My BSFL have myaisis! Apparently a predatory fly has found the bin. I spotted a few egg clusters and smaller larvae and assumed I was finally seeing new BSF lays. Then I noticed these larvae tended to stay grouped and weren't as tapered but wasnt sure. Well, 2 days ago the BSFL were working their way through a loaf of bread and a pile of yard mushrooms and getting started on the tomato prunings and things seemed fine, they were even working the surface since I put a tighter cover on. ( I think it kept the surface more humid) I didn't look in yesterday. Today the new maggots are about an inch long with little taper, and are actively killing the BSFL. They develop into a ovoid pupae with a reddish color. I wont have time to get in there tomorrow, but I think I'll either pick around and hit the new guys with the blowtorch or see if the bsfl can survive a lower pH and acidify those sections of the bin, the sides and the new litter. If that doesnt work then I'll likely do a boiling water kill, compost the whole mess and reboot with a new bunch of BSFL from the old compost heap.
