You Are What You Eat Part II – BlackSoldierFlies.com

You Are What You Eat Part II – BlackSoldierFlies.comIncluding black soldier fly ingredients in animal feeds may affect meat composition and quality. For giltheaded seabrim studied in the study referenced below, it changed the fatty acid profile, and not in the best possible way. Still, fillet composition stayed well within the range recommended for a…Read [...]

When wet waste is not wasted

When wet waste is not wastedOne of the key tools being employed in Shanghai’s quest to make its waste management greener has nothing to do with state-of-the-art technology or bulky machinery. In fact, it even has a life of its own.Read the Article

Everything Is Good in Moderation – BlackSoldierFlies.com

Everything Is Good in Moderation – BlackSoldierFlies.comIn many cases, ingredients derived from black soldier flies cannot completely substitute other ingredients. However, it does not mean that they should not be used at all. Study below demonstrated that adding a very small amount of black soldier fly improves growth and immune function of an aquacultu…Read the [...]

Big Business on Small Livestock – BlackSoldierFlies.com

Big Business on Small Livestock – BlackSoldierFlies.comTyson Foods, Inc., which is one of the world’s most prominent food companies, has announced that it is forming a partnership with Protix, which is one of the largest black soldier fly growers. The deal includes direct investment through acquisition of a minority stake in Protix by Tyson and [...]

Even More Good News on Aquafeeds – BlackSoldierFlies.com

Even More Good News on Aquafeeds – BlackSoldierFlies.comResults of small-scale laboratory studies do not necessarily directly translate to industrial scale. If something works in a flask, it does not necessarily work in 10,000 gallon tank. Fortunately, a recent paper reported successful addition of black soldier fly meal to salmon feed on a commercial sc…Read the [...]

The Healing Power of Black Soldier Fly – BlackSoldierFlies.com

The Healing Power of Black Soldier Fly – BlackSoldierFlies.comA group of Korean researchers was able to cure tummy ache in laboratory mice by feeding them fermented black soldier fly larvae. There is a lot of interest in antimicrobial properties in black soldier flies and identifying biologically active compounds that may be responsible for these properties. [...]

Potato Relevance – BlackSoldierFlies.com

Potato Relevance – BlackSoldierFlies.comThis is the last post about potatoes for now, I promise. However, it is worth saying that not only do potatoes teach an important lesson on the acceptance of novel foods, but also they can be consumed by black soldier flies. This opens a possibility to recycle potato waste by feeding them [...]

No Small Potatoes. Part III – BlackSoldierFlies.com

No Small Potatoes. Part III – BlackSoldierFlies.comNot all lessons that can be learned by insect farming community from potato farming community are positive. Unfortunately, the tragedy of the Irish Potato Famine is something that should also be kept in mind. Otherwise, there is a real danger of running into serious problems in the future.Read the [...]

It’s a Wasp against a Fly – BlackSoldierFlies.com

It’s a Wasp against a Fly – BlackSoldierFlies.comOne of the many advantages of farming black soldier fly larvae is that, so far, they appear to have relatively few natural enemies. This is different, for example, from crickets, which are prone to be wiped out by viral diseases. Such a situation is not surprising because black [...]

Insecticide Residues Are Bad for Larvae – BlackSoldierFlies.com

Insecticide Residues Are Bad for Larvae – BlackSoldierFlies.comSince black soldier flies are insects, it is not much of a revelation that insecticides are not good for them. Insecticides are widely used in agriculture; therefore, their residues are often present in harvested commodities. Food safety regulations set residue levels that are supposedly safe for hu…Read the [...]

Is That a Fly in My Feed? – BlackSoldierFlies.com

Is That a Fly in My Feed? – BlackSoldierFlies.comAs products derived from black soldier flies become increasingly common, so will the situation when it is necessary to determine whether a powder or an oil in question is actually made of what a vendor claims it is made of. Some people are willing to pay extra [...]

Eat Your Fruit as Mother Says – BlackSoldierFlies.com

Eat Your Fruit as Mother Says – BlackSoldierFlies.comFemale black soldier flies apparently prefer laying their eggs next to mixed fruit rather than next to manure or a couple other substrates because fruit smells better. Cannot really blame them, even though it is not yet clear if feeding on fruit will be better for the larvae.Read [...]

You Are What You Eat – BlackSoldierFlies.com

You Are What You Eat – BlackSoldierFlies.comAlthough black soldier flies are generally omnivorous, not every food is equally suitable for them. There have been numerous studies documenting diet effects on larval growth, survivorship, fat and protein contents, etc. However, as the publication below indicates, larval diet may also affect their…Read the Article

Growing flies for profit

Growing flies for profitA group of women in Nepal are capitalizing on the climate in their village to grow black soldier flies. They’re turning the flies for a profit, in hopes of e…Read the Article

No Small Potatoes. Part II – BlackSoldierFlies.com

No Small Potatoes. Part II – BlackSoldierFlies.comPrevious post on potato lessons for insectivores described a long road undertaken by indigenous people of South America towards making potatoes edible. Thanks to their efforts, the spuds could already be eaten without undergoing detoxification when the Europeans arrived in South America.Read the Article

Black Soldier Flies May Recycle Minerals Too – BlackSoldierFlies.com

Black Soldier Flies May Recycle Minerals Too – BlackSoldierFlies.comBlack soldier flies are fairly well known for their ability to recover nutrients from many different types of organic waste and turn them into the ingredients of animal feeds and into soil-improving fertilizers. Another potential use is recovering minerals, including heavy metals, to use them to mak…Read [...]