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I have also worked with David Thornton, organic and biofuels project coordinator for Clemson University, to attach larger bins to greenhouses for season extension.

My first attempts at raising soldier fly larvae involved homemade digesters constructed from recycled worm bins. Every one to five days, we collect the larvae and feed them to chickens, fish, prawns, or anything else in need of a high-quality protein and fat. After they’ve fed voraciously on the waste, the larvae pull themselves up the ramp with a specialized mouthpart and fall into the bucket. And best of all, you can raise the larvae in special containers called digesters, from which the larvae will self-harvest into a bucket for collection as a feed for animals.Īt the Clemson University Student Organic Farm (SOF), we use soldier fly digesters equipped with ramps to take advantage of the larvae’s natural tendency to vacate the waste before pupating. The larvae also consume waste faster than earthworms. Unlike earthworms, black soldier fly larvae tolerate a wide variety of temperatures and moisture levels in waste. As they feed, they rid the waste of harmful bacteria and convert it into larval biomass. The maggots were moving in a mass in a rotten watermelon placed on the compost. The large larvae, about an inch long, had distinct segments all along their writhing bodies. I first encountered black soldier fly larvae feeding on the fresh waste near the top of my home compost pile. Their lack of functioning mouths indicates they live only to reproduce. The adults live for five to fifteen days, mating and reproducing. You usually see the large flies hovering above compost piles or manure, depositing eggs nearby. The adult fly measures 3⁄4 inch long and looks similar to a wasp.

Meanwhile, they reduce manure mass by about 50 percent over four hours when properly fed. In fact, black soldier fly larvae suppress housefly larvae by 95 to 100 percent by outcompeting them in the manure. Therefore, they aren’t vectors of disease or filth. Unlike common houseflies, adult black soldier flies aren’t found in kitchens, buildings, or picnic areas. This small insect plays a large role in the decomposition of plants, animals, and feces by quickly composting waste and generating a high-protein feed for chickens and more. Native to North America, Hermetia illucens currently has a worldwide distribution in tropical and warm temperate regions. The following is an excerpt from his new book The Bio-Integrated Farm (March 2016) and is printed with permission from Chelsea Green Publishingĭuring the last decade the farm and garden world has been abuzz about the black soldier fly. Jadrnicek’s groundbreaking insights go beyond the philosophical foundation of permaculture to create hardworking, energy-saving farm-scale designs.

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Permaculture designer and farmer Shawn Jadrnicek is a master at engaging free forces of nature to create sustainable food production systems.

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