I'm too old to be interested in mating with anything () but here.

Hi redblue,

This is the weirdest thing I have read on this site.

What is your reason other than the mentioned Manure treatment?

Have you ever been inundated in a fly swarm? I very much doubt it or you would not be looking into breeding these pests.

I would suggest you think very carefully about this. Once these flies are let loose there can be no turning back and while others are trying to control them you want to breed them, very odd.

If you were breeding them in an enclosed space for animal feed I could understand it, but manure mining flies beggars belief. Does this go hand in hand with anything to do with science, or did you think it would be a good idea? Do you not think if this type of fly were any good and liked to frequent dung heaps they would already be found there? I am perhaps pertly sure you may sound OK but, you do kind of sound like some kind of mad scientist trying to get his own back on a local farmer whom has rubbed you up the wrong way!

Just a thought, and I do not know where you want to breed these. But have you any idea if you need any kind of licence to do this? I used to know one fly breeder who breed them for the fishing industry, and he had to have air-locks to stop any flies escaping, and, if I remember correctly had to treat them in some way to prevent the maggots he sold from matting outside his large shed which he called a factory.

In all seriousness I would ask advice from your nearest Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries. Please tell me where you are and I will look into this further and get back to you, OK?

Get back to me with the detail asked please?

No offense babybear but you are mistaken about black soldier flies. It's a common but unfortunate error. Most people think a fly is a fly is a fly, but in fact there are over 100,000 species of them. BSF are not vectors of human disease and they do not pester people in any way.

I live in a part of the country where BSF are very common yet almost no one here has even heard of them and most have never seen one. This is because they only spend a few days as adults and that time is purely for reproduction. The adult BSF doesn't even eat in the 5-8 days that it lives.

In the past few years I've raised and released 100's of thousands of BSF larvae on my property and it is still relatively rare to see adult BSF here, even around the device I use to process food waste. For one year I kept my main colony of BSF larvae 70 ft from our house and now I keep a small container even closer for easy disposal of kitchen scraps. I have never seen an adult BSF in our house.

The unfortunate aspect to this common misconception is that BSF have the potential to serve man in a way that few animals can. In their larval stage they are voracious (but harmless) eaters and can process virtually any animal or vegetable waste products with the exception of item high in cellulose like grass, leaves, and paper. They reduce the volume of typical household food scraps by up to 95%, and manure from some types of animals can be reduced 50%. The conversion of waste to mature larvae varies from 10-20%. The larvae have been tested as animal feed and has been found roughly equal to Menhaden fish meal, but of course harvesting the larvae doesn't involve removing biomass from the oceans.

I could go on for pages but I hope this will encourage you all to research this amazing insect.

Jerry

Hi GW,

No offence taken OK?

As I said, a friend used to breed flies for the fishing maggots. It is a while ago now, but The whole thing took place in a very large shed. The idea being that, as I recall, which might not be exactly how it happened but I think this is what happened.................

The adults were kept and feed on liver and ground meat and bone. This was spread over a sheet of foil I think down the centre of the this long shed. The flies laid eggs on news paper which was hanging and totally covering the walls and floors. These sheets were collected and changed each day, and I think the fly eggs were brushed off the paper sheets and then left to pupate.

It was a pretty gruesome way to make a living thats for sure. To give you some idea of the volume produced, he had two full dustbins of fresh maggots everyday. It took place in a controlled heat and insulated shed.

Can you not set up a colony by sprinkling some maggots on or around some cow dung?

Do you know the life cycle of these animals?

babybear, your friend was probably raising blowfly larvae, one of the 100,000 fly species that is considered a pest. For life to exist as we know it there must be scavengers and blowflies fill an important niche. Having said that, blowflies are very different than black soldier flies in several ways. One of the results of those differences is that BSF don't spread disease, don't swarm, and don't pester people. That's fortunate in my opinion because it makes them very pleasant to work with.

"Can you not set up a colony by sprinkling some maggots on or around some cow dung?"

Possibly, but I doubt it would be a very effective approach. To build up and maintain a colony of larvae you need to attract BSF females to replenish the population as the larvae mature. (The most I've seen at one time was about 15). Some type of container is helpful because the larvae will migrate the moment conditions in the food source become less than optimal. In a properly designed container you can keep them in place between feedings.

"Do you know the life cycle of these animals?"

Yes, I've been culturing and blogging about them for a few years. I will admit to having an aversion to most fly species and the point I wish to illustrate is that BSF are very different from the pest flies. This is a beautiful and shy insect and the larvae are fascinating.

Hi GW,

I appreciate your reply post, thank you.

Can you tell me what Country you life in please? It makes appropriate research easier

I find some of the life cycles of some flies and other insect to be fascinating. But not enough to breed them!

I can imagine there would be research places and not forgetting fishermen who would jump at a regular supply!

I will still continue to research and get back as I can with anything. Are you in contact with other BSF lovers who breed? And before I go spend time on a fault errand, are the off-spring mixed sexes?

I was just thinking you could buy BSF maggots, and should find a mix of sexes in them. A pint or even a gallon would be sure to bring success, do you think?

I talk of course as an interested ignoramus on this particular subject!

Good luck.

"Can you tell me what Country you life in please? It makes appropriate research easier"

Location: Georgia, U.S.

"I can imagine there would be research places and not forgetting fishermen who would jump at a regular supply!"

I've met several people who are very fond of using BSF larvae as fish bait, but it's not nearly as popular in the U.S. as it is in the U.K. I keep my main BSF unit close to my pond so that I always have a ready supply of free bait. It also makes disposing of fish scraps very convenient. I can add 3 pounds/1.3kg of fresh whole fish or trimmings to my unit and it will be consumed within 24 hours. I processed fish regularly during the summer months this year with no obvious odor. A person could be standing next to the unit and not know there was fish or any other waste inside. BSF larvae consume waste so rapidly that odor causing bacteria can't establish themselves. The churning action of a dense colony also aerates the waste which inhibits growth of anaerobic bacteria.

"Are you in contact with other BSF lovers who breed?"

I communicate with people about BSF daily via my blog and a forum dedicated to the subject. I also sell starter kits (within the U.S.) that combine various stages of larvae and BSF eggs.

"And before I go spend time on a fault errand, are the off-spring mixed sexes?"

Yes.

"I was just thinking you could buy BSF maggots, and should find a mix of sexes in them. A pint or even a gallon would be sure to bring success, do you think?"

If you live in an area where BSF are naturally present then you don't require any larvae to start a colony. In that case you can attract egg laying female BSF by setting out waste, vegetable matter being the best choice. The presence of actively feeding BSF larvae is an advantage because they serve as a powerful attractant to egg laying females. Establishing a colony where BSF are not naturally present in the wild is more difficult and would require seeding the area with larvae. Most people are introduced to BSF larvae when they discover them in traditional compost piles where kitchen scraps are present. Outdoor worm bins also attract BSF.

Reproduction doesn't happen inside a BSF composting unit. The mature larvae need to migrate away from the waste pile, pupate, and then they mate in flight. Some limited success has been achieved in closed systems as it seems redblue is contemplating, but the simplest method is a semi-closed system where adults are released to the outdoors to mate.

redblue, I've heard of success using t5 fluorescent bulbs but I have no experience with closed systems. The first place I go for BSF data is BioSystems Design. They have had success with indoor breeding and may be willing to offer suggestions.

Hi GW,

I really appreciate your detailed reply post thank you!

Now I know you are in Georgia in the States? It makes it easier for me to do appropriate research.

I am converted! Members of my friends have room for this to be useful as they have animals chickens, and the like. I may get one for them for Xmas! Or build my own and give them that.

Can you tell me would a breeding colony be all in one box, or would there be several colonies in a shed with the special 200 mmol lamp lighting the shed and all the boxes? If they breed in flight, how do you ever set up a colony? Don't they all fly away?

Good luck.

A typical BSF unit is kept outdoors in a shaded area with no artificial lighting.

Indoor (closed) systems are primarily for cold climates are complicated to operate.

One or more units is fine depending on the amount of waste to be processed.

The adults breed outdoors and some will return to the unit to replenish the colony. This is why it is much simpler to operate a BSF unit where they are indigenous.

Hi GW,

I am really grateful for this info', many thanks!

I know a whole lot more now than I did last week!

Good luck.

Check Universities the offer Entomology, as well as agricultural environments.

UW-Madison in Wisconsin may have something.

p911

thank you for the link - yes I live in the North and will need to breed them indoors.

Hi redblue,

I am trying to think logically here............... Not easy for me! LOL!

Right, the flies usually breed in 'daylight'? So why not use a 'daylight' bulb in an ordinary lamp holder, and adjust the light intensity until you find the optimum for breeding? I have not looked for any but know about these bulbs as a friend has 'SAD' syndrome and uses them rather than normal lamps.

Good luck

this is exactly what needs to be done, but I thought hey if someone has already done it then why not ask it is easier.

redblue, just in case you missed it I addressed lighting at the bottom of one of my posts above;

I've heard of success using t5 fluorescent bulbs but I have no experience with closed systems. The first place I go for BSF data is BioSystems Design. They have had success with indoor breeding and may be willing to offer suggestions.

Hi redblue,

Have you tried a daylight bulb? I am not sure that is the exact term to use but I am now doing some research into it.

Good luck.

thank you presently I am only researching, i have not tried anything yet - first I want to sharpen my axe and then try it. So thank you, now I have enough info to start.