Black Soldier Fly Larvae in compost bin
leira
11 years ago
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Nevermore44 - 6a
11 years agoRelated Discussions
Black soldier fly larvae don't move
Comments (17)petalpatsy, I have been keeping black soldier fly larvea for over 10 years now, and you are not supposed to have a foul muck. If that is your experience you are not managing your liquids. I get the most amazing compost from my grubs and i get just as much as if it where in an aerobic pile. Except i get if faster. Because the grubs break stuff down within hours versus weeks you have to deal with moisture issues. But in no way do you get only muck as a result. The best grub composters have a living layer of soil/bacteria on the bottom that can handle excess moisture. That is precisely the issue with a lot of these DIY buckets that don't allow for liquid drainage and aeration. Now... that living layer of soil I have is AMAZING... man is it fertile. It doesn't smell and it's not MUCK. it's jam packed with micro organism (also aerobic bacteria by the way) it's dark and has a coffee grind consistency. Depending on the age (+1 year) it's in my ways similar to finished compost and if it's younger (it's has a more humus consistency). If you brew a compost tea for this material, you'll notice that the tea starts to bite a little bit and the material is slightly acidic (my plants in texas love this with our high alkaline soils). If you are having muck you have gone anaerobic and it stinks... but i assure you that's not what you supposed to be having. grub composting is also an aerobic process. Here is a link that might be useful: BioPod Forum...See MoreWho thinks there need to be a Black Soldier Fly/PHOENIXworm form?
Comments (44)Advertising gives us a free forum. Cost of doing business and if one doesn't like the ads, there are other forums. Proofreading and the "preview message" can catch most errors and those that are missed, usually aren't all that serious and can be downright funny sometimes. Off topic posts can add life and humour to an otherwise tedious subject and is often called, "having a conversation". GW's SC&M is probably one of the most popular focused forums there is. The number of posts and speed at which the pages advance is proof of that. If one checks out the member page of the OP, one will find he is no longer with us. Seems he/she went a little, um, overboard, shall we say. Some other multiple personalities were also deleted that may or may not have been related. I agree, no apology was necessary. Lloyd P.S. After going through this thread again, I realize I did not cast a vote, I do not think a unique BSF forum is needed....See MoreSoldier fly larvae composting
Comments (2)It appears then that heat is the important factor in keeping them interested - (the fertilizer also of course). As my composting is done out of doors - where we now have minimum temps of about 40, that may not be an option. However, as my orange peelings aren't too great either, perhaps my best solution would be to wait until the summer weather and/or fallen fruit to try the solution again. As it is new to me, tho, I wanted to get someones experience with these method of composting. I can bury the peelings in the compost, but it seems to take longer than the regular stuff in the pile, unless I grind it in the shredder along with the yard stuff. However, if I keep the peels around, before I get around to it, they can get a bit "obnoxious." I hate to give them to the city waste collectors, they might start charging me for a bigger trash pick-up container. L. Bejay...See MoreBlack Soldier fly larvae safe for cocoons
Comments (8)I opted to not put them in with my EF's. I had moved my adults from a small colony of hortensis though to a smaller bin inside the house. I thought it was too hot in the garage and that was why they didn't seem to be breeding. The BSFL's went into that bin. Maybe a hundred or so. I doubt that adults will be able to get in there to lay more eggs. I'll be curious to see how much these little bugger can eat. They seem to be tearing through my outside compost bin. So much so I decided to test it with a squirrel that was unfortunate or dumb enough to get trapped in the havaheart trap i put by my veggie garden....See MoreKimmsr
11 years agoboreal_wormer
11 years agoginger0530
10 years agoKimmsr
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10 years agobill13286
10 years agoKimmsr
10 years agokimpa zone 9b N. Florida.
10 years agobill13286
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10 years agoVanZen
10 years agoboreal_wormer
10 years agoainmusa
10 years agoSonja W
7 years ago
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