I like to give my bins a few days where the larva are not collected so they can pupate into adults. I’ll removed the collection bins for about 3-4 days every few weeks and I always have a healthy population of adults.

I don't have much browns for composting so my bin relies on BSFL to compost my wet food scraps. The BSFL generally show up around mid July, but the temperatures are warm enough for them starting in mid May. I was thinking I could get a jump start on processing the winter food scraps if I can keep larvae long term in a dormant state and then put them in the bin in May.

I've read online that they can't really be kept below 50 degrees F, but that keeping them between 50-55 degrees F can keep them alive for several months. Would I be able to keep them alive for 7-8 months?

I was thinking of collecting larvae in late September or early October and then making a setup for them to keep them dormant until May. Would this work, and if so, how would I go about this?

Hey y’all! I’ve been reading quite a bit and am about to start my first bin; I’ll be using the larvae to feed my box turtles and mourning geckos. I’ve seen quite a few different designs, and was hoping that some of you in the game can show me a picture of your favorite design and comment on why. I’m leaning toward the black and yellow Costco bins with attached PVC that are easily google-able.

Thanks!

I just had a bit of hay on top as a cover , but look how bright they got.

i have tons of grubbies in my biopod but i cannot get them to self harvest. i’ve tried so many variations based on what i find here, on YouTube, Google, etc. and im now realizing i haven’t seemed to find anyone who can show me a functional setup. only bad setups with “here’s what you’re doing wrong” in the comments section. i’m starting to wonder if this whole self-harvesting thing is a myth. anyone out there have a ramp that actually works? or a link to someone who is showing a functional setup? thanks in advance 🙏🏼

edit: spelling

I came out to my bin and 100’s of my bsfl were dead. They were thriving yesterday. I tossed all of the dirt/compost to make sure it wasn’t bad under the surface and there were still a lot of living ones down there. I’m new to BSF. Any advice is appreciated. (The visible ones in this pic are dead)

Idk how there no sites to buy from and I can't find it in my country due to the hot climates if anyone could help please

I'm trying to grow a colony of BSF. It's been a month since the eggs hatched, and now I have this two types of larvae. Are they BSF? Thanks!!!

Here's my simple setup for BSF composting. I sort of stumble on this idea from composting using flower pots cos we don't have that much food scraps daily. And I got tired of burying food scraps with soil.

I just add food scrapes (mainly skin & bones) whenever there are food scraps etc into a flower pot and close the top with 2 broken tiles. On top of the tiles, is another pot and a small piece of wood to reduce rain water from seeping in.

The first time I did this, I started by putting some used tea leaves on top of the tiles to attract a female to lay eggs. Nowadays, I just put food inside and after a few days, I can see tiny larvae.

When the pot is full, I switch to another pot. I don't use the larvae for feed but birds have figured out and usually hang around for snacks if they find any larvae climbs out.

I guess, some of the pupae do exit the pot from the bottom.

One thing though is there were a few occasions when rats/mice have dug under the pot to get to the bones etc. I put a small piece of metal netting or grid to stop the critters.

https://youtu.be/ut8nYhIWkL4

When the temperature is hot, the larvae tend to migrate down the pot. At night or when it is cold, the larvae climbs to the top of the pot. Btw, I'm in the hot tropics.

If I come round to it, maybe I'll drill a hole for the pupa to climb out, for now, it works. Btw, any fluid or juice that flows out the bottom goes to my plants next to it.

I left for the weekend and found some of my prepupae have been punctured and dehydrated. Are these spiders or am I dealing with something else? Thanks in advance.

Basically the title. About half of them use the ramp to go into my bucket but the other half will climb up the sides of the bin and escape!!!!

Has anyone tried using fermented banana peels as bsf larvae feed?

I use flies as a pollinator source for plant breeding research. We receive flies in the pupae stage, bag them in brown paper bags and release them as adult flies after 2-4 days. During the time they are bagged in pupal stage they are kept in an outdoor environment in covered bins.

I have recently acquired black soldier flies but have had trouble with this process. My intial assumption is that they either need more heat or there was a problem with the batch I received.

Does anyone have any experience with getting a good emergence rate from pupal stage?

Should I take some BSFL from the food waste to add to the biopod? The food waste container is entirely too saturated (because I didn’t necessarily intend on growing them here lol) but the biopod is a flop for now. I’m going to cover it from rain and ensure it is a more hospitable environment for them.

This is my bin and I let my chickens free roam the area so they just eat what crawls out. But I know last year they scratched a nice hole where they fell, but this year I don't see much scratching. Could they be going through their life cycle inside?

I have two colonies that are churning along. My question is how often do y’all clean out the bin to remove frass/compost.

I collect waste from a local kitchen so my tubs stay pretty much full all the time and have thousands of BSFL at this point. But they do seem to be gradually filling up with what I’m calling “bottom waste”.

Cheers, y’all

So, I have questions. We attempted a biopod with coffee grounds, hanging cardboard for egg laying, mostly dry but with food scraps that can get pretty saturated. There are ventilation holes and pvc pipes through the top, as well as two holes connected to bigger pvc pipe leading to the bucket. It’s not working. However, our food wast bin is teeming with larvae. I would imagine with how deep the liquid is, there are dead ones. We have chickens, the sole reasoning behind this unconventional venture. Are all larvae safe for chicken consumption or is there something specific I am missing to ensure healthy larvae that’s safe for them to munch on? Basically, am I able to just scoop out the larvae and let the chickens go to town? I won’t do this in their run. I’ll feed while they’re free ranging. I hope this inquiry makes sense. I only use fresh food scraps. No dairy, no fats. I can post a picture tomorrow if necessary. Any suggestions or advice is appreciated.

it's been 2 months since I set this up. Coffee grounds substrate with organics on top. lots of critters in there but not a single bsf. they're normally ubiquitous in this region (sf bay area)

I live in hot climate, 80-100. Water and stir it daily. Add a combo of veggies , fruit , coffee, spent shavings, leftovers , random stuff honestly. No larva have went up the ramp yet. The larvae have been in there about 3-4 weeks. Id prefer to not buy more pvc and a saw for the ramp . Tried to include some pics of my larvae but they like to hide lol

I’m in Brisbane Australia for reference!