How to make a black soldier fly farm

Costa meets Gavin Smith, gardener and insect enthusiast, who farms black soldier flies and their larvae in a purpose-built compost bin. Black soldier fly larvae are great composters of food scraps and the protein packed larvae can be harvested to feed to chooks and used for bait in fishing.
Black soldier flies are Hermetia illucens. They are black and 15mm long. They look like a small black wasp. They are an introduced species in Australia but now occur worldwide.
Gardeners can mistake black soldier fly larvae in their compost for the maggots of blowflies, but unlike maggots, black soldier fly larvae eat vegetable food scraps. They are eating machines, turning scraps into compost much more rapidly than worms. They are good to have in your compost and can process (eat!) large amounts of scraps very quickly.
You can build a purpose-built black soldier fly farm to encourage the fly to lay eggs into your food scrap container or compost. The flies and larvae are more likely to occur in the warmer weather.
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[@AlfredMcPherson-js5tz]

I made what I thought was a exact copy of this bin. It has not worked at all, as I have found that the maggots do not use the sloping pipes, but try to crawl up the sides of the bin to find their way out. i am about to build a sloping plastic drum, which should direct them to the top of the drum and into a collection container. I would be interested in how other people have faired using Garden Australia design.

[@LoraCreates]

Oh my goodness!!! Thank you for this!! I can't wait to get started. You're a gem for providing printable instructions! Much love and success to you now and always. 🥰

[@clemensbock7434]

This will be helpful for my chickens. Greetings from Germany

[@beurownboss1554]

Fantastic video, I feed these to my bearded dragon and chameleon. I’m thinking about getting chickens too so it’s a joy to see they are great feeders for them too. Cheers from USA!

[@suellalanceley1245]

I made a farm using this pattern, but find that the larvae don't climb the ramps. Any ideas why?

[@Mark-te8ky]

I have a redworm farm in my basement at New York City, USA. I have to keep them there since we have winters. Do you suggest farming black soldier flies indoors? I would get too many of them flying around the basement though right?

[@PetLoves]

I keep bsf larva indoors, move them outside into a net when ready to turn into flies

[@JackPitmanNica]

This video was so fun to watch, I love the passion about these amazing soldier flies. I feel happy anytime I see them

[@evanfit1190]

Thankyou so much for the instructions.

[@markhiggins3054]

Where do you get the flies from - SA COMMENT

[@rbuick42]

is it too hot for the BSF with a closed lid?

[@AlfredMcPherson-js5tz]

They seem to like around 30 degrees C. Definitely do not like the cold, hot 35C does not seem to worry them.

[@cecilitaH]

Very interesting video .

[@RabbiahDrake]

Instructions are not correct. You need 3 elbows…. Not two.