Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Give it time... The scent of a strong BSFL colony will drive the houseflies away.

Cool, that will be nice.

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I watched a female BSF laying eggs in my bin today! Very cool!

Flies are out of control! maggots of all kinds are in the bin. I am beginning to think it is a myth that houseflies and fruit flies will stay away. I do have hundreds and hundreds of new BSF larvae, however!!!! That is encouraging. Going to stay the course.

There were 3 adult BSF's around the bin today among 8 gazillion houseflies, blowflies and fruit flies. I keep cheering the BSF's on. "Go get em. Eat all that food and force those little buggers out!" I am truly losing it. LOL

forgive my ignorance... but for feeding purposes wouldn't one maggot be as good as another?

It comes down to ease of harvest and pathogen vectors. Most fly larva are difficult to harvest, but the BSFL crawls off when at it's last instar. Also the mature black soldier fly is not a nuisance. Like other common flies, it has become dependent on humans, but it prefers to keep it's distance. Unlike other flies, it does not deposit it's eggs directly on rotting mater and fecal mater, but near it. So the adults don't spread disease like other flies. Finally, there is the impressive digestive system of the BSFL, it completely destroys any pathogens it eats. Once the larva reaches it's final instar, it purges it's system, it's mouth seals off, and it sheds it's skin, so it leaves it's colony pathogen free.

So for this reason that their digestive system destroys pathogens and purges before it's final instar, would you consider the pupae or prepupae fed to fish as an "organic" feed even though the food that they feed in might not be considered "organic"(grown with synthetic fertilizers and/or pesticides)?

Organic certification doesn't make much of a difference to me, I'm just wondering if anyone has any knowledge on how BSF larvae could be perceived as a natural or organic feed, giving aquaponics growers a leg up in the market.

I would think that like other organically certified things, the BSFL would probably need to be feed organic foods too. Almost everything I eat is organic, so it should follow that any scraps I feed them would be also. It is not pathogens that organic certification is after, but the more harmful pesticides, herbicides, and synthetic fertilizers. Though, the standard is quite strict about uncomposted manure.

New thing to me, so I have couple of questions...

Will they reproduce indoors too? I would start it outside, then move it inside for winter. Will they keep reproducing when given enough warmth, light and food or they will suddenly know winter is coming and just snooze til spring?

Do i need to save some maggots from certain death (drop to FT) to get flies or nature finds it way in the bucket?

Will they eat anything green or am i supposed to avoid some sort of food waste?

I don't know abut american standards but in Australia manure is considered an organic input once it has been composted.

Doesn't matter if the farm it came from used every chemical under the sun, once composted it is considered an organic input.

I know that is plants not animals but it is one of the reasons I don't place much stock in certified organic produce.

I would imagine that because it is an animal raised for feed, then to be considered organic, it too would have to be fed organic foods. ( I say food because feed just does not seem right as they eat our scraps) but hey, I am no certifying agency.

Also, the composting that the manure goes through *should* break down the chemicals used on said farm. Who knows though. When I eventually build a home, I will still have one non-composting toilet for visitors on medication. I don't want to be on their medications too.

As long as you can keep their bin above 80-85 degrees F then they should be ok, which might not be suitable indoors especially because of the smell that they might create. Your bin must also have sufficient drainage so the liquid doesnt pool inside the bin, creating a not so ideal habitat for the bugs. The larvae do not require light (they are actually photophobic) but if you plan to continue a population indoors you must be collecting your own eggs to maintain population numbers.

The whole point of the certification process which includes a number of years of pre-certification is that so many of them do persist.

Composting is different for just being on something though. Especially if there is fungal action on said compost.