I’ve raised black soldier fly larvae for over 3 years since my initial investment of a tiny cup of larvae from Josh’s Frogs here in Texas. And since then, I’ve rotated my larvae through many waste bins, overwintering them and letting them wild-breed and re-harvest every spring-fall.

If you’re interested in learning how to implement this amazing POWERHOUSE recycler, I’m adding to the list below as I think about topics.

As usual, if you have a question about them or a video/blog request, contact me HERE and send a message.

Why should you get BSFL if you homestead?

Super efficient processor of waste

Bioaccumulators

Great source of protein and fats

Cheap, native, proliferate easily

Repels other flies

EXTREMELY low risk of pathogen exposure (compared to other composting methods)

How do they fit into the closed loop system?

What are BSFL?

What is their life cycle?

How much do they eat?

Where do I get them?

Are they native to your location?

Can you wild harvest them?

Recommended retailers

What type of shelter do they need?

Larvae bin

Wild catch bin

Love cage

Coming soon: Decomp hutch (layered shed for BSFL processing)

How do I hatch them?

Conditions for hatching

What stops a hatch

What do they eat?

Can they eat everything a worm can’t?

Bioaccumulators

Feeding them to other livestock

Cheaper than freeze-dried store bought worms

Health benefits for many types of livestock

Nutritional content

What to watch out for when planning to feed BSFL to animals

How to reproduce BSFL

Hatch → love cage → mate → lay eggs

What happens after hatch

Identifying males vs. females

What makes them want to mate?

Building a “Love cage”

‍ ‍Making “lay-traps”

Hatching your eggs