Black Soldier Flies Help Pepper Grow Meadows. Brussels sprouts. Kale. Mustard. Lettuce and arugula. Now red chili peppers joined the list of plants benefiting from soil amendments derived from black soldier fly frass. It is likely that this list will continue to grow as research in this area expands. Sanjaya, Y., Surakusumah, W., Pratama, A.M. …Read More
ABOUT BLACKSOLDIERFLIES.COM
This website is a joint project between (in alphabetical order) Andrei Alyokhin, a Professor of Applied Entomology at the University of Maine, and Bill Broadbent, an entrepreneur, and owner of a pioneering edible insect company EntoSense. Although this is a natural extension of our professional activities, the website is not directly affiliated with our places of main employment.
Our goal is to provide current and unbiased information on black soldier fly husbandry, a promising approach to recycling various organic wastes into larval biomass rich in nutrients and biologically active molecules.
This field is growing exponentially, which is a great thing for increasing environmental susceptibility of agriculture and food industries. However, rapid growth is usually accompanied by growing pains, including questionable information, wildly exaggerated claims, and overly emotional reactions. We hope to be helpful for our readers in navigating through this challenging landscape, as black soldier farming is moving from being an interesting curiosity to becoming an industrial mainstream.
To support this project, we are also selling several carefully vetted items through our website. Please consider purchasing them at a very reasonable price.
Black Soldier Flies Enter Tissue Culture
Black Soldier Flies Enter Tissue Culture While we are not at the point of cloning black soldier flies yet, they are definitely already a very prominent object of research interest. Saathoff, S., Goodman, C.L., Haas, E., Mettelmann, I. and Stanley, D., 2024. A cell line derived from the black soldier fly, Hermetia illucens (Diptera: Stratiomyidae). …Read More
Black Soldier Fly Genome Sequences
Black Soldier Fly Genome Sequences Genomes for two more black soldier fly populations have been sequenced. This will be useful for genetic research and for quality control of captive strains used in mass production. Cai, Z., Hansen, L.S., Laursen, S.F., Nielsen, H.M., Bahrndorff, S., Tomberlin, J.K., Kristensen, T.N., Sørensen, J.G. and Sahana, G., 2024. Whole-genome …Read More
Black Soldier Flies Tolerate Microplastics
Black Soldier Flies Tolerate Microplastics On one hand, this is a good thing because they can still recycle wastes that are contaminated with microplastics. On the other hand, black soldier flies may not be very useful in removing them from the substrates. Time will tell. Piersanti, S., Rebora, M., Turchetti, B., Salerno, G., Ruscetta, M., …Read More
Black Soldier Flies Take Drugs
Black Soldier Flies Take Drugs Out of substrates that they inhabit. In a recent study, black soldier fly larvae could digest several commonly used veterinary drugs to some extent. However, they still contained some of them in their bodies. Just as with heavy metals, depending on a situation this can be a good thing, or …Read More
Black Soldier Flies Rock
Black Soldier Flies Rock After all, they are an amazing species that is a versatile tool in improving the sustainability of both food production and waste management. Black soldier flies are also into heavy metal(s), as in accumulating them from feeding substrates. Unfortunately, this may prevent using black soldier flies for recycling certain types of …Read More
Insecticides Hurt Black Soldier Flies
Insecticides Hurt Black Soldier Flies This is not a major revelation. Insecticides kill insects (hence the name). Black soldier flies are insects. Therefore, insecticides kill black soldier flies, or at least make them sick. This is an important consideration in recycling wastes. Since insecticides are widely used in agriculture, their residues are likely to be …Read More
Black Soldier Flies Power Trucks
Black Soldier Flies Power Trucks And other diesel engines. At least potentially, if economics of the process can be worked out. For safety reasons, some of the substrates suitable for rearing black soldier flies, such as carcasses of diseased animals or various manures, cannot be used to grow flies designated for animal feeds. However, they …Read More
Horses Eat Black Soldier Flies
Horses Eat Black Soldier Flies Horses have just joined a long list of animals that can have black soldier flies as an ingredient in their feed. This is the first study on the subject that I know; therefore, additional work will be needed to figure out the details. Still, this is encouraging news. Burron, S., …Read More
Young Black Soldier Flies Have More Sex
Young Black Soldier Flies Have More Sex Not the most unexpected finding, but it is nice that somebody put an effort into documenting this. Dickerson, A.J., Lemke, N.B., Li, C. and Tomberlin, J.K., 2024. Impact of age on the reproductive output of Hermetia illucens (Diptera: Stratiomyidae). Journal of Economic Entomology, toae107 The current study examined …Read More
BLACK SOLDIER FLY PRODUCTS
Black soldier fly larvae are a sustainable, nutritious, and hypoallergenic source of protein for pets.
Dried BSFL for Chickens
3 Oz.
Dried BSFL for Chickens
3 Oz.
Dried BSFL for Chickens
3 Oz.
Dried BSFL for Chickens
3 Oz.
Dried BSFL for Chickens
3 Oz.
Dried BSFL for Chickens
3 Oz.