Jerry

I live in SW Georgia where I've been culturing black soldier fly larvae for about 3 years. I learned about BSF while researching sources of forage for pond fish. I hit the jackpot when I found out about BSF. Every year I become more impressed with how valuable this harmless insect is to humans. My mission is to educate people and help them get beyond any discomfort about working with the larvae of a fly. There are over 100,000 species of flies, but BSF may prove to be the most important one since they are capable of helping us deal with the constant stream of organic wastes that we produce.

BSF blog update

Sep 022010
 

Lately I’ve been inconsistent with responses to emails and comments, and I would like to explain.

Currently there are several health issues that my family is dealing with and it has taken my focus off of this blog to a large extent. I stopped raising BSF for starter kits a few months ago for the same reason. I’ve been spending a lot of time traveling in order to help various family members and I couldn’t maintain the larvae needed to supply the kits. I also have some videos waiting to be published that are about my DIY bucket composter. The most I’ve been able to accomplish lately is to approve comments made on various posts here and to make some related responses.

If you’ve sent me an email or posted a comment and I haven’t responded please forgive me. Staying focused has always been a challenge for me, but under the current circumstances I know that I’m not maintaining the blog properly. Sooner or later I’ll find the time and energy to give this blog the attention it deserves. I love working with BSF, sharing my experiences, and helping people start their own colonies, and I will give it more time when things settle down a bit.

Thanks,

Jerry

UPDATE – Jan, 9 – Well, 2010 was a very busy and eventful year for me. Hopefully this year will allow me more time to work with BSF and to blog about it. I’m starting a BSF consulting project and I will be blogging about the progress here and at the website of the people hosting the project. This is the first time I’ve worked with a commercial system and I’m sure there will be a lot of interesting tests and results.

BSF bucket composter version 2.1

Jun 252010
 

Details of the newest version of my DIY bucket composter are available at THIS page or by clicking the link in the sidebar. This version features more ventilation, a new filter material and a more efficient drain outlet. I’ve had requests for a shopping list of parts which I’ll try to post very soon. I’ve also seen some interest from people who want to buy one of these already assembled. At this point I don’t know if it’s practical for me to build and ship these units, but please let me know if you might be interested.

I disabled comments on this post because I want comments to be posted on the main bucket composter page.

multi-stage bsf starter kit update

Jun 202010
 

We have discontinued starter kits for the foreseeable future. I’ll keep this post available for any information that might be useful

 

This year our starter kit contains 3000 black soldier fly eggs in the hatchery pictured above, and 1000 larvae of various sizes. For the price we’re asking, that represents an excellent value in terms of the number of BSF. I also believe that combining eggs, juvenile larvae, and mature larvae is a more effective strategy for jump starting a BSF unit than a juvenile larvae-only kit. We have a page with a full description of the kit including pricing and shipping options which you can navigate to from the right sidebar or by clicking HERE.

BSF bucket composter updates

May 312010
 

I’m a bit behind in posting these videos but I’m trying to keep a running record of my progress with this do-it-yourself black soldier fly bucket composter.

This first video involved the seeding of the unit with larvae which hatched from eggs I collected elsewhere.

BSF bucket composter update-April 26 2010

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BSF bucket after two weeks

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Attracting black soldier flies with corn

Apr 282010
 

Dried corn kernels soaked in water are the best bait for attracting BSF females that I have tried. I’m currently using a batch that I began soaking over a month ago. Once fermented, the corn and water give off a strong sour smell that is great for attracting black soldier fly females.

Once the BSF are established the result is a nearly odor-free process, but in the beginning it’s best to have a strong odor so the females can locate the unit. I like using fermented corn because even though it has a strong odor I don’t find it as offensive as most rotting food. It’s not a smell that I necessarily like, but it’s one I can live with during the set up phase and once I’ve got a dense colony I can go back to the normal, mild and pleasant odor of a balanced BSF composter.

One advantage of this method is that you don’t need to deal with food scraps which tend to become moldy and also attract a lot of undesired species. I did see a few fruit flies and other small flying insects in and around the corn, but compared to other baits I’ve used corn is best in this regard. Most notable is the absence of blow flies and to a great extent, house flies.

I’m using  two techniques based on this idea. I have small buckets of soured corn and water in a few places and BSF females are laying eggs in the buckets. Some eggs are laid on the bucket walls and others are laid on the dry corn that’s above the water line. The resulting larvae should be able to develop in the buckets, as long as the corn isn’t completely submerged. When there are a good number of larvae in the corn/water I’ll remove and reserve the liquid and use the corn and larvae to seed a new BSF composting unit. The corn will eventually be consumed by the larvae in the new unit and the liquid can be used alone as an attractant if needed.

The strained liquid can be used to help attract BSF females directly to new composting units. Attracting egg laying females is automatic if you have an established colony, but it is the biggest challenge in establishing a new unit. Adding the corn liquid to other scraps you place in a new unit will increase the attractive odor of the bait. Also, if you live in an area that has a limited BSF population or a cool climate this attractant might help you maintain a denser colony throughout the mating season by directing more females to your composter.

I’m sure there are many other foods that could be used in a similar way. I used corn because I can buy a 50 pound bag (22kg) for about $8 at the local feed store. The key is to develop a strong smell that will represent a food source to the female BSF who are searching for an egg laying site. I’ve been told by people in the Philippines that BSF are often found in rotting coconut meat. I imagine that if you applied the principle I described above with coconut as the base that it would also work well. Likewise, I noticed good results once after adding sour milk to a unit. Your goal should be to have a bait that you can smell from a few yards/meters away. If you can smell it from that distance the BSF will have no trouble locating your composter.

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