Last swap, Joe talked about the benefits of using black soldier fly larvae to compost kitchen scraps, much in the same way that a worm farm operates.
Black soldierfly have a rather short and desperate adult life, with the sole
purpose of finding a mate, a pile of rotting compost, and a good pick up line
before dropping dead.
BSF larvae eat
just about any kitchen scraps including meat and dairy, as well as the usual
fruit and vegetable leftovers, and can be cultivated in much the same way as
composting worms, to break down food waste. A BSF composting unit can be easily
built from materials found at your local hardware, and once a colony has been
established they can consume food waste much faster than
worms. The larve themselves make a fantastic feed for chickens and even
fish. BSF larvae are high in both protein and calcium, which is perfect for
chooks. they are non invasive and do not enter houses or spread disease like
other flies.
Our black soldierfly
composter
 |
| Our Black Soldier fly
composter |
Here is how it works. Food scraps go
inside and the female BSF are attracted by the scraps. They fly in through the
pipe at the top and down into the bin where they lay their eggs (in the
hundreds). They like to lay their eggs in crevasses, so some sheets
of corrugated cardboard attached to the inside make great maternity wards. the
eggs hatch and the larvae fall on the food scraps, and get to work munching it
up.
to begin a colony, start with a small amount of vegetable scraps. As they begin to break down, the adult fly's will naturally be attracted and enter the composter to lay their eggs. this can take some weeks, so be patient. BSF are most active during spring and summer, which after the best times to begin a colony.
 |
| the larvae crawl up the pipes
and into Jo's Tupperware container... thanks
darling...sorry |
As the larvae mature they develop the instinct to climb to higher
ground. The larvae find their way to the pipes and climb up them, then slide
down into the separate storage container, where they are unwittingly trapped to
be fed to the chooks.
Keep the composter in the shade, out of direct sunlight.
 |
| the larvae hard at work on one
of our defiant choko's and watermelon rind |
Make your
own
there are a number of DIY designs on the net. we made ours using
a clip lock tub, some PVC pipe parts, , some hessian and fly screen, a saw and a
drill. The key is to angle the pipes at 35 degrees so that it is not too steep
for them to climb.include some ventilation holes and cover with fly screen, and
some drainage holes in the bottom, which you can cover with hessian. It takes
less than half a leisurely hour to put together and cost us about $40 or you
could buy one of the fancy ones online for about $200.
the
main benefits are:
1. a very efficient method of waste
disposal
2. meat and dairy waste can be added to established colonies, unlike
regular composting methods, reducing your waste output.
3. the larvae make an
excellent source of food for poultry and fish, and can be frozen for later
use.
4. they don't spread disease like other flies, and rarely enter the
home.
5. they emit a natural repellent to other flies once the colony has
been established.
Downsides:
The smell can be an
issue if you add more waste than they can consume. Sawdust or coffee can help
here too.
