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BIOPOD™ by PROTA™CULTURE

The BioPod™ Plus is now available. Please understand that this new design has not been field tested and it should be considered a beta version. We’ve recently received a unit and have begun some simple tests. A full test won’t be possible until the BSF mating season resumes which will be some time in late April in our area. Under these circumstances we cannot give our full endorsement to this product at this time. Currently we are charging the MSRP of $189 but we will pay all shipping costs. We will continue our policy of offering BioPods™ at the lowest total cost with shipping. We will also continue to provide personalized support as you learn the art of working with the amazing beneficial insect, the black soldier fly.

The BioPod™Plus is designed to rest on a flat stable surface which is supplied by the customer. A bungee cord is recommended to secure the hinged lid which in turn secures the harvest bucket. To remove the harvest bucket the main lid must be raised. A simple shelf unit with minimum dimensions of 12 X 24 inches will be sufficient. A  6 inch long flexible drainage hose with a threaded fitting is included with the unit. The hose can be used as a tap to collect the liquids periodically or it can be plumbed to drain into the ground.

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biopodplus

Purchase Options

Discounted Starter Kit for our customers

In addition to the lowest price and best support you can also choose to purchase one of our multi-stage BSF starter kits. Our unique kit consists of multiple stages of larvae plus approximately 2000 BSF eggs. The starter kit retails for $35 but we offer them for only $10 to our BioPod™ customers. The availability of the start kit varies and we give preference to those who purchase their BioPod™ from this site. Kits won’t be available until spring, but if you purchase a BioPod™ from us now we will reserve a discounted kit for you that will ship as soon as possible when the mating season resumes.

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Attention Hawaiian customers

Waikiki Worm Company in Honolulu now has BioPods™ in stock. It may cost a little more to get your BioPod™ there, but you’ll be able to get started immediately and Mindy is sure to be very helpful. Technically speaking we’re  competing for BioPod™ business, but we hope Mindy will get the support of those who can afford to spend a little more and  that wish to support a local business.  WaikikiWorm.com

Waikiki Worm Company

Comments 16

  1. david goddard wrote:

    my son and I have 38 chickens a new project for him and hopefully eggs and meat for our family. We would like to know if you buy the flies with the bipod or do you just set it out and they come. I take it we will have to wait till next spring to start. Do the flys remain in the container or does it attract more flies once you get started also direct me to any post where I can read the entire process. We have used buckets and meat scraps and regular flies that just are normally here. Is the bsf the best? I will read any thing you point me to. Thanks for your help

    Posted 23 Sep 2009 at 4:46 am
  2. Jerry wrote:

    Hi David,

    I hope you enjoy your project with the chickens. I hope to keep some chickens myself someday. I sometimes post at the Backyard Chickens forum about BSF, but you might want to check it out for general chicken information. It seems like a good community. Here’s a link to the one of the BSF threads: http://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=11556

    At this time I don’t have complete “how to” page, largely because I’m still learning and also due to time issues. I’m more in the discovery stage with BSF and it will take a while before I can condense it down to a simple list. There are a lot of variables to consider and each location/climate will be slightly different to manage. Below are links to a few pages that should at least get you pointed in the right direction:

    http://blacksoldierflyblog.com/the_biopod/bsf-multi-stage-starter-kit/
    http://blacksoldierflyblog.com/the_biopod/the-biopod-a-disclaimer/
    http://blacksoldierflyblog.com/bsf-questions-and-answers/
    http://biosystemsblog.com/2008/07/09/black-soldier-fly-compiled-research-on-best-cultivation-practices/

    I don’t recommend working with other fly species or using a large proportion of animal flesh as the food source. Most common fly species transmit human diseases so I wouldn’t want to attract them. Of course BSF don’t transmit disease making them the better choice. You can process relatively fresh meat scraps with BSF larvae but I recommend that only if it’s eaten by the larvae within a few hours and for that you need a dense colony. Letting meat sit at room temperature for many hours or days can lead to the formation of toxins that could hurt the animals which eat the larvae.

    Harvey Ussery has experimented with using blow fly larvae as feed for his chickens. He processed carrion and chicken offal with some success but eventually he produced toxic blow fly larvae that killed some of his birds. As a result he looked for other more safe alternatives and now he is working with BSF. You may want to read his article about using blow fly larvae: http://www.themodernhomestead.us/article/Feeding-Chickens-Maggots.html

    Harvey is a popular author writing for Backyard Poultry and Mother Earth magazines as well as his own website. He’s written an article about BSF for the Oct/Nov issue of Backyard Poultry which I’m looking forward to reading.

    Posted 23 Sep 2009 at 2:12 pm
  3. Angel wrote:

    I won’t be able to purchase until oct. 30th… will I still be able to purchase?
    Will I be able to buy Black Soldier Flies in the Spring…
    thanks from NE Georgia

    Posted 04 Oct 2009 at 2:16 pm
  4. Jerry wrote:

    Hi Angel,

    An article about BSF and BioPods just came out in Backyard Poultry magazine. If sales increase significantly due to the publicity there might be a gap in availability but I think Oct. 30th is a safe time frame. I’m more concerned about the Christmas season.

    If you get a BioPod from us now we will reserve a discounted kit for you until you’re ready in the spring. The kits are fun and do help speed up the process of starting a colony but in your area BSF are plentiful making a starter kit optional.

    Posted 04 Oct 2009 at 3:04 pm
  5. Kevin wrote:

    If you live in the Southeast, the Black Soldier Fly will find your biopod if you have some food in it. In would give it a few weeks before buying a starter kit. If you live in colder climates, the starter kit is the way to go.

    Posted 06 Oct 2009 at 9:22 pm
  6. Jerry wrote:

    Kevin, that’s true in the southeast and also Texas and much of the west coast. Still, I never feel bad about sending anyone a kit. The discounted kit available with a BioPod purchase is basically a giveaway and according to ernie it “rawks hard”. :)

    Posted 06 Oct 2009 at 11:17 pm
  7. Kevin wrote:

    Indeed, $10 for a starter kit is very cheap and compared to buying a starter kit for red worms, a steal!

    Posted 07 Oct 2009 at 4:36 pm
  8. Richard Mang wrote:

    I have 3 horses. To keep the weight of the trash cans manageable I use one trash can per horse per day.
    3(horses)x7(days)=21(trashcans each week).
    The trashman who picks up the greenwaste is only authorized to pickup 8 cans of greenwaste/manure per week. If the trashcan weighs more than 50 pounds he won’t pick it up at all. Therefore I’m looking into composting. Will the BSF eat manure?
    I live in San Diego county, California. What are my options?

    Posted 08 Oct 2009 at 2:39 am
  9. Jerry wrote:

    Hi Richard,

    Yes BSF thrive on many types of manure. Horse and cow manure isn’t reduced in volume as much as some other types because BSF can’t eat items with a high cellulose content. For the most part any hay/grass won’t be eaten by BSF. I believe this is true of all ruminants.

    I don’t know much about worms but I believe they would break down the grasses.

    Posted 08 Oct 2009 at 7:23 am
  10. Henry wrote:

    Greetings

    Can you tell me if there are any update on a date you expect the bio pods to be in? Can a commercial one be bought ?? I have been waiting for a while what is taking them so long?LOL

    Let me have a update when you can

    thank you

    Posted 31 Jan 2010 at 7:02 pm
  11. Jerry wrote:

    Hi Henry,

    I’ll send you an email when the new BioPods are in. I haven’t written much about it but there’s been a design change and the new unit is called the BioPod™Plus. ProtaCulture tells me that they will be available sometime this month. They also told me I could begin taking pre-orders but I don’t see the point until we know what the price will be.

    The original commercial unit which is the ProtaPod never really worked out. Units exist but there are issues with shipping that makes receiving one prohibitively expensive. I believe the new BioPodPlus is designed so that multiple units can be connected to allow for easy expansion. If that works out it would be preferable to one large unit in my opinion, to keep shipping costs down and also for operational reasons.

    Sorry about the inconvenience. :)

    Posted 06 Feb 2010 at 9:39 pm
  12. Mike aka BW wrote:

    First I’ve heard of the new unit. Links to the BioPod site:

    http://thebiopod.com/pages/biopod-plus.html

    http://thebiopod.com/pages/biopod-plus_files/bp002b-edrawing-parts.png

    Posted 07 Feb 2010 at 1:25 pm
  13. David Nelson wrote:

    I want to buy a biopod when can I order one.

    Posted 20 Feb 2010 at 12:14 pm
  14. Jerry wrote:

    Hi David,

    I can only tell you that the new BioPods will available soon. I’m just a dealer so I don’t have the latest information about production but I believe a few units have been fabricated and are being tested. I have a recent post about the BioPodPlus here; http://blacksoldierflyblog.com/2010/02/13/the-new-biopod-plus/ and I will update it as I get new information.

    Posted 20 Feb 2010 at 4:47 pm
  15. Henry wrote:

    I got a message today the new bio pods would be ready to ship out on March 15. I also noticed they raised the price. The bio pod is smaller and doesn’t come with a stand but cost more.?? I won’t be buying one -they should have kept getting them from Vietnam they looked better and cost less. I have been waiting since Oct 09 and can’t bring myself to spend the extra money for less of a machine

    Posted 01 Mar 2010 at 5:56 pm
  16. Jerry wrote:

    Hi Henry,

    I’m waiting to receive one of the new BioPods so at this point I can’t compare it to the original. For the record our last price for the original BioPod was $188.50 with shipping and we are offering the new units for $189.00 with shipping. Dealer cost hasn’t gone up so you shouldn’t see much in the way of price increases from other dealers either. I imagine it took a big investment by ProtaCulture to produce this new unit and I’m sure they’re doing their best to keep the price as low as possible. I know their goal in designing this new BioPod was to improve the efficiency of their product. I’m looking forward to testing one. Also, the new units are slightly larger at 10 gallons vs. 9.8 gallons for the original. I agree that it would be more convenient if a stand were included and I will begin looking for a readily available and inexpensive shelf/stand that can fill this need. If there is a $5 shelf unit that works well with the new BioPod then the stand becomes a matter of a few dollars and trip to the store. Hopefully the improvements I anticipate will offset the lack of a stand.

    I appreciate your position and the feedback.

    Posted 02 Mar 2010 at 12:03 am

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