I've had it for about a year now, and it was producing a crazy amount for a while, but now it's kind of died off and I'm only getting a few larvae every couple weeks. I have a hose with a spigot to collect the liquid, and I see a little bit in there.

Is it time to clean out the bin? Of not, how do you know when it's time?

Hello, do you know of any seller that ships eggs or puppae internationally? Looking to start my own small project in the Middle East and not sure I can attract BSF naturally. All help is welcome

I got bsfl for my gecko and they aren't moving, idk if they're dead or just dormant. I also live in Arizona so they may have died from heat but the box they came in wasn't hot

I'm worried that I can't supply the larva with enough food at the rate they're eating, but the Starbucks right by my house has a pretty much unlimited supply of spent coffee grounds available for free. I've heard they will eat the grounds but I can't find anything definitive. Has anyone had any experience with this?

Would BSFL eat cat poop?

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Rice hulls are dry and have a drying effect like kitty litter, but without the clumping. It's cheap and abundant where I live ($4-$5 for a HUGE bag). I've used it in chicken pens for years.

Once my BSF colony is established and large enough, I plan to get quail. Their primary diet will be BSF pupa. The quail will be kept in cages, their poop fall thru the cage floors and into a tray beneath. To keep the stink down and poop dry I planned to put a thin layer of rice hulls in the quail poop collection trays. Weekly emptying the trays of quail poop and rice hulls into the BSFL compost bins. What do you think of this plan?

As for the pupa kept to become adults, do the pupa like rice hulls? I want the pupa to be comfortable in the substrate in the bucket they fall into.

Thanks so much for your advice. I'm new to this and just starting out with a 5 gallon bucket of 600 larvae and feeding them old bananas.

Let's look back at some memorable moments and interesting insights from last year.

Your top 10 posts:

• "First adult of the season!" by u/BillNyetheBeardGuy18
• "free black soldier fly conference" by u/Ok_Effective1946
• "Am I correct in IDing this as BSF? I'm in an area of Cali that I didn't think they showed up in!" by u/Lextac76
• "Can rice bran be used for nursing BSFL until 5 days old?" by u/PublicEnemyAgent
• "Want to use my compost with BSFL. What is the next step?" by u/shahisunil
• "Happy Cakeday, r/bsfl! Today you're 8" by u/AutoModerator
• "how long can i keep a batch in fridge at 52 degrees f" by u/FaithlessnessNew2888
• "Harvest before prepupal stage" by u/whoooooknows
• "What do I do when they turn into flys?" by u/TreezyIdeal
• "Is this a BSF? There's a ton in my compost. Do I leave it open and let them fly out?" by u/Overextended_baloon

I just started keeping these in fridge for my lizard. How long can i stunt them from turning into flys?And do i need to take them out to feed once a week or so like mealworms do? What substrate to store them in fridge thats also safe for my lizard?

https://www.blacksoldierflyconference.com/events/black-soldier-fly-2022

Hey guys I'm new at BSFL farming, nice to meet you all! I'm currently doing a study on these fascinating creatures, rearing them to an organic waste feed at 5 days old. Prior to rearing, I used rice bran for their hatching media with a moisture of 60%. However at 5-days old, I observed them to be still pretty small and I kinda need to separate them in numbers. Any tips to make them bigger prior rearing them into my organic wastes? at least it can be sieved. Another question, why 5-days old larvae is best for rearing?

Hi all!

When first reading about BSFL before researching further and gathering materials for bins, I read it said that harvesting before the prepupal stage where they darken and self-harvest is more efficient from a biomass/nutrients in to mass/BSFL nutrient composition standpoint.

I can't find that resource again, or any others explaining more thoroughly.

I did find peer-reviewed studies explaining a digestive buildup of chitin that blocks protein absorption in chickens eating prepupal is to be avoided, and a video in an East-asian country demonstrating harvest methods for open beds for BSFL before the prepupal stage. But these methods don't apply to bin rearing.

Does anyone have resources about harvesting BSFL before they can self-harvest for efficiency and nutrient bioavailability in a bin system? Thank you!

I have a indoor bin I started recently with only just bsfl. I’m using them for feeders for my reptile and pond fish. I carved a hole on the lid then covered that with mosquito netting for their air flow.

Now, this bin is stored in my basement and so far a few of the worms have turned into flys. I’ve been opening the lid carefully when feeding so they don’t escape though one did already. My idea has just been to bring the bin outside and release them but I also need eggs for the colony. What exactly should I do here?

My compost pile in a plastic bin is almost ready for use but I see BSFL in it. I was wondering what are the steps that I need to take before I use them in my garden bed?

Do I just use the compost with BSFL in garden bed? Or do I need to get rid of them or screen them before use? Wondering if they can eat plants in garden beds if I use them as is.

Thanks in advance.

New farmer here.

1. How long from hatching do the larvae take to harvesting for feeds?
2. Per pound of feed given what weight do you expect to harvest?
3. Can I feed the larvae with cow manure?

Will appreciate any help offered.

Let's look back at some memorable moments and interesting insights from last year.

Your top 10 posts:

• "BSFL devouring a Zucchini Time Lapse (2:43 Watch Time)" by u/ForBiology
• "BSF adult spotted today" by u/LTGIV
• "Can I use chicken manure to feed my BSFL cuties?" by u/ear-of-Vangogh
• "BSF starter bin" by u/ear-of-Vangogh
• "First sighting!" by u/socalquestioner
• "How to cycle my tumbling composter." by u/PerryHasBones
• "Maggot Reactor v5" by u/Discospeck
• "Larvae are inactive and may have died. What happened?" by u/renderapps
• "I just bought two thousand larvae and gave them plenty to eat. Some of the food was already bad and so the smell is terrible. Was wondering if anyone knew whether hydrated lime was okay for the larvae, as it is used as a natural odor control." by u/Daimonfire
• "BSFL production in uk / colder climate" by u/smallon12

I'm wondering if anyone here can share with us a diy sifting solution for a medium size operation as I need to seperate adult from their bsfl before they enter pupation stage in order to dry them.

I have a Mantis Compact Compostumbler full of bsfl. Its not exactly designed for raising/collecting larva but the weather us starting to cool down. Does anyone know how I could go about harvesting the larva so that I can make use of the compost?

Hi everybody, I bought one of those bins with ramps and removable harvest containers and am trying to start it. I have calorie rich rotting food in my bin. I have wood shims positioned in the bin adjacent to the food trying to get BSF to lay eggs. In addition I am adding what I believe to be BSF grubs to the bin that I harvest from my compost bin. Has anybody here had luck getting started like this? I’m in Northern California and we have a couple months left of pretty consistent warm weather.

After the severe winter storm in Texas, I was afraid that the population that volunteered last spring wouldn’t be alive.

Today while prepping our raised beds we saw two adults! Starting back to the daily coffee grounds pickup!