Thousands of Grubs in Compost ( picture and video )

[TXmom]

My best friend came over and we were in my backyard...I was showing her my new goat yard and then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a black bug flying around my compost. I had already seen lots of those grubs in there, so mid-sentence I stopped and stared until that thing landed in the compost. I saw the very distinctive Black Soldier Fly with her black and white legs and I was so excited. I was saying..."Yes, yes, I KNEW I had BSF's

My best friend, who already thought I was a little cuckoo with all my chickens and goats,etc...now thinks I am cerifiably INSANE.

 

[Southernbelle]

I've just confirmed I have BSF larva under my rabbit hutches.

I want to move them to a rubbermade tote to maintain them and build the self-harvesting ramps and everything...

1. How do I keep them going over the winter? DH might divorce me if I suggest bringing them inside

2. Do I need to seperate them from the rabbit manure or can I just dump a couple shovels full in the tote? They really seem to like the sloppy smelly rabbit pee spots under the meat rabbit grow out pens

 

[geedub]

Hi theburtschickens,

First I would like to clarify something about BSF larvae which I often refer to as "grubs". Any fly larva is a maggot which is simply the common name. Unfortunately the word maggot has a negative connotation so I avoid it mostly. I do understand people's fear and revulsion towards maggots because house flies and several other fly species transmit diseases. BSF do not. There are approximately 120,000 fly species and most people consider them all to be bad. With luck that will begin to change.

1) I believe the risk from feeding BSF grubs to other animals is extremely low. I have yet to hear of a problem caused by using them as feed. It would be somewhat riskier if your waste pile became anaerobic, but that's fairly easy to avoid or remedy with a little experience. A bad odor signals anaerobic conditions. Of course you should not add toxic waste to your colony, they aren't miracle workers.

There is one rule that you need to consider and that involves using animal parts or manure to raise BSF and then feeding those grubs back to the same type of animals. For example if you feed poultry offal or manure to a BSF colony it's not advisable to feed the resulting grubs to birds. You could feed them to reptiles, mammals, amphibians and fish, but not to chickens. Nothing is perfect I guess.

2) Yes, the segments that you noticed on BSF larvae are a good indicator. Most other fly larvae are smooth skinned. Feel free to post a photo. This one shows the segments pretty well. Not all BSF grubs get this large which depends on several factors.

(click photo to enlarge)


3) Designing efficient ramps is a little tricky. The mature grubs will circle the walls of the container trying to find a way out you need to place ramps along the walls to channel them effectively. I've only made one DIY unit with ramps and it didn't work out very well. That's why I designed the simple bucket biocomposter which doesn't have ramps. I think as BSF grow in popularity we'll begin to see some interesting designs emerge.

The mature grubs don't eat so they can't be attracted with food, but it's not hard to collect the juvenile grubs with some tasty scraps. I have a post on my blog that describes how I do it: img/smilies/smile.png" alt="smile" />">http://blacksoldierflyblog.com/2008/07/25/collecting-immature-larvae/

 

[geedub]

Quote:
Congratulations on your new "flock".

1. Black soldier fly colonies can be kept outdoors by insulating the unit and by feeding them consistently. They generate heat when they eat and this will keep the temperature of the colony within the active range. If you let them run out of food then the colony will slow down, the temperature will drop, and the grubs will become semi dormant. If that happens you would need some warmer weather or an external heat source to jump start the colony. (Some of this guesswork because I have limited experience will cold weather BSF culturing.) I have a post that describes winter culturing here: http://blacksoldierflyblog.com/2008/08/16/bsf-composting-in-the-frigid-north/

2. You can start your bin with a few scoops of poo. The best manure to use for raising BSF is "fresh" stuff. Not only will it feed the grubs in your unit but it will attract females looking for egg laying sites. To BSF grubs poo is just food that another animal did a poor job of digesting. They simply complete the process with their super efficient digestive system.

 

[theburtschickens]

wow, i got so excited this morning when I went out to let the chickens out. There were literally hundreds of more mature prepupae grubs all over the compost lid and tires. They're just now beginning to migrate out. It rained a lot this morning here in Nashville...I wonder if that had something to do with it?

Anyway, I took some pictures, and it made me late to work.

Here's my compost bin made with stacked tires (I don't recommend this for others if you want to compost traditionally, since you can't turn the compost)...

Here's inside the compost, my lovely BSF larvae (right?)...

Here's a closeup picture of the larvae. Some light tan colored, some dark and a little drier and flatter, and then some tiny little ones that I assume to be BSF eggs just hatched. They were found outside the compost bin on the ground in a muddy puddle where I guess the BSF laid the eggs. Then evidently they travel up to the compost pile and squeeze through the tires (or under the tires). Does this seem plausible?

Here's a very quickly made ramp (I was late already) and bucket to hopefully harvest some larvae. The bucket I filled with wood chips.

And, lastly, here's the reason we're interested in these amazing creatures...i could just hear them clucking "ok, he's not holding a cup this time...hmm, does he have larvae? what's that black thing that keeps flashing? so seriously, dad, where are the larvae...i SAW you over there at the compost!"

That's it! I want to spend some time this weekend either figuring out a way to harvest these from the compost more efficiently OR to build a separate BSFlarvae biocomposting bin. In the meantime, bsflarva I love the post about collecting the immature larvae! I'm going to do that tonight, and I can't wait to see the results! (neither can my chickens!)

Peace,
theburtschickens

 

[geedub]

The rain caused condensation to form on the inside of the tires which makes it possible for the BSF to climb vertically and even upside down.

Those are certainly BSF grublarvamaggots.

When they first hatch the grub......s are very tiny and will find a way to get into the compost. Here's a photo of a one day old hatchling:

(click image to enlarge)


Isn't it adorable?!

You'll have some success with the ramp but if you see a lot of mature (dark) grublarvamaggots in the compost you can simply wet the inside and they'll climb out on their own.

 

[TXmom]

Awwwwww...tiny BABY grub...how cute!!!!!

 

[theburtschickens]

bsflarva, thanks so much for the information on your blog!! everyone else, you should go read his blog as it contains tons of useful info.

This morning, I made two of the 5 gallon bucket do-it-yourself biocomposters...one for my backyard and one for my friend down the street who also has chickens.

I put a few pieces of slightly rotten fruit in the bottom on top of the coconut coir, and then dumped about 50-100 immature larvae from my main compost pile in there. In less than TEN MINUTES after I was done, my wife and I saw an adult soldier fly (first one we've seen yet) flying around the bucket. I waited a few more minutes, and then my excitement got the better of me so I went and took the lid off. The adult flew out, and I could actually see many tiny eggs on the inside of the bucket about 2 or 3 inches down from the top. Hopefully I didn't scare her away for good!

I still can't believe it...less than 10 minutes after I finished, and I already have black soldier fly eggs!!

theburtschickens

 

[geedub]

Quote:
You're welcome!

I believe that sets a new BSF establishment record.

 

[injunjoe]

Hello Geedub it's been a while.
I have posted this subject on the sister site
TheEasyGarden.

I am giving it another go but I have made some progress this time!

http://www.theeasygarden.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=26699