Maggot Farming!! Please answer :)

[galanie]

I've heard of this before but I've also heard of people losing birds to botulism after doing this a while. So I will not. Black Soldier fly larvae are much safer and more nutritious anyway if you can get a colony of those going. http://blacksoldierflyblog.com/bsf-bucket-composter-version-2-1/

I had a colony going a while but it ended up getting overwhelmed with housefly maggots so I dumped the whole thing. They just don't thrive as well in my climate.

 

[geedub]

Here's an article I found. I may try it myself

http://www.themodernhomestead.us/article/Feeding-Chickens-Maggots.html

Harvey is great and his experiment with blowfly maggots was adventurous and educational. However, the most important part of the page you referenced is quoted below:

will be an introduction to Black Soldier Fly; and eventually I will post more information on the site. In the meantime, please check Black Soldier Fly Blog and The BioPod for more information. Stay tuned!
~Harvey, August 1, 2009

 

[galanie]

Bingo.

 

[galanie]

Bingo. sorry for double post. Not sure why it does that sometimes.

 

[bbsnooks]

Hello.. Jerry and others,
I've just spent the cold wet day.. here in kansas studying up on the BSF.
one of the pages i read was of the link you mentioned http://www.themodernhomestead.us/article/Feeding-Chickens-Maggots.html
I also read at the bottom of that page that there we other factors that could have been involved in the C Bot.. development.

I also have read up on .. inoculating with good bacteria / fungi.. that can push the growth toward the good bugs even an anaerobic conditions.
so.. I think there is a way to develop that to a good working system.

but i do like the black soldier fly and its behavior ie not biting or buzzing humans.. and that the develop well in the heat..of summer.

I wonder if you could talk on the moisture required to keep the colony. I see some photo's that look like chicken scraps that i would take out , mostly dry and some photo's that look like there swimming in fluid. What is is that these grubs like to live in??

thanks
debra

 

[geedub]

Hi debra,

Based on what I've read the larvae do best when the humidity of their environment is at least 70%. I don't believe there is a limit to the high moisture level they can tolerate assuming they can breath. I've seen large juvenile (light colored stage) thriving in a bucket that was mostly flooded by rain water.



Quote:

 

[bbsnooks]

Jerry , Thanks for the fast reply...
I'm reading now.. and I'm sure thankful for some one of your experience..

I'm wondering.. if in the Kansas area.. If you would recommend.. harvesting some pupae.. at oct / nov.. to keep until spring.. and then re starting the colony.

It seems that .. many have issues.. breeding .. indoors.. with ? natural light? or not so natural light..

I'm thinking that i could breed the BSF in the spring - fall and
then convert to meal worms in the winter .. for the feed additives..

have you thought about .. the seasonal rearing of the worms.. for those of us that are beginners.. and what would be easiest to work with nature..

thanks for your input..
Debra

 

[geedub]

You're very welcome Debra.

It's possible to overwinter larvae and I'm sure you could also keep some pupae.

Juvenile larvae can be maintained during cold weather by continuing to feed them and keeping them insulated. I tried it during one south Georgia winter with limited success. The basic concept is that you insulate the unit and keep giving the colony food so that they generate their own heat. Somehow the larvae sense that it's not a good time to mature since reproduction isn't possible, so they remain as juveniles. In my one experiment I had larvae that were still juveniles (eating stage) five months after they were laid in October as opposed to the usual few weeks it takes to pass through that stage.

Keeping pupae should be easier since they naturally remain dormant until spring. You would of course keep them cool, but you can't allow them to dry out or they would die.

You can always restart in the spring without keeping larvae or pupae over the winter, but having some to jump start the system in spring would make your system productive sooner. The key for people who use the larvae as animal feed is to save some, as you're suggesting. The same principle applies to when you're first starting a BSF unit; it's best to wait until you've built up a fairly dense colony before you begin using the larvae as feed. Each male and female pair that you use as feed represents 500 or more potential eggs that could have been laid if the larvae had been allowed to mature and reproduce.

I think alternating between species based on the season is a great idea, but we are learning that indoor BSF rearing is not as difficult as once believed. In fact a few years ago people questioned if it was feasible at all and now some have succeeded in rearing multiple generations indoors. You can find good information about indoor concepts here (LINK) however in the absence of a greenhouse the scale would be too small to produce a quantity of feed to support chickens.

I look forward to following your progress.

 

[bbsnooks]

You're very welcome Debra.

It's possible to overwinter larvae and I'm sure you could also keep some pupae.

Juvenile larvae can be maintained during cold weather by continuing to feed them and keeping them insulated. I tried it during one south Georgia winter with limited success. The basic concept is that you insulate the unit and keep giving the colony food so that they generate their own heat. Somehow the larvae sense that it's not a good time to mature since reproduction isn't possible, so they remain as juveniles. In my one experiment I had larvae that were still juveniles (eating stage) five months after they were laid in October as opposed to the usual few weeks it takes to pass through that stage.

Keeping pupae should be easier since they naturally remain dormant until spring. You would of course keep them cool, but you can't allow them to dry out or they would die.

You can always restart in the spring without keeping larvae or pupae over the winter, but having some to jump start the system in spring would make your system productive sooner. The key for people who use the larvae as animal feed is to save some, as you're suggesting. The same principle applies to when you're first starting a BSF unit; it's best to wait until you've built up a fairly dense colony before you begin using the larvae as feed. Each male and female pair that you use as feed represents 500 or more potential eggs that could have been laid if the larvae had been allowed to mature and reproduce.

I think alternating between species based on the season is a great idea, but we are learning that indoor BSF rearing is not as difficult as once believed. In fact a few years ago people questioned if it was feasible at all and now some have succeeded in rearing multiple generations indoors. You can find good information about indoor concepts here (LINK) however in the absence of a greenhouse the scale would be too small to produce a quantity of feed to support chickens.

I look forward to following your progress.

so.. if i had one of the pod plus.. type of containers.. it / they could live say under my K sink and continue to compost.. and maybe stay as juviniles??
that might make the thing worth the price.. temp's there are in mid 60's

I went to some of the recommended places to purchase..< I believe i saw at your blog site or forum>
and i have a ?? is the phoenix grub.. the BSF the same species.. i read some thing..and it put a ?? in my mind.
thanks

 

[geedub]

so.. if i had one of the pod plus.. type of containers.. it / they could live say under my K sink and continue to compost.. and maybe stay as juviniles??
that might make the thing worth the price.. temp's there are in mid 60's

I went to some of the recommended places to purchase..< I believe i saw at your blog site or forum>
and i have a ?? is the phoenix grub.. the BSF the same species.. i read some thing..and it put a ?? in my mind.
thanks

In theory you could keep the larvae indoors, but you won't have reproduction so if you fed any larvae to chickens your colony would shrink. Also if it got a little too warm they would mature and pupate. Again, it could work in theory but you should probably learn the basics of outdoor culturing first so that you understand the factors involved fairly well.

Phoenix worms are just a brand name for BSF larvae that have been raised in a controlled environment and sold mostly to exotic pet owners.