Black Soldier Fly
Latin Name: Hermetia illucens. Although often listed as such in vermiculture articles, it is a moot point as to whether this fly should actually be called a pest. Worm farmers might not want it in their bins as they may feel that it competes for food with the worms - but that is not necessarily true.
The Black Soldier Fly is actually a benign species of tropical fly , originally from the Americas. It has now spread throughout the world. The larvae of the fly are produced in thousands and are actually very useful workers, as they have voracious appetites and are highly efficient composters, feeding exclusively on putrescent material - thus removing a potential source of disease. However these larvae are unattractive to most tastes, as they are actually a type of small maggot and seeing a mass of them writhing around in your worm bin can be very off-putting. The mature fly would be unlikely to win many beauty competitions either! However, it is completely harmless and after pupation, the adult fly has a very short life and it has no mouth and cannot eat (or bite).
These remarkable creatures, unlike the common housefly, do not spread bacteria or disease - in fact the larvae ingest potentially pathogenic material and disease-causing organisms and thus render them harmless. Moreover Black Soldier Flies exude an odour, which positively discourages disease carrying houseflies and certain other flying pests. When the larvae reach maturity they leave the feeding area to pupate, preferably in a shady bush or tree. After turning into an adult fly, the female lives only a further 5-8 days and produces almost 1000 eggs. The adult fly is nocturnal and characterised by very fast and rather clumsy flight. It has no mouth and cannot bite or sting.
The maggots are often found in worm farm bins, but although unsightly, they are not a real threat to the worms, as they do not attack them and may in fact complement the compost worm's activities, rather than compete with them for food. Like the composting worms used in vermiculture, their feces make excellent compost and the maggots can be used as a high protein fish or poultry feed. They may be utilised directly as live food, or dried and processed commercially into ground meal. They may also be used by the less squeamish for fishing bait.
However the worm farmer may still prefer to avoid them, in which case Black Soldier Fly can best be kept out of the worm farm bins, by not using meat, fatty waste or fecal matter for feeding the worms and by keeping the moisture on the dry side, and by making sure that there is always a good cover of bedding material over the feeding area. The use of fly screens and fly tapes to keep away the adult flies is an obvious choice that would also have the added benefit by keeping down other flying pests such as houseflies and fruit flies.
There is a growing interest in using Black Soldier Fly for commercial processing of sewage and agricultural waste. Its fast rate of reproduction and voracious appetite make it well suited for this purpose. Some hobbyists have been experimenting with the Black Soldier Fly, as an alternative to vermiculture, for private composting/ waste disposal. For the same size of container it is said that a well stocked colony of Black Soldier Fly would be able to process waste material very much faster than a comparable sized worm farm. To find out more about this creature and other "pests" see the Worm Dictionary at http://www.working-worms.com/content/view/43/68/#abc.
Ant Coe has a degree from the University of Cape Town, South Africa and is passionate about promoting the use of cheap solutions for the various problems facing poor communities in Africa. DIY worm farming or vermiculture is one such proposal. Few poor African communities can afford the high cost of commercial fertilizer, and worm compost is an excellent source of free organic enrichment for school and village gardens. Visit his website at http://www.working-worms.com/ for further information.
Latin Name: Hermetia illucens. Although often listed as such in vermiculture articles, it is a moot point as to whether this fly should actually be called a pest. Worm farmers might not want it in their bins as they may feel that it competes for food with the worms - but that is not necessarily true.
The Black Soldier Fly is actually a benign species of tropical fly , originally from the Americas. It has now spread throughout the world. The larvae of the fly are produced in thousands and are actually very useful workers, as they have voracious appetites and are highly efficient composters, feeding exclusively on putrescent material - thus removing a potential source of disease. However these larvae are unattractive to most tastes, as they are actually a type of small maggot and seeing a mass of them writhing around in your worm bin can be very off-putting. The mature fly would be unlikely to win many beauty competitions either! However, it is completely harmless and after pupation, the adult fly has a very short life and it has no mouth and cannot eat (or bite).
These remarkable creatures, unlike the common housefly, do not spread bacteria or disease - in fact the larvae ingest potentially pathogenic material and disease-causing organisms and thus render them harmless. Moreover Black Soldier Flies exude an odour, which positively discourages disease carrying houseflies and certain other flying pests. When the larvae reach maturity they leave the feeding area to pupate, preferably in a shady bush or tree. After turning into an adult fly, the female lives only a further 5-8 days and produces almost 1000 eggs. The adult fly is nocturnal and characterised by very fast and rather clumsy flight. It has no mouth and cannot bite or sting.
The maggots are often found in worm farm bins, but although unsightly, they are not a real threat to the worms, as they do not attack them and may in fact complement the compost worm's activities, rather than compete with them for food. Like the composting worms used in vermiculture, their feces make excellent compost and the maggots can be used as a high protein fish or poultry feed. They may be utilised directly as live food, or dried and processed commercially into ground meal. They may also be used by the less squeamish for fishing bait.
However the worm farmer may still prefer to avoid them, in which case Black Soldier Fly can best be kept out of the worm farm bins, by not using meat, fatty waste or fecal matter for feeding the worms and by keeping the moisture on the dry side, and by making sure that there is always a good cover of bedding material over the feeding area. The use of fly screens and fly tapes to keep away the adult flies is an obvious choice that would also have the added benefit by keeping down other flying pests such as houseflies and fruit flies.
There is a growing interest in using Black Soldier Fly for commercial processing of sewage and agricultural waste. Its fast rate of reproduction and voracious appetite make it well suited for this purpose. Some hobbyists have been experimenting with the Black Soldier Fly, as an alternative to vermiculture, for private composting/ waste disposal. For the same size of container it is said that a well stocked colony of Black Soldier Fly would be able to process waste material very much faster than a comparable sized worm farm. To find out more about this creature and other "pests" see the Worm Dictionary at http://www.working-worms.com/content/view/43/68/#abc.
Ant Coe has a degree from the University of Cape Town, South Africa and is passionate about promoting the use of cheap solutions for the various problems facing poor communities in Africa. DIY worm farming or vermiculture is one such proposal. Few poor African communities can afford the high cost of commercial fertilizer, and worm compost is an excellent source of free organic enrichment for school and village gardens. Visit his website at http://www.working-worms.com/ for further information.
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