At this time I’m offering a free black soldier fly starter kit to my BioPod and ProtaPod customers. Most people live in areas where wild BSF can be attracted, but the kit can speed up the process. If you’re lucky enough to already have a known BSF population on your property then the kit will not make a significant difference. If you would like a starter kit please make your request when ordering a unit or from the contact page of this site. The kit includes 300-500 black soldier fly eggs and 500 mature larvae, also called prepupal larvae or prepupae.
The eggs
The egg clutches have been deposited in the voids of corrugated cardboard, and are packed in a ziplock bag with a small quantity of food for any larvae that hatch during shipment. I add red coloring to the food to make it easier to see the tiny larvae as they hatch.
Cut off between 1/2 and 1 inch of each of the four corners of the bag, being careful to avoid cutting any hatched larvae. If there are larvae in the cut pieces you can set them on the scrap pile and remove them after the larvae crawl off. Because of the small size of the new larvae they only need a small gap to exit the bag.The bag with the eggs and/or newly hatched larvae should be taped to the inside of the BioPod, near the bottom of the unit. Handle the bag by the top “zipper” section so you don’t crush eggs or larvae.
The larvae require high humidity, especially the very young ones. If there is no visible condensation on the inside of the egg bag it would be best to add a few drops of water via one of the cut corners. The larvae probably won’t drown if you add too much, but you should avoid sticking the two sides of the bag together with excess water. If you live in a dry climate it might be wise to mist the inside of the BioPod occasionally, especially during the start up phase when all of the larvae are very young. Once your colony is established there will probably be sufficient moisture from the food scraps.
Even with the food coloring you may not notice the tiny larvae as they hatch. Often people tell me that they are sure the larvae didn’t hatch, but then a few weeks later the larvae become visible in the scraps. It’s important to not remove the bag from the BioPod for 2 weeks. The larvae normally hatch in 4 days, but temperature and other factors can prolong this period. It’s possible there will still be some larvae in the bag even after 2 weeks and if you like you can rinse some water through the bag and into the BioPod.
The dark larvae (prepupae)
The prepupae (dark colored larvae) are in their final stage and don’t eat at that point in their development. For that reason there is no point in adding them to your BioPod as they will only exit it immediately. The role of the prepupal larvae in the kit is to emerge as adults, mate, and then lay their eggs in your BioPod.
It’s best to keep the prepupae in a container such as a bucket with a lid to prevent predators from eating them. The container needs to have a few holes with a diameter of at least 1/2 inch to allow the emerging adults a way to escape. The holes will also provide necessary air for the pupae and also aid in keeping the temperture regulated. Like the BioPod, the prepupae container must be completely shaded and protected from rain.
Adding a few inches of bedding material such as sawdust to the container will encourage the larvae to pupate. The larvae look about the same after they transform into pupae. They are the same color and shape with the main difference being that they are usually straight and somewhat stiff. They are still very much alive at this point but you can’t tell by looking at them. Once they have begun pupation it will take 2-3 weeks for them to emerge as adult flies. You can tell if your pupae have begun emerging by looking for empty skins. Often one end will be gone where the fly exited the shell.
How the kit works
You can’t force the newly emerged BSF to lay eggs in your BioPod so you need to entice them. A nice offering of food scraps will usually be enough to do this, but the presence of actively feeding larvae is the most powerful way to attract the females. The goal of the kit is to have the larvae from the eggs actively feeding in your BioPod at the time the prepupae from the kit are emerging and mating. This method is much better than using only one generation of BSF to start your colony.
The kit is not a necessity for starting a BSF colony, it’s just a way to expidite the process. I began my colony by attracting wild BSF with food scraps only and it was very rewarding. Whether or not you use a starter kit depends on your own desires and level of patience.
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