The babies have arrived!

Set-up in insect collection room w/ 23C, 48% humidity.

Today our highly anticipated shipment of BSF larvae arrived! We imported 300 larvae (each) of sizes extra small, small and medium, so 900 total. Via a very interesting and rather eventful dumpster diving excursion, I was able to procure three medium-sized plastic containers so we could keep the different sizes of larvae separate. The larvae were kept on food sent by the supplier (see pictures). I cut 5 1 cm x 1cm square holes in each container, and placed each container on 1.5 cm-tall blocks for ventilation purposes.
I did not transfer the larvae to the containers today (they were kept in the containers in which they were shipped). Larvae were placed in a room with a temperature of 23C and48% humidity. BSF larvae prefer temperatures closer to 28C and humidities of 75%+ so we will transfer them to a growth chamber very soon.
An interesting note: the medium-sized larvae are by far the most active!

Why are BSF so ideal for composting?

While we're waiting for our first shipment of BSF larvae to arrive, I thought I would take a few minutes to enlighten my readers about BSF. This is by no means a comprehensive explanation. It is meant to serve as a somewhat simplified, user-friendly guide to BSF basics: Why are BSF so good for composting?

• BSF larvae can consume large amounts of compost straight away.

Their large, powerful mouthparts allow BSF larvae to shred and devour fresh organic material immediately (without a need for pre-decomposition). Thus odor is greatly reduced since there is no need to allow large amounts of waste material to sit around, ferment (and stink!) before BSF can get in to do their job. Experts have estimated that BSF larvae can reduce food and waste materials by ~75%. Other estimates range as high as 95%. BSF larvae target mainly the protein and fat (not cellulose) within the waste material, and even have the ability to improve the organic waste in to a rich fertilizer (which presumably could be sold or used on a farm). BSF larvae can also be easily and economically transported to wherever they are needed.

• Adult BSF are not associated with disease transmission.

Adults do not have functional mouthparts and therefore do not feed or bite. They dislike entering enclosed spaces and have a short life span of only 5-8 days. Therefore, even when raising hundreds of thousands of BSF, one need not worry about disease transmission (or them invading your house).

• The presence of BSF reduces the populations of pest flies in the area.

As BSF larvae consume manure, the manure becomes more liquified, and thus less suitable for pest flies to lay their eggs in. Therefore BSF naturally control pest fly (e.g. the house fly) populations which are vectors for diseases transmission. So while getting rid of your food and wastes, you get the added bonus of reducing the amount of pesky flies in your area, on top of lowering the chances of disease transmission!

• BSF larvae can extend their life stage under conditions of stress.

A typical BSF larval stage lasts approximately 2 weeks. But under conditions of stress, BSF larvae are able to extend this stage. This is significant because the larval stage is the only feeding stage in the life cycle, which means BSF larvae are the ones consuming the waste material. Their natural ability to extend this life stage means that a lesser number of BSF larvae can be used to consume a larger amount of compost.

• BSF larvae not only reduce the amount of compost present but also the amount of nitrogen within the compost.

It is estimated that BSF larvae can reduce the total [N] in the waste material by 62%. This is significant since excess, untreated Nitrogen is a common contaminant of water supplies. Also, by reducing the amount of manure present in an area, BSF larvae presumably also reduce methane formation (which is 23x more potent than carbon as a greenhouse gas) and off-gassing. Big industries may wish to use them to earn carbon sequestration credits. This would be something very interesting for someone to research that could potentially yield great economic benefits as well as (perhaps more importantly) benefit our planet Earth.

• BSF Larvae can also be used as pet food.

BSF larvae are quite nutritious; their bodies contain 42% protein and 35% fat, including essential amino acids and fatty acids. This makes them a great food source for birds, reptiles, fish and livestock.

The potential fot this Directed Studies project is huge and I feel very fortunate to be the sole student working on it (for now, at least). Thanks for bringing me on board, Dr. A and Rylo!

Hello There!

Allow me to introduce myself (and my bugs of interest!). My name is Lisa and I am entering my (undergraduate) senior year of study at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Canada. I am majoring in Biology and minoring in English literature (gotta work on those writing skills!). I am currently enrolled in a very interesting and special Directed Studies course concerning a species of fly- the Black Soldier Fly or Hermetia illucens. BSF (as I will be referring to them from here on out) have special attributes that enable them to be great at composting. Most people don't really think about it but waste management is a pretty integral part of the functioning of society. Cities and institutions (such as my university) spend millions of dollars on dealing with waste- first transporting it, often using some sort of composting machine, removing the waste, and often transporting it again. A major goal of this project would be to develop a solution (using BSF) that would allow us to deal with these issues at a fraction of the cost. BSF are also highly nutritious and can be used as a pet food. With no current supplier of BSF in Canada, this is another aspect that myself and my partners in this project- Dr. A and Rylo- are considering.
Our Directed Studies project is divided in to three phases. I started this blog to map my journey through (hopefully) accomplishing these objectives.
We first aim to establish a stable colony of BSF (in the lab). Next, we plan to measure the rate BSF larvae (the only feeding stage) can convert waste (simulataneously attempting to extend their larvae/feeding stage via manipulating their environmental conditions). Last, we hope to teach others about BSF, most likely by setting up signs by our pod at UBC Farm and potentially giving presentations to the young minds that attend summer camps at UBC Farm.
I thank you for visiting my blog and welcome you to leave comments and suggestions : )