How to breed black soldier flies

The breeding process thrives on common home waste.  Kampala city alone produces over 1,500 tonnes of waste per day and some of it should be turned to breeding larvae.

There are two ways of breeding the flies. One involves construction of cemented rectangular boxes of about 10x3 feet. These are constructed up to 2 feet high inside the breeding houses. The flies will then lay eggs that are collected and put into the breeding boxes.

Or using simple structures like wire mesh and timber. Although the actual fly lives for only 5-10 days, the actual process takes a 45-day life cycle, that is divided into four stages.

-You need to create a bin or a tub for your black soldier flies to eat from and lay eggs in. Your "home" for your new friends should include:

-A net where the insects will live

-A lid/cover

-An opening for feeding the insects food

-Holes for fl uids from organic matter to drain

-A system to  harvest the larvae

-No deeper than three inches of substrate to ensure the insects have ready access to oxygen.

 ADULT STAGE 

An adult black soldier fly has a lifespan of about five to nine days, where they lay 600-800 eggs. The adults deposit their eggs near the decaying matter.

 EGG STAGE 

The eggs can be found around compost. They hatch out into larvae, within about four days.

 LARVAE STAGE 

The BSF larvae grows in the compost for 14 days, where they eat, excrete and convert waste. "This is the best time for harvesting the larvae for feeding to livestock. If the harvest is not done at this time, then the larvae will turn into a fl y.  

 PUPA STAGE 

From larvae, the BSF enters the pre-pupal stage for a week, where they fi nally enter into the pupa stage, where their nutritional content is at its peak.

 TEMPERATURE AND HUMIDITY 

Black soldier flies survive at a minimum temperature of 350F. However, they are productive between temperatures of 500F - 1130 F. The ideal temperature for these flies is around 950F. During mating, humidity must be maintained at around 30% to 90%.

The temperature needs to be at 820F. They develop the fastest at 70% humidity. The optimal temperature for larvae to pupate is around 770F to 860 F. A thermometer in the breeding lab is a must have to gauge the temperatures. Keep the feed fairly moist -  if it is too dry, the flies won't be able to dig into it and if it is too wet, they could suffocate.  

The black soldier fly consumes any kind of organic waste, such as compost, food scraps, coffee grounds and animal manure.

Additional information by Edrine Kasinguzi, manager of a black fly farm