Hey GW,

I just want to thank you for all of the information you've shared. I've read the entire thread and have gained a wealth of knowledge thanks to you!

I'm new to the group. I found the group while searching for info on BSFL. I have one question though, when you said you had a "colony crash" what exactly did you mean? I'm not sure if I've had a "crash" but I had ants in my compost barrel/BSFL barrel and I flooded it to get rid of the ants (the barrel has lots of holes in it so the water drains out). I also turned it again(in the beginning I turned it when ever I added kitchen waste but stopped that practice a number of days before the ants appeared) I also added a bunch of coffee grounds and rabbit manure that I'm sure had a fair amount of urine on it. The ants went away but the BSFL seem to be different. They don't seem to care any more for cantelope. I figured they were eating the coffee but it seems to be gone or atleast the smell is but the BSFL numbers seem to be down. The ants happened over a week ago. I also put them in the shade with a hot water heater pan under them (to keep the ants out). I would love to get your thoughts on this.

I have only seen BSF in the barrel twice and have never seen any eggs. I was thrilled when I saw the BSF because I had never seen one of these marvelous creatures ever in the wild and my husband was quite unsure of all this and thought I might be wrong in my identification of the larvae. I will admit I was horrified when I first saw them in my compost barrel. The composting barrels are another story.

Now for the good news! Since the prepupae fall into the water I decided to collect them and see if I could sell them to the pet store in town. I sold 275 for $7. They initially offered $10 but for some reason I felt like I was taking advantage of them. It was the staff and not the owner/manager. I also took the prepupaes in in a styrafoam Sonic cup! They sounded like Alka Seltzer in the cup! It sounds like if they can sell them I'll be their supplier. One employee said they're having a hard time getting mealy worms.

My daughter says I'm obsessed and my husband asked yesterday, just before we left for church, if I wanted to take them with me so I could gaze at them during the service. My daughter nearly threw a fit when I called them my babies. There could we worse hobbies, right?

If I can figure out how to post pics, I'll do that soon.

Thanks again for sharing. I know it's taken lots of time and effort and it's much appreciated!
Tweeza