If you separate a portion of the compost from the main pile the BSF will soon cycle out of it assuming you don’t add more food scraps to it. The BSF grubs are there for one reason, food. If the compost is in an open container the grubs will simply leave after any remaining food is consumed. If you want to have more control in removing the grubs from the compost you can use food scraps as bait and capture them using the method I describe here.

Most of the data that I’ve seen referenced is based on studies by Dr. Craig Sheppard and Dr. G. Larry Newton, who have both studied BSF extensively.

Dried black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) prepupae contain 42% protein and 35% fat (Newton et al. 1977). Live prepupae are 44% dm and are easily dried for long term storage. As a component of a complete diet they have been found to support good growth of chicks (Hale 1973), swine (Newton 1977), rainbow trout (St-Hilaire et al. 2007)) and catfish (Newton et al. 2004). Peer reviewed studies show that prepupae meal can replace at least 25% of the fish meal in a diet with no reduction in gain or feed conversion ratio (FCR) in rainbow trout (St-Hilaire et al. 2007) or channel catfish (Newton et al. 2004). Separation of the prepupae fat and protein would allow for formulation of more balanced diets and produce a meal with over 60% protein. Removal of the chitin would further enhance the protein content and enhance digestibility as well as produce another valuable product. Blind taste tests with tilapia and channel catfish fed diets containing Hermetia larvae indicated no significant difference between those diets and commercial diets (Bondari & Sheppard. 1981).

Omega-3 fatty acids were enhanced in Hermetia prepupae that were fed fish offal mixed with manure (St-Hilaire et al. 2007). Omega-3 fatty acids increased from negligible levels to approximately 3%. This finding raises the possibility of enhancing other nutritional factors in Hermetia prepupae by custom feeding of the growing larvae.

SOURCE

Of course the concentration of fats and protein will be significantly less in fresh larvae. I haven’t seen any studies that recommend a diet consisting of BSF exclusively and I wouldn’t think it’s a good practice to feed any animal such a restricted diet long term.

I’m sorry I couldn’t provide more information. Perhaps you would share the conflicting reports that you’ve found so that I could follow up on this.

I would like to see the actual work done as far as analysis of larvae and nutritional components. I’ve seen what I think is a lot of inaccurate info regarding this in the past. I have read such things as 40 % protein and the occasional 50%? Also fat levels seem to be all over the place and certainly feeding just Soldier fly larvae to insect feeding animals is not a good thing with fat levels so high.If you either have the info someplace else that I can see or can refer me to a place where accurate analysis has been done I would much appreciate it.

Thanks for the nice comments.

I’m not an expert, but don’t believe there is a problem with using BSF to process human (mammalian) waste and then feeding the resulting grubs to fowl, even if the chickens and eggs are in turn consumed by humans. Of course you should get a more informed opinion before doing it.

The idea you present is almost exactly what Dr. Paul Olivier, the inventor of the BioPod, has tried to accomplish in Brazil and also in Vietnam. Unfortunately I think he has encountered several difficulties because many people in developing countries want to emulate the US and other modern people. Maybe this “primitive” but elegant technology needs to be embraced in the West before it can be accepted elsewhere.

You might enjoy this presentation that was put together by Dr. Olivier and others: http://www.esrint.com/pages/bioconversion.html. You’ll see a reference to a urine diverting toilet at the bottom.

BSF love to lay their eggs in the folds of plastic can liners so you’ve really just done them a favor. Whatever you cover the compost with the BSF will simply lay eggs on the outside of it and the tiny hatchlings (1mm X a thread’s thickness) snif out your garbage and crawl inside. BSF want one thing, decomposing food. If you ever decided to discourage them simply limit your composting to grasses, leaves and other high cellulose items which BSF can’t digest.

Trying to starve the mature grubs is kind of funny because they don’t eat in that stage, they don’t even have a mouth. All they want to do is to pupate and emerge as adults for a few days to mate and lay eggs.

Please let us know how the story develops.