The short answer is; yes, they are fine working together.

In terms of competition for food; I don’t think that’s an issue because red worms thrive in the residue of black soldier fly larvae. Of course with BSF present you will need to provide much more food to support their rapid growth.

I think the main issue with combining the two species in one container is that each has a different set of conditions for optimal performance. Worms;cool/BSF;hot, etc. It’s extremely efficient when worms and BSF are both used in stages to process waste so combining them into a single system is being attempted by some people.

In the following article Dr. Olivier, the man who invented the BioPod™ touches on the relationship between worms and BSF and how we might utilize them for waste processing: http://blacksoldierflyblog.com/bioconversion-dr_paul_olivier/

My question is this: do the red wrigglers and bsf larvae compete with each other in a way that reduces the effectiveness of either/both populations, or are they ok working together?

Thanks.

I found a site that confirms BSF are native to San Francisco: http://research.calacademy.org/research/library/biodiv/biblio/sfspinventory/insects.htm

With BSF in your area already you don’t require a starter kit. In your case a kit would probably speed up the process of establishing a colony, but I think it’s too late in the season for this year. Our kits average about 5000 BSF including the eggs and that’s a very small colony, too small for normal operation. You could get a kit anyway if you just want to nurse them along until spring, but in winter a small number of BSF will require more attention than a large colony. The best way to understand what I’m referring to is to read this thread at the BioPod forum: http://thebiopod.com/forum/index.php?topic=145.msg606#new