Black Soldier Fly Larvae.

A native and beneficial insect, the Black Soldier Fly larvae consume 100% of our kitchen waste. They convert it into rich compost and protein/fat. They are an amazing and altruistic biological nano-tech!

The fly (Hermetia _illucens) is not a pest to humans. They are not attracted to human habitation but are instead attracted to rotting food or manure. Their lifespan is short (roughly a week), and they do not bite or sting. They are among the most efficient animals at converting waste into rich compost.

Physical description from Wikipedia:

Hermetia illucens is a mimic fly, very close in size, color, and appearance to the organ pipe mud dauber wasp and its relatives. The mimicry of this particular kind of wasp is especially enhanced in that the fly’s antennae are elongated and wasp-like, the fly’s hind tarsi are pale, as are the wasp’s, and the fly has two small transparent “windows” in the basal abdominal segments that make the fly appear to have a narrow “wasp waist”.^[4]

In regions where the BSF is native, it is a much more efficient and simpler means of composting organic waste. In traditional thermophilic composting, it is critical to establish a proper Carbon to Nitrogen ratio, moisture level, and aerobic environment. This system also doesn’t work well with meat, dairy, oils, etc. And it takes months to compost what the BSF larvae can do in weeks.

In contrast, the BSF colony will accept any form of organic waste and dispose of it efficiently. Carrion is also a welcome feedstock. We have tossed dead toads, birds, and rodents into the bin, and the larvae have devoured them and converted them to beneficial waste in hours. Meat, dairy, and leftover food are also perfectly fine to toss into the bin. They also love coffee grounds.

The larvae reduce much of the bacteria in decomposing waste, and as a result, there is little odor. The flies also inhibit the presence of standard houseflies:

Black soldier fly larvae are a competitor to housefly larvae (Musca domestica), as they make manure more liquid and thus less suitable for housefly larvae. Their presence is also believed to inhibit ovipositing by the housefly. For instance, they have been shown to reduce the housefly population of pig or poultry manure by 94-100%. As a result, they can help to control housefly populations in livestock farms and in households with poor sanitation, thereby improving the health status of animals and people since the housefly is a major vector of disease (Sheppard et al., 1994; Newton et al., 2005).

We use a BioPod to attract the flies and raise and harvest the larvae. There are also DIY methods. The container must be covered but not sealed so tightly that the flies cannot enter. And the larvae do not like light. The BioPod has narrow ramps for the larvae to climb, and they self-harvest by dropping into the drawer on the front of the enclosure. There is also a hose on the rear of the pod for draining liquified compost (tea).

The flies prefer warm temperatures, and we find them starting in May and lasting until November. They can be raised indoors in colder climates, but it is a much more involved process. We simply throw food into the pod, and that’s it. The flies will lay eggs in a compost roller (we currently have larvae in ours), but there is not a means to self-harvest the larvae.

Below you can see a fly in the back of the BioPod looking for a good place to oviposit.

A handful of mature larvae (chicken crack).

The drawer of the BioPod where the larvae self-harvest.

Our chickens having a feast.