First of all, thank you - great video. We have had a BSFL bin set up on our homestead for a couple of months now. We designed it in a big, blue plastic barrel. There is a screen of wire mesh in the bottom and a washing machine hose leading up and out of the barrel, down to a plastic bottle on the ground for self-harvesting. There has been a thriving army of larva in there since week three, but we have harvested VERY few of them. The problem seems to be that they are falling through the wire mesh and flowing out the bottom drain with the "leachtea". Last week I scooped all the contents out and added a sheet of plastic mesh fabric to see of it helped retain more larva. The next day there were about 30 in the bottle! I thought the problem was solved, but since that day I have harvested hardly any more larva and there are still lots in the liquid we're collecting. Also, our bin is producing WAY more leachtea than we expected. We're getting more than we can use (a 1.5 L bottle 2x per week)...WTF?! Maybe I should try the wood shavings in the bottom...Any other advice?
Thank you for posting this, although I didn't buy the plans I did manage to throw one together and per your advice I made it with ramps at either end. I've sourced a local brewery that sells 500lb barrels of used grain for $50 a piece. We already have BSF larvae going gang busters in our compost bin so it'll be an easy transition to get them into the one I built. Then we'll be using the harvested larvae to feed our chickens and the fish in our aquaponics system. Thanks again!
This is the 2nd vid I have watched by you on this topic......just great!!!! And you did not need nor use a Federal Grant or subsidy!!! Super job doing this....I was thinking of sending to a few friends down in Ithaca, but I suspect they have watched it already....keep up the good work!!!!
I have compost bin full of these larvae from bsf I don’t have anything fancy just a used sink, I don’t have anything for them to move them to other dry spot but I saw them inside the soil black hardened also not moving anymore!
1:35 - I don't know for sure, but I'm under the impression that they don't crawl out to look for food. They crawl out when they're done eating the compost and they want to pupate - where they lose their mouth parts and get sorta dormant - stop moving - and eventually crawl out as a fly?
I enjoy watching your BSFL videos thanks for posting them. Please keep making them because I find them very educational. I have watched your other videos and it shows that you get a pickup truck full of produce everyday. I was just wondering how you managed to score all that produce. Do you have to buy it or is it free. Sorry for being nosy I would like to do something similar and was wondering how to get started.
I've heard that BSF don't favor paper or leaves - or any cellulose, really. My question is: If I were to dump my shredded paper from the house into my BSFL bin would they still chew it up, or would they ignore it entirely? It'd be nice if they chewed up into smaller bits for the worms...
Do I understand correctly that you planted Barley or did you buy Barley and then just made it damp as an attraction for the soldier flies? This is a very useful post, thank you.
Hi NWRedWorms. I am from Brazil. Let me know what you are using into the bin at the time 2:25. I saw some fruits like watermelon. Is that a kind of leaves? I will be wating for your answer. Best Regards.
I would like to build a BSFL bin with a screen in the bottom that would allow the castings to fall out while still containing the larvae. Would this work? If so, what screen size would you recommend?
Hi.I see all you harvest is BSF. How do you keep other flies from laying eggs in the bin? Where I stay we have a large variety of flies and I think controlling them would be very difficult.
Nice day i want to know how many how many Kg of the fly can be produce on these containers, and which time? Also, i want to know what is the amount of organic matter that u need to use and for which population... Thank you and best regards
I have not done any measuring food vs. output. If it's warm and there's food there will be a bunch of larva. If we have a cloudy day or week that throws off the ability to gage output.
Hi I have made the box and filled with compost and wood chippings. I am not able to make the bsf from the barley. Can anyone guide me in making bsf from barley
Honey Island Outfitters - I know they can crawl up vertically. I didn’t plan to grow them but I found I have a lot growing inside my bin, which is just a big trash can. They grow vertically out to the lid.
Hola from Costa Rica, I have over 150 free range chickens and 200 ducks. My feed bills are outrageous here. Do you feed other feed besides the larvae? This is my next project. Thanks so much.
Balles McGee I did a study years ago when the tribes had to flee they changed there names. Any name with Mc is a sign they are from the Macabee tribe so I checked the Macabee tribe out pretty cool people I would say. :)
Never heard of growing larvae before, must be for chickens or maybe extra fish food. I read one post from a Joseluis chong p that asked if you could send him some larvae. Possible problem there is that it could be illegal to transport or mail this larvae to their country if it is not already there. Don't introduce non-native species to another country. That's how we got those stupid fish that attack motor boats when they go down river.
These are quite common and quite beneficial: They adults don't, bite or sting, fly very much, carry disease and they are not attracted to us, our food or our homes. The adults don't even have functional mouth parts. They only breed and die within a few days.The larvae displace house flies and rapidly breakdown compost & manure and, while doing so, reduce the levels of E. Coli & Salmonella. They contain over 40% protein themselves, and 1 gram of BSF eggs will create over 5 pounds of protein in under 10 days. They are, in fact, edible by humans...but the big potential is as chicken or fish feed when dried. Cost, with a profit, is less than half that of current fish feed prices. Plus, much of what they eat is garbage that people would pay for the producer to take off their hands! All around, a pretty beneficial insect.
Richard Britt BSF's are native to most of the US. You can probably attract some with some spoiled corn. Once the BSF take hold they will out compete house flies.
First of all, thank you - great video. We have had a BSFL bin set up on our homestead for a couple of months now. We designed it in a big, blue plastic barrel. There is a screen of wire mesh in the bottom and a washing machine hose leading up and out of the barrel, down to a plastic bottle on the ground for self-harvesting. There has been a thriving army of larva in there since week three, but we have harvested VERY few of them. The problem seems to be that they are falling through the wire mesh and flowing out the bottom drain with the "leachtea". Last week I scooped all the contents out and added a sheet of plastic mesh fabric to see of it helped retain more larva. The next day there were about 30 in the bottle! I thought the problem was solved, but since that day I have harvested hardly any more larva and there are still lots in the liquid we're collecting. Also, our bin is producing WAY more leachtea than we expected. We're getting more than we can use (a 1.5 L bottle 2x per week)...WTF?! Maybe I should try the wood shavings in the bottom...Any other advice?
Thank you for posting this, although I didn't buy the plans I did manage to throw one together and per your advice I made it with ramps at either end. I've sourced a local brewery that sells 500lb barrels of used grain for $50 a piece. We already have BSF larvae going gang busters in our compost bin so it'll be an easy transition to get them into the one I built. Then we'll be using the harvested larvae to feed our chickens and the fish in our aquaponics system. Thanks again!
Where are you located and how are you doing with the BSFL?
This is the 2nd vid I have watched by you on this topic......just great!!!! And you did not need nor use a Federal Grant or subsidy!!! Super job doing this....I was thinking of sending to a few friends down in Ithaca, but I suspect they have watched it already....keep up the good work!!!!
I have compost bin full of these larvae from bsf I don’t have anything fancy just a used sink, I don’t have anything for them to move them to other dry spot but I saw them inside the soil black hardened also not moving anymore!
Great job there , looks like a success to me.
1:35 - I don't know for sure, but I'm under the impression that they don't crawl out to look for food. They crawl out when they're done eating the compost and they want to pupate - where they lose their mouth parts and get sorta dormant - stop moving - and eventually crawl out as a fly?
Great video I like the design of the bin :) could you tell me how much larvae you were able to harvest per day from such setup please?
Love the sound of the peacock!!!
I enjoy watching your BSFL videos thanks for posting them. Please keep making them because I find them very educational. I have watched your other videos and it shows that you get a pickup truck full of produce everyday. I was just wondering how you managed to score all that produce. Do you have to buy it or is it free. Sorry for being nosy I would like to do something similar and was wondering how to get started.
I've heard that BSF don't favor paper or leaves - or any cellulose, really. My question is: If I were to dump my shredded paper from the house into my BSFL bin would they still chew it up, or would they ignore it entirely? It'd be nice if they chewed up into smaller bits for the worms...
Good info! You didn't discuss the harvesting area or show it much. I'll check your other TH-cam videos to see if you did there.
They are very good at not chewing up paper type material. Maybe if you soaked it in strawberries they would chew it up some.
Would a fine mesh screen be okay in the bottom to keep the larvae from falling out the drain holes?
Hi how many chickens can be fed on one bin
Love your video TY TY TY for the info as we need to do this between our chickens and fish :D
Not all of them, but I did take out more than 30 lbs.
Do I understand correctly that you planted Barley or did you buy Barley and then just made it damp as an attraction for the soldier flies? This is a very useful post, thank you.
Greaaat...amazing..i need to know more..I am Anto Indonesian. Thank so .much
Do many larvae escape out of the drainage holes in the bin bottom? Most other designs use a filter of some sort.
Other than help in the composting process, what are the benefits of black soldier flies?
Do you have to do anything special to the barley to prepare it for the larvae?
It just needs to be moist.
Ok, thanks for the comment, and the videos as well.
It is a long process to get these produce contracts due to the possible liabilities.
How do you control the moisture of the feedstock?
What are the dimensions of your bins?
Hi NWRedWorms. I am from Brazil. Let me know what you are using into the bin at the time 2:25. I saw some fruits like watermelon. Is that a kind of leaves? I will be wating for your answer. Best Regards.
The larvae are in a batch of spent barley from a brewery.
Thanks for answer. Best Regards.
I can collect it if I wanted to and there would be value. I don't have a use for it at this time.
I would like to build a BSFL bin with a screen in the bottom that would allow the castings to fall out while still containing the larvae. Would this work? If so, what screen size would you recommend?
Hi.I see all you harvest is BSF. How do you keep other flies from laying eggs in the bin? Where I stay we have a large variety of flies and I think controlling them would be very difficult.
The larva put out a chemical that deters other flies from laying eggs in the compost.
How do u keep them warm when it's cold?
Nice day
i want to know how many how many Kg of the fly can be produce on these containers, and which time? Also, i want to know what is the amount of organic matter that u need to use and for which population... Thank you and best regards
I have not done any measuring food vs. output. If it's warm and there's food there will be a bunch of larva. If we have a cloudy day or week that throws off the ability to gage output.
What are the ingredients for the production of these to use,,,,bangladesh
Great video
Will kitchen waste be possible to raise worms apart from barley you are using
How do the larvae fare as fishing bait?
I have not tried, but I have heard they are great for bait.
That is what the shaving do. This is the filter for this system.
Very good arkadaş
شن الامور يابوزات
ياهايشة
good idea, i like it.
FOCUS, FOCUS, FOCUS!
YES,,,OKEY,,,IS VERY VERYGOOD🇮🇩♥️👍
did you weigh the larvea that you harvested last year?
how many grubs or pounds of grubs do you collect from a bin that size?????
Will black soldier flys live in mn ? Will they make it through the mn winters...
C Vigness Lenhart I put mine indoor
Hi
I have made the box and filled with compost and wood chippings.
I am not able to make the bsf from the barley. Can anyone guide me in making bsf from barley
is there a way to breed this fly in indonesia
Good one.
how many pounds of larvae do you get in a day on average?
Don't they have to be ventilated?
At what angle do you have your ramps?
The ramp angle can be 30 to 35 degrees. Just not too steep but tall enough to go over your catch bucket. Hope that helps.
Honey Island Outfitters - I know they can crawl up vertically. I didn’t plan to grow them but I found I have a lot growing inside my bin, which is just a big trash can. They grow vertically out to the lid.
up to 6 lbs. per day.
Where did you get the larvae?
came in on the fruit.
Out of curiosity, what are the dimensions on this bin?
Hola from Costa Rica, I have over 150 free range chickens and 200 ducks. My feed bills are outrageous here. Do you feed other feed besides the larvae? This is my next project. Thanks so much.
Jessa York you can feed chickens only off of the compost pile... it's true!!!
do you send some bsf eggs here in manila philippines, ty.
Is that cat okay?
Is the compost good for a garden after this?
yes
Yes
Eubones - it will be still your compost but it will get to finished product much faster. The flies are harmless.
Do you let your larvae reproduce at all? Or do you only get larvae from wild flys?
Isaac Miniard The larvae turn into flies.
Greetings, harvest you got in this video, is of few days ?, thanks
I think it was one or two days.
Thinking about putting one of these in my chicken house ... then I will let the worms crawl out into a container of some sort.
Nice. Thanks.
Bare hand?
Здравствуйте , я с удовольствием послушала вас на русском языке. Молодец !
U have vitilego too! I have the same! Lol
N intende mais depois.o marquinho tradução para min legau,
cedar shavings
о чем он говорит?
Eww I'm not sure if I like eggs anymore :0 don't you think those larva maybe growing in your belly?
What the hell kind of nonsense is that?
Balles McGee Well you are what you eat I always thought..... sorry freaks me out.
Balles McGee I did a study years ago when the tribes had to flee they changed there names. Any name with Mc is a sign they are from the Macabee tribe so I checked the Macabee tribe out pretty cool people I would say. :)
A surname with "Mc" or "Mac" as a prefix just means "son" in Irish or Scottish culture.
ha ha can't stop laughing! Will those people with big belly have lots of larvae or in the chicken belly?
Never heard of growing larvae before, must be for chickens or maybe extra fish food. I read one post from a Joseluis chong p that asked if you could send him some larvae. Possible problem there is that it could be illegal to transport or mail this larvae to their country if it is not already there. Don't introduce non-native species to another country. That's how we got those stupid fish that attack motor boats when they go down river.
These are quite common and quite beneficial: They adults don't, bite or sting, fly very much, carry disease and they are not attracted to us, our food or our homes. The adults don't even have functional mouth parts. They only breed and die within a few days.The larvae displace house flies and rapidly breakdown compost & manure and, while doing so, reduce the levels of E. Coli & Salmonella. They contain over 40% protein themselves, and 1 gram of BSF eggs will create over 5 pounds of protein in under 10 days. They are, in fact, edible by humans...but the big potential is as chicken or fish feed when dried. Cost, with a profit, is less than half that of current fish feed prices. Plus, much of what they eat is garbage that people would pay for the producer to take off their hands! All around, a pretty beneficial insect.
Then the next question is, Where or how do I get a start on these flies? Who sells starter kits :)
Richard Britt BSF's are native to most of the US. You can probably attract some with some spoiled corn. Once the BSF take hold they will out compete house flies.
+Richard Britt
And stink bugs...
I would not recommend it.
Peacocks are annoying