Comments on: BSF questions and answers

By: marty crist

marty crist — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 20:30:37 +0000

I notice that extra small larvae are sold on line. I would like to know how they harvest the small ones. Can anyone help me out with this?

By: Lee

Lee — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 12:55:57 +0000

HI, Scott, I live in Jacksonville (Orange Park to be exact) I would be happy to give you some if you want to come by. prohomeworks@yahoo.com

By: Scott

Scott — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 18:23:08 +0000

I am looking to establish a colony of BSF in Minnesota, and am vacationing in Jacksonville and Southern Georgia the next few days. I would like to pick some larvae up if possible while I am in the area. Anyone have some to sell?

By: Jerry

Jerry — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 01:15:52 +0000

Hi Terri,

I recommend that you register to our forum where there is a better format for discussion. Welcome aboard!

http://blacksoldierflyblog.com/forum/index.php

By: Terri

Terri — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 16:57:35 +0000

I should add that the location is over plain dirt, in the corner of my yard.

By: Terri

Terri — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 16:55:41 +0000

Background: I started a rabbit adventure at the start of the year. After sperading the manure on my gardens twice, I went to gather more and found I have a thriving colony of BSF in the piles under my hutches. I love them!

Questions:
1) Do I need to do anything to keep them healthy and thriving? I am a little concerned about ants….
2) What about overwintering? We are in Northern Oklahoma and should have a few days of winter below zero degrees F.

By: steve te

steve te — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 01:25:11 +0000

Nice Work!! Would like to know how many lbs. larvae per year can realistically be accumulated? With your bucket. Any guess as to how many could be raised in a 55 gal. barrel?

By: Patty P

Patty P — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 20:29:59 +0000

I would advise against using cat feces in a BSF bin. Cat poo contains toxoplasmosis, a parasitic infection, which is fatal to birds, chickens, etc. It is infectious to humans as well and can cause a wide range of problems, including birth defects in infants born to infected human mothers, and has been shown since 1953 to have a link to schizophrenia. Really! Reducing it’s possible spread in the environment would be a good idea.

Because it reproduces sexually only in cats, wild and domestic felines are the parasite’s ultimate host. T. gondii’s complex life cycle begins when a cat eats infected prey, usually a mouse or bird. Cats can also become infected if they are fed raw, contaminated meat or eat infected soil.

Read here. No need to get rid of your cat.
http://www.bing.com/health/article/mayo-126205/Toxoplasmosis?q=toxoplasmosis

By: Jerry

Jerry — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 12:12:32 +0000

Hi Timothy,

You’re correct that BSF larvae don’t recognize a ramp as an exit and have a strategy for migrating out of a unit. Most DIY designs illustrate your point about this misconception with ramps that will only rarely be effective because the larvae can chose to easily go around them.

I’m curious about your set up but I can’t picture it I’m afraid. Is there any chance you can take some photos? Also our new forum would be the best place to discuss your ideas: http://blacksoldierflyblog.com/forum/index.php

Thanks!

By: Timothy

Timothy — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 01:04:09 +0000

Marty Crist,
I think there is a misconception out there about ramps. I think most people think that if they have a ramp in their BSFL bin the BSFL will find it and go up it. In my experience BSF have a desire to go out and up — in that order. Also unless a BSFL is blocked it will continue to move in the direction that it started in. I use a round tub with a wash basket in the middle and the BSFL fall out of the basket and circle the inside of the tub. They will continue to circle (on the wall of the tub) until they hit an obstacle then they will decide what new direction they want to take. If it is a ramp and there is even a slight space between the ramp and the wall many BSFL will go through the small crack rather than take the ramp even if going through the small space takes them down. Also, since many BSFL circle the wall they will not necessarily enter the ramp at the bottom of the ramp but will join into it from a level above the waste and liquid. I am experimenting with an alternative “ramp” in that I have a piece of wood that goes vertically up on the inside of the tub. I have had much success with diverting the trajectory of the BSFL up using the wood. They follow the right angle up formed between the wood and the tub up and then straight into a waiting cylinder. I believe the BSFL would rather turn their bodies to the left and right rather than raise them up. However if the wood does not form a sharp angle of 90% or less with the tub they may move around the stick instead of to their left or right and up the tub (I ran into this problem when I put some play-doe in the crack which rounded the angle). Of course this is assuming that your bin is moist (I believe most bins are). With this setup my take each night has been much better. I have also found that many BSFL will crawl around the stick at the top of the tub and so I have had to extend from the vertical stick horizontally at the top of the tub until it hangs over the side of the tub (so they don’t circle around the horizontal extension). (I am using play-doe at the moment for the horizontal extension it is easy to work with and I can experiment)

Oh, yes my wife is very patient letting me watch the BSFL with a flashlight every night and come back with a strong smell on my hands.