (there where a lot of them). Now my bsf colony is also filled with a LOT of rotting oranges.. My worms won't touch these things because they're so acidic. Even as oranges go mine are super acidic... Seville (Marmalade) Oranges. They'll make your lips tingle if you try and eat one. Almost no other fly species around. Sure you see a few hanging around but for the most part it appears they know they're not welcome.
I'm going to move my colony into the shade next to my worm bin. Like I said, they thrived in the full power of central texas sun inside a dark gray plastic trashcan (I wasn't trying to look out for the bsf at that point.) I'm guessing in the shade they'll just do that much better.
Yesterday I scored two HUGE bags of produce from a local small grocery stores dumpster. Mmmmm maggot & worm food.
