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Black Soldier Fly

Larvae of the black solder fly (Hermetia illucens) are a popular protein source for animal feed. Ian Banks, working in research and development with Agriprotein, shared several characteristics that make black soldier fly larvae good candidates for mass-rearing (Thomas 2017a). The larvae are omnivorous, able to eat both meat and vegetable waste. They also grow quickly, reaching 2 cm in less than two weeks, and have less of a “disgust factor” than do the maggots of houseflies. Adult flies do not spread disease like houseflies do.

Insects for Food and Feed, EDN # 137

  1. 2019 ECHO International Agriculture Conference

    2020-01-27 ECHO’s 26th Annual International Agriculture Conference was held in November 2019. Below are brief summaries of a few of the plenary sessions and workshops. These and other talks, video, and slide presentations are available on ECHOcommunity.org.
    Community health a... ECHO Conference Biochar Community Health Breadfruit Cnidosculous chaya... Chaya Black Soldier Fly

  2. Black Soldier Fly Larvae Production

    Key Resource
    2023-06-09 This guide expands on a summary by Chalermliamthong and Trail (2021) of the black soldier fly larvae production system at the ECHO Asia Small Farm Resource Center in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The production system there serves as an approach for scaling up larvae production as an alternative protein...
    Black Soldier Fly Animal Feed Animal Feeding

  3. EDN Issue #137

    2017-10-23 Insects for Food and Feed Resilient Bamboo Invitation to LEAD Asia Web-Based Talk Echoes from our Network: Living Fence Advice from Roy Danforth From ECHO's Seed Bank: Tamarind, a Tart Addition for the Home Garden eBook Releases: Options for Coping with Crop or Animal Pests, Seed Saving and...
    Black Soldier Fly West Africa

  4. Edible Insects

    2018-01-31 Patrick Trail, working with ECHO Asia in Chiang Mai, Thailand, shared some feedback after reading the recent EDN article about edible insects. He wrote us some feedback about his experiences and observations
    Edible Insects Black Soldier Fly

  5. Black Soldier Fly System of the Frangipani Langkawi Organic Farm

    This article is from ECHO Asia Note # 41. [Editor’s Note: Anthony Wong the Managing Director of the Frangipani Langkawi Resort in Langkawi, Malaysia andis a longtime steward of green initiatives in Malaysia and the region. Using constructed wetland systems, grey water at his hotels are cleaned...
    BSF Black Soldier Fly on-farm feed Chicken feed Asia

  6. Black Soldier Fly Production - Farmers Guide

    Instruction manual for Kenyan smallholder farmers to start with the production of Black Soldier Fly Larvae as substitute for omena and soy in animal feed.

  7. Insects for Food and Feed

    2017-10-23 Insects are an often-overlooked food and feed source. In many areas of the world, they have been eaten for centuries.Where insects are not typically viewed as a food source, people often have an internal aversion to eating them.Insects make sense as a food and feed source for many reasons. First,...
    Insects Edible Insects Animal Feed Growing Food Black Soldier Fly

  8. Establishing a Scaled-Up Black Soldier Fly System

    2021-09-01 Critical to the success of a small-scale farm is its ability to turn on-farm waste into alternative value-added products. By integrating the Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia illucens) on the farm, small-scale enterprises can do just that. Taking common waste products such as food scraps and manure,...
    Black Soldier Fly BSF Asia

  9. Farm-Generated Feed: Chicken Feed Production

    This article is from ECHO Asia Note #28 Farm-generated fertility contributes to a more sustainable agricultural system. Crop residues and manures are part of the nutrient cycle for plant production and can lower input costs through the use of thermophilic composting, vermiculture, bokashi...
    Black Soldier Fly Asia

  10. Farm-Generated Feed: Fish Feed Production

    This article is from ECHO Asia Note #20 Farm-generated fertility makes agriculture more sustainable. Crop residues and manures are part of the nutrient cycle and can lower input costs through the use of thermophilic composting, vermiculture, bokashi production, or green manures. Farm-generated...
    Fish Farming Black Soldier Fly Asia

  11. Maggot Meal – A Sustainable Protein Source for Livestock Production – A Review

    Abstract: With a growing world population and increasingly demanding consumers, the production of sufficient protein from livestock, poultry, and fish represents a serious challenge for the future especially, in the developing countries. Maggot, the larvae of the domestic fly (Musca domestica)...
    ZAS Black Soldier Fly Maggot Meal Downloads Animal Feed

  12. An Introduction to Bokashi Fertilizers and Soil Amendments

    This article is from ECHO Asia Note #17 Around the world, many agriculturists and gardeners are adopting soil amendments and fertilizers that are called bokashi. Bokashi is a Japanese word that has no good translation into English, according to Yukiko Oyanagi, a staffer with the Asian Rural...
    Black Soldier Fly Asia

  13. Vermiculture_Garden_Composting

    Benefits 1. Efficient recycling of clean vegetable residues. 2. Feed and multiply earthworms to populate a garden area of up to 1000 sq. ft. (32’ X 32’). 3. Protect young worms from animal predators. 4. Worm numbers per bed increased 25 fold, over 6 months at ECHO in N. Fort Meyers, FL. 5....
    Vermiculture Worm Tower Worms Black Soldier Fly

  14. Technique for Maggot Production – 2010

    Maggot is the larvae of the domestic fly (Musca domestica). The Songhai Centre in Porto‐Novo has facilities for and engages in the mass production of maggots as a solution to the high cost of feed in fish and livestock production. A brief review of a maggot production enterprise in Songhai is...
    ZAS Downloads Black Soldier Fly Maggot Meal Animal Feed

  15. Making Funny Money Through Maggot Farming – V. Marufu

    A maggot is the larva of a fly (order Diptera); it is applied in particular to the larvae of Brachycera flies, such as houseflies, cheese flies, and blowflies, rather than larvae of the Nematocera, such as mosquitoes and Crane flies. Maggot farming is the act of growing maggots for the industry....
    Black Soldier Fly ZAS Maggot Meal Downloads Zimbabwe

  16. Maggot Production Guide – Thomson Zulu

    Maggot farming currently not too competitive like sago worm because most people are not aware that its possible to farm Maggots and make money from it, talk more about making millions. The truth is that it is possible if you do it correctly. This is the right time to venture into this business...
    ZAS Black Soldier Fly Maggot Meal Animal Feed Downloads

  17. Black Soldier Fly Biowaste Processing

    Many organic waste sources have a high nutritional potential and thus make an excellent feed substrate for insect larvae in general, and the larvae of the black soldier fly (BSF),Hermetia illucensL. (Diptera: Stratiomyidae), in particular. Given the right circumstances, the larvae are able to...

  18. An Introduction to Soldier Fly Production

    2019-11-21 Session :Black soldier fly larvae are an insect species that can convert low-value waste products into high-value small livestock feed. These novel insects have great potential to increase the productivity of small animal production in resource limited conditions where feed resources are...
    Black Soldier Fly

  19. Black soldier fly larvae (Hermetia illucens) - Feedipedia

    Description The black soldier fly (Hermetia illucensLinnaeus 1758) is a fly (Diptera) of theStratiomyidaefamily. The adult fly is black, wasp-like and 15-20 mm long (Hardouin et al., 2003). The larvae can reach 27 mm in length, 6 mm in width and weigh up to 220 mg in their last larval stage. They...
    Black Soldier Fly

  20. Black Soldier Fly Larvae for Chicken Feed

    2019-10-02 Recycling food waste is still fairly limited, especially in low- and middle-income settings,although this is by far the largest fraction of all generated municipal waste. 40% - 60% oflandfill is food waste. Black Soldier Fly (BSF), Hermetia illucens, is an approach that hasobtained much attention...
    BSF Black Soldier Fly Chicken feed Poultry Feed Asia

  21. Black Soldier Fly and Red Worm Bioconversion

    Red Worm Bioconversion Asia

  22. How to Use Black Soldier Flies for Biowaste Treatment

    This video presents the relevant tasks required to run a Black Soldier Fly facility. For more detailed information and a free download of the "Black Soldier Fly Biowaste Processing - A Step-by-Step Guide", go to: https://goo.gl/gBT8dv
    Black Soldier Fly Indonesia Asia

  23. Raising Black Soldier Flies

    Larvae of the black solder fly (Hermetia illucens) are a popular protein source for animal feed. Ian Banks, working in research and development with Agriprotein, shared several characteristics that make black soldier fly larvae good candidates for mass-rearing (Thomas 2017a). The larvae are...
    Insects Black Soldier Fly

  24. Ability of Black Soldier Fly (Diptera: Stratiomyidae) Larvae to Recycle Food Waste

    Abstract -Environmental Entomology, 2015 Accumulation of organic wastes, especially in livestock facilities, can be a potential pollution issue. The black soldier fly,Hermetia illucensL. (Diptera: Stratiomyidae), can consume a wide range of organic material and has the potential to be used in...
    Edible Insects Insects Black Soldier Fly

  25. How black soldier fly larvae can demolish a pizza so fast

    Abstract, Science News, 2019 An individualHermetia illucenslarva doesn’t eat steadily, Shishkov found. One feeds for about five minutes on average and then stops for about another five. As a group of thousands, though,they flow continuously like a living fountainsplashing up against the edge of...
    Black Soldier Fly

  26. Rural Structures in the Tropics

    2011-01-20 This book is an effort by FAO to compile an up-to-date, comprehensive text on rural structures and services in the tropics, focusing on structures for small- to medium-scale farms and, to some extent, village-scale agricultural infrastructure. The earlier edition, entitled Farm structures in...
    Construction Black Soldier Fly Latin America and ... Asia East Africa West Africa

  27. Evaluation of Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia illucens) Larvae and Pre-Pupae Raised on Household Organic Waste, as Potential Ingredients for Poultry Feed

    Abstract,Animals, 2019 Black soldier fly (BSF) larvae and pre-pupae could be satisfactorily raised on household organic waste and used as poultry feed, offering a potential sustainable way to recycle untapped resources of waste. The present study was conducted to determine if whole (non-defatted)...
    Black Soldier Fly

  28. INSFEED: Insect feed for poultry and fish production in sub Saharan Africa

    Research on the use of insects for feed is also being led byICIPE(The International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology. Programs by ICIPE includeINSFEED(“Insect feed for poultry and fish production in sub Saharan Africa”);GREEiNSECT(“Mass-rearing insects for greener protein supply”) andILIPA...
    Insects Black Soldier Fly

  29. Agriprotein

    It is best not to assume that such high efficiency is possible in every case. In an article titled “Crickets are not a free lunch,” authors Lundy and Parrella (2015) point out that crickets’ growth and even viability depends on the quality of their diet, especially at an industrial scale. Still,...
    Insects Insect Products Black Soldier Fly

  30. GREEiNSECT: Mass-Rearing Insects for Greener Protein Supply

    Research on the use of insects for feed is also being led byICIPE(The International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology. Programs by ICIPE includeINSFEED(“Insect feed for poultry and fish production in sub Saharan Africa”);GREEiNSECT(“Mass-rearing insects for greener protein supply”) andILIPA...
    Insects Edible Insects Black Soldier Fly

  31. ILIPA: Improving livelihood by increasing livestock production in Africa

    Research on the use of insects for feed is also being led byICIPE(The International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology. Programs by ICIPE includeINSFEED(“Insect feed for poultry and fish production in sub Saharan Africa”);GREEiNSECT(“Mass-rearing insects for greener protein supply”) andILIPA...
    Insects Black Soldier Fly

  32. Black Soldier Fly Composting Guide

    Perdue University Black soldier flies are one of the most versatile insects that can be used to upcycle organic waste materials. This non-pest insect is native to the neotropics, commonly found throughout the southern portions of the US and now globally. The adult flies are harmless and do not...