Anyone using black soldier flies?

[tmoore8595]

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Pictures?

Raining outside now, but I will get some later.

 

[tom e]

Boy this is THE topic that will keep me coming back, and have me struggling to remember my password.

Not that I don't love all things chicken, but this is my favorite subject, just because the birds love them so much. Count me in as another who can't wait to see what you have made tmoore8595.

I had a great spring and summer with the larvae, though they didn't really take off until pretty late in Spring. I am now having the problem I had last year though, where they seem to be really slowing down because of the cold. My biopod is still full of them, but they are sort of lazy. Just sitting under food and looking like they are thinking of waiting through the year. Seems odd to me, because we don't really get cold like some of you all do. Then again we don't really get HOT like some of you all do- they seem to really fire up when we are at our hottest. At the peak I probably had about 3 cups of them self harvesting almost daily. They are also in my regular compost bin, and I'm glad to have them there, hopefully they will sort of 'seed' the biopod yearly.

Wonder if I would have better success if they were in something bigger than the biopod, not so likely to fluctuate in temperature?

Does anybody live somewhere it gets cold, and figured out how to keep them going?

 

[D3invertebrates]

last year during winter I kept my bsf buckets next to my worm bins and wrapped them with a 25 foot 50 watt heat cord which I used only when it got below freezing and then covered them all up with old blankets and all my worms where nice and comfy and the bsf bins kept producing throughout winter, though I do live in the south, in the north I wouldnt think it possible.

 

[D3invertebrates]

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I read a study once that said the liquid from bsf's isnt beneficial to plants in any way, the juice from worms is because of the bacteria in it. Also bsf's dont break down harmful pathogens in the same way worms do so I would advise against using the liquid from bsf's on your veggies especially root crops. I really like your pipe ramp idea thats so simple its brilliant.

 

[Tracydr]

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I had them in my worm compost bin and then they disappeared. I didn't try real hard to keep them going, though. I'm in Mesa, AZ.

 

[Tracydr]

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How do you prevent growing fly maggots and possibly botulism? This would be my fear with rotting meat and such.

 

[D3invertebrates]

Any pest fly eggs or maggots in an bsf bin would be eaten by the bsf larvae. The larvae purge themselves before going to pupate so when the chickens eat them theres nothing but larvae there no poop or rotten food left. Also I dont put anything in the bins thats to nasty, just food passed me wanting to eat it but before its real gross or smelly and they dont take more than a day or two to eat most of what I put in there so its not sitting rotting in the bin also quail poo not chicken poo, I wouldnt feed my chickens larvae that ate there waste.

 

[CluckyJay]

BSF also release some sort of antibodies or something when they begin to exit the food source. I am loving mine!

 

[<3 N.C Chicken Chick <3]

Why do you guys want these Flys/ pupay?

 

[CluckyJay]

They are a good source of cheap fat, protein and other nutrients for birds, swine and other omnivores/carnivores.

And they are excellent at reducing organic waste products. And my red wigglers love their juicy leftovers, hehe.