Black Soldier Fly Blog

As unlikely as it sounds, feeding a black soldier fly colony (Hermetia illucens) taps into the fun and satisfaction you usually experience feeding more “cuddly” types of animals. I believe most people will develop something like affection for the colony after a while. It’s true that some people feel initial discomfort with the larvae but this usually changes to appreciation after a short time.

Appreciation for the colony

The affection I’m describing isn’t so much about individual grubs (larvae), it’s about the colony as a whole. When you keep a BSF colony a relationship is created where you provide them with food and they provide the service of processing your garbage.

The end of guilt

… about wasted food anyway. Like most people I used to feel guilty when I mismanaged my groceries and ended up with wasted food. I still generate excess or spoiled food, but now I don’t view it as waste, instead it’s BSF food. I no longer put it in plastic garbage bags and ship it off to rot in the landfill. What used to be discarded is now a source of great celebration for several thousand tiny creatures. (Yes I’m anthropomorphizing, there’s more to come too).

There’s a party goin’ on!

Just imagine what takes place when you toss your unfinished pancakes into the bio-composting unit. One thing I’m sure of, these little creatures love to eat. Maybe it’s not joy the way we know it, but it’s still rewarding to see the mad dash the grubs make to whatever delicious (to them) new scraps you supply. You can enjoy feeding most pets a few times a day, or even less for lizards, snakes, etc. On the other hand you can feed a black soldier fly colony anytime you want to. BSF don’t replace a dog, or a cat, or a pet lizard, but few pets “appreciate” being fed as much as these fascinating creatures.