Comments on: Black soldier flies are not vectors of human pathogens

By: Chris

Chris — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 06:12:17 +0000

Hi! I’m a vermicomposting addict, but I must say this is very intriguing to me.

I’m from Manila and I can’t seem to find suppliers for BSF.

Any ideas?

Thanks!

Great anecdote. Makes me want to find BSFs in my compost bins too!

By: Mike aka BW

Mike aka BW — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 17:35:51 +0000

angel you should have a look at the following blog:

http://eatingoffthefoodgrid.blogspot.com/2010/09/black-soldier-fly-update.html

She uses a glass terrarium with a netting enclosure above to allow the flies to mate in flight.

By: angel

angel — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 17:37:28 +0000

hi, im from venezuela, last month a friend went to USA and brought me 25 bsf larvae, im pretty sure that we dont have bsf in venezuela or at least not in my city, so im trying to breed them in order to build a bio composer and feed my reptiles. im afraid that im running out of time by waiting for the bsf to mate, i keep the flies in a glass terrarium of 80x50x70 cm with some plants and the compost inside a carton box with some holes so the flies cans get inside it, the temperature is on 86 and the humility is on 90% , but they dont even try to made. what can i do? is there any advise for activating their mating sense?. i have only 12 flies left. i need help

P.S: excuse my bad english

By: Holly

Holly — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 19:06:42 +0000

I am back. The last two years we had abundant soldier fly larvae. This year almost nothing and thus our compost isn’t nearly as good. What is the best way to bring them back again? Atlanta, GA

By: Jerry

Jerry — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 15:12:47 +0000

Susan,

It’s nice that you and your family is able to appreciate the BSF. I’m curious about the effect of the larvae on the compost. If you live in Ohio as your email address indicates, I would expect that the adult BSF are finished for this year, but the larvae may survive through the winter in your compost. It would be great if you can provide occasional updates on your observations.

Thanks!

By: Susan Young

Susan Young — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 22:28:08 +0000

Yep — We have to have a pipe vent that goes out onto the roof. It is not electric, but is driven by the updraft of the air coming off the material in the toilet. The only thing electric are two small DC fans which do keep the smell away from us and also help dry the material somewhat so that it composts in a mostly aerobic environment. I’m sure that the flies came through the roof vent, where the smell is sure to attract them. We could probably put a screen or something in the vent, but I’m not sure we want to do anything to prevent them. They are much more pleasant than many other insects that could get in there and they are very helpful. We have a hinged screen in the bathroom window, so it’s easy to let them out and they are, indeed, beautiful as you say.

By: Jerry

Jerry — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 14:40:13 +0000

Hi Susan,

What I and others promote is the idea that BSF adults don’t normally enter houses, but most houses don’t contain manure. I assume that the composting manure in your toilet does not have a strong odor, but rest assured, BSF females are experts at locating manure and rotting food, even if the scent isn’t noticeable to humans. Your attitude about the BSF is refreshing and I hope you can find a way to deal with them that makes everyone comfortable. Thanks for sharing.

By: Susan Young

Susan Young — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 14:30:51 +0000

These BSF got into our commercial composting toilet and we had the hardest time figuring out what the heck they were. This article was very helpful. So — they DO get into houses. But it wasn’t a big deal. They are probably actually quite helpful in processing the material. Just disconcerting when something comes buzzing up against you when you are doing your business… We do cold composting inside with our toilet (we are off the grid so can’t have a “heater” in the toilet. and have hot composting outside in a compost pile where we mix other stuff in. Their larvae are present there in abundance but I didn’t know what they were before. I’m glad to know.

By: Jerry

Jerry — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 00:35:19 +0000

Hi Frank, Maybe it's best if we start at the point where BSF females lay their eggs. Your septic system has drains and vents and the BSF must be coming from one of those sources. The vents might be a good candidate because they supply an easy entry point. If you want to investigate that possibility I recommend placing strips of corrugated cardboard or plastic around the vent outlet. The voids in the corrugated material are attractive egg laying sites for BSF, and it is easy to see when eggs have been deposited. In the past I've answered this question only based on the idea that the larvae must be from eggs laid near a hole in the tank or drain pipes, but I think the vents represent a higher probability.

By: Frank

Frank — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 03:48:27 +0000

Okay, tell me how BSF’s end up in my toilet. I have an enclosed septic system… only recently these ‘flies’ have become a problem. and only recently have we started serious composting. The compost bin is 150 ft from the house. there are no apparent leaks in the system. We are not bothered by an abundance of flies in the air. Help me to understand so I can eliminate an embarrassment when company comes. thank you.