Comments on: BSF bucket composter v2.0

By: FGraham

FGraham — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 01:50:32 +0000

I have a good start on soldier fly larvae in a BSF bucket I made. The only thing I can’t figure out is why my bin has such a foul odor and the compost tea is really bad. What am I doing wrong? There isn’t an odor in my worm bin where the larvae originated. Do I need some type of hay, leaves, or compost in the the bucket before adding food?

Please share your knowledge, I’m very interested in raising both worms and larvae.

By: Janine McCreery

Janine McCreery — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 20:38:21 +0000

BSF laid eggs in the left-over chicken feed I dumped in my compost bin. I didn’t know what they were. I was sooooo disgusted. Now I realize they were a gift. Thanks for your informative website!

By: wayne shumans

wayne shumans — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 17:15:28 +0000

try boiling your corn first it will speed up the process wayne

By: Jerry

Jerry — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 13:03:18 +0000

Hi Julie,

I’m sorry I didn’t reply to your earlier question, I’ve been swamped.

I would just keep doing what you’re already doing and the BSF will reassert themselves very soon. House flies pass through the larval stage very quickly and since you’re seeing BSF in and around your BioPod it should just be a matter of time before your unit is back in balance.

By: Julie

Julie — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 11:58:23 +0000

My bio pod appears to be taken over by house fly larvae. However I do see adult BSF in the pod and a bit around the yard. How do I get the pod back in balance before it gets cold here again in MI?

By: Jerry

Jerry — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 15:50:32 +0000

Hi Mitch, I agree with everything you said about BSF behavior. If you look at the current version 2.1 of this composter you'll notice that I removed any mention of the top vent as an access point for the females. I did this mostly for the sake of simplicity and I still believe there are some advantages of the females entering the unit to lay eggs as opposed to them laying on the outside. Eggs scattered on the outside of the bucket may be washed away by rain or inadvertently crushed if you move the bucket, something I do regularly. A common place for BSF to deposit eggs outside of the unit is the crack where the lid meets the rim of the bucket. Eggs laid there are in danger of being crushed whenever you remove and replace the lid. I hope it doesn't sound like I'm disagreeing with you because your observations are correct, it's just my habit to over-think and over-design things. I appreciate comments from anyone who understands BSF behavior well and it seems that you do. Thanks.

By: Mitch

Mitch — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 14:24:09 +0000

Your concern over allowing the BSF females entry into the container is misplaced. BSF will populate containers even when there are no entry points larger than a grain of sand. Like many other species of insect, BSF will lay eggs in clutches near, but not directly on, the food source. The larva are well adapted to get to the right place by the chemical signals given off by the decomposing food. A top mounted “fly in” vent is not necessary at all.

By: Frank

Frank — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 20:41:32 +0000

Hi Jerry, I just read FAQ’s and it looks like i’ll just put some of them into a bucket with a few inches of sawdust and see what emerges. Wow this is turning into an interesting science project.
Thanks
Frank

By: Jerry

Jerry — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 20:28:50 +0000

Frank,

My guess is blow fly larvae. You can put some in a jar and see what they turn into.

By: Frank

Frank — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 20:14:30 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKuog3-Q38E

Jerry here is a video of them but not very sharp .
Frank