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  1. #1
    Moderator jackalope's Avatar
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    How to get rid of it and do yourself a favor ;)

    All the info I read on BSF (Black Soldier Flies - Hermetia illucens) says that they will eat and process any kind of manure (some say the only exception is bovine and horse). Eventually, I intend to get some larvae (sold on the internet as "Phoenix Worms"), and try them out on cow dung. There are a lot of ranches hereabouts, so I think I could possibly get as much as I want for free . I read somewhere's, that you first turn all your garbage over to the BSFL, and after they get through with it, you turn the redworms loose on it and they finish processing it. From what I read a couple of places, they can reduce a 100 lb. pile of pig/goat/sheep/goose/duck/chicken dung and/or restaurant garbage to about 5 lbs. of castings in one day. Now, that's a load of crap, if you don't mind my saying so ...... I've definitely got to get some BSFL!
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  2. #2
    Moderator badflash's Avatar
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    Re: How to get rid of it and do yourself a favor ;)

    Not only that, but they don't stink and won't go in your house, up your nose, or any of the other disgusting things that most flies do.

    Don't worry about using those self-harvesting bins. It is easy to catch large larvae by putting some damp dog food in a colander. Fish like the larvae better than the pupa, and you get lots more.

    It is a great use of what is left over after you fillet the fish. The run-off can be used just like worm tea, but there is enough in a large system that you might try to generate methane with it first in a digester.

    The need to be warm, and they need natural light to mate. To date no one has bred them with artificial light, but it looks like lamps rich in UV might work. Grow lights (rich in red) did not work. They have been grown for years in green houses.
    The best fertilizer is the farmer's shadow

  3. #3
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    Re: How to get rid of it and do yourself a favor ;)

    Any suggestions on where to get a "starter colony"?

  4. #4
    Moderator urbanfarmer's Avatar
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    Re: How to get rid of it and do yourself a favor ;)

    According to this (incomplete map, but gives a good idea): http://www.waldeneffect.org/blog/Black_soldier_fly_101/

    You border a state that reportedly has the species locally. You can try the different methods to attract them from the environment since you are on a bordering state; there may be some colonies in your state from time to time. It's worth a shot.

    If not, google around you will find some sellers. Also, BSFman can chime in, he's the resident expert on such things!

  5. #5
    Moderator badflash's Avatar
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    Re: How to get rid of it and do yourself a favor ;)

    They are available from a lot of sellers that cater to lizzards. They are known as Phoenix worms in the trade. They ship well in cool weather.
    The best fertilizer is the farmer's shadow

  6. #6
    Members bsfman's Avatar
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    Re: How to get rid of it and do yourself a favor ;)

    Quote Originally Posted by badflash
    They are available from a lot of sellers that cater to lizzards. They are known as Phoenix worms in the trade. They ship will in cool weather.
    Phoenix Worms is a trademarked name by Dr. Shephard, an entymologist who has studied BSF and developed BSF as pet food - catering primarily to the reptile owners market. But that is merely a trade name for one supplier of BSF larvae (there are many others). BSF larvae do not ship well in ANY climate extreme, cool or warm.

    The best time to establish a colony is late springtime or early summer - definitely not in the fall. If you do not have an endemic population in your area, it is unlikely you can establish a colony without considerable effort and expense at maintaining a climate and light controlled indoor environment for them - particularly at this time of year. Even then, it is difficult to induce mating to sustain a population (though it IS possible). If you DO have a native population, a starter kit is really not needed.

    BSF are rarely found above USDA ag zone 6b. They tend to not be found generally in dry, desert areas or above 2500 foot elevation.

    I do currently provide eggs and larvae to a few large commercial accounts, but several bad experiences dealing with dead beat individuals persuaded me to not mess with starter kits any more. Perhaps I might rethink that philosophy come spring, but currently, virtually all of my egg and hatchling production is spoken for.

  7. #7
    Members aquaarche's Avatar
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    Re: How to get rid of it and do yourself a favor ;)

    I would give warning composting with any type of manure creates very warm temperatures in your composting mix. Any bacterias or viruses that are bacteria related can multiply and mutate in that bacterial system. where masks and gloves when shoveling or handling it. Also wash your face and hands when you are done especially before you eat.

    Flies, dirt, worms, manure and humans add millions/billions of bacteria that will thrive and mutate, so you can unknowingly create new bacterial diseases and infections that previously did not exist.

  8. #8
    Moderator badflash's Avatar
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    Re: How to get rid of it and do yourself a favor ;)

    I have a paper some place on artificial breeding of BSF's in a greenhouse setting. They were able to get them to breed as long as the temperature was kept warm and they had direct exposure to sunlight. They failed when using artificial light. I suspect they need UV as they did not use daylight bulbs.
    The best fertilizer is the farmer's shadow

  9. #9
    Moderator badflash's Avatar
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    Re: How to get rid of it and do yourself a favor ;)

    http://www.insectscience.org/10.202/i15 ... 10-202.pdf
    This isn't what I was looking for, but it does show that they have now succeeded in breeding under artifial light.
    The best fertilizer is the farmer's shadow

  10. #10
    Members foodchain's Avatar
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    Re: How to get rid of it and do yourself a favor ;)

    Okay, I used to breed reptiles. And we fed "phoenix worms" at a very high price to the hatchlings. IF it's the same critter. How do I get started growing these? We used those worms because they had such a high fat/calcium ratio compared to most other options of similar size. I have got to get a culture going, and this will reduce my grow out phases of fry and fingerlings dramatically. AND I hav copius amounts of rabbit/chicken waste to function as a medium that I need an effecient way to break down quickly. Please provide more info! Thanks.

    I see bsfman's posts and info....but I want more......OR an alternative that's more appropriate for my climate since my temps are likely not ideal.
    At first I left this blank...but now I believe: "It's better to keep your mouth closed, and have the world think your a fool, than open it and confirm it."

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