Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia illucens)

[JackTheGrower]

Bought a small plastic tub with lid for my Starbucks runs.. Looks cool.

You know it's true that the BSF populations go up and down.. I guess they pupate.

But I see females in there every day.

They love meat for sure.. meat and oils are big compost no no's In there tho is a big yes..

Went to dinner and brought home a doggy bag.. yep they got it.

I do have two weird things going on. the red eggs and the ants.. Well the ants don't seem to be a real problem and they are not actually living in there. It's weird because i get the idea the ants are like farming in there the way they are working things. I don't see anything being carried away I don't see the BSF being attacked. they don't like being walked on.
The red eggs and the ants are happening about the same time.

So ?? Are the red eggs BSF? if so I have never seen that before.

Well Ants have a positive role in some aspects of compost piles I read some place.. Don't know..

About the sheep head.. my tumbler wouldn't fit it but if I had my old "bag" system it would have and I might if I had a sheep's head laying around.. back then i wouldn't have fed BSF meat..
Well they got more coffee today and some really over cooked spaghetti.
The "compost" looks really impressive.. I may get to the worms a lot sooner.

Oh I am officially bubbling liquid now. So like I have all this liquid that used to smell like ass then went to rotten ass well i have been observing it bubbling for a few hours and it has sweetened up a lot..
I added just a little molasses, fish emulsion, liquid kelp and about a glass of left over sun tea.. Later I added a small handful of dirt from the garden.
So I believe I am smelling much less ass now.. It's actually a lot less ass smell.

Any suggestions? I may add some azomite and maybe some oyster shell as I assume the Ph is low as I had some in there before and it dissolved in a just 3 or 4 days.
I'm winging it here.. No real clue just a bit of imagination.

I have a plant I can sacrifice so I just may test this liquid on actual cannabis.

 

[JackTheGrower]

Bubbling update.

Bubbling update.

After 20 plus hours bubbling it is now back to that vinegar smell and I will call that square one since this was a peaches based feed.

So the Ass smell is at a minimum.

On the chance that I can use the microbes in there to continue processing materials I have continued to add new materials.
Nothing documented but a bit of this and that added and I will bubble another 24..
Added oyster shell for sure since I assume that it's on the low end of the Ph scale due to the sharp scent.

This is one time I will try and find the Ph meter and use it..

It's an experiment so we shall see..

----------------------------------


Edit!


You knew it was bound to happen... BSF porn!

So we have the compost, the liquid and the amazing disposal of things we would like to see get Ate..

Here is a sexy shady bubble shot...

There are a whole lot of other things in there.. Oh Baby... What a brew! Still on the vinegar side.

And a chance for some more WaterBoy humor.. I got my Wo wo wo wooden spoon too!

 

[JackTheGrower]

Lol you are like the dudes on csi. I wanna see pics of a sheeps head go through. Great for printing on Halloween place mats.

They could eat a person.. I'm sure of that.

Then there would be the bone meal to deal with.. Muhahaha!


Good one MaryJohn!

 

[maryjohn]

Hey frank, I just happened to rereading your post and it occurs to me they don't like tomato greens because the are a poisonous nightshade. Strong enough to give people a big stomach ache. Also makes a decent insecticide in decoction.

 

[JackTheGrower]

The brew bubbles on..

Smells good still vinegar like bite..

Looks a lot like fish emulsion which is in there but not so much to make it be the main thing.. More for microbe food.

Any suggestions or points I should know? My first bubble bubble toil and trouble.

So far I see no need to hurry.. I assume the microbial life is still living.. I doubt all the materials are consumed.
I am adding some cane sugar here and there thinking that keep the life stimulated on the more solid like the oatmeal.

Well The BSF bin is doing well.. I picked them up a cantaloupe and that is always a happy time for them..

 

[FrankRizzo]

Hey frank, I just happened to rereading your post and it occurs to me they don't like tomato greens because the are a poisonous nightshade. Strong enough to give people a big stomach ache. Also makes a decent insecticide in decoction.

I did not know that. Learn something new everyday. Thanks for filling me in

 

[maryjohn]

I would keep leaves from that whole family out of the bin. So eggplants, peppers, potatoes, etc...

You know when you hear that colonists in the new world were afraid to eat tomatoes? They had a good reason to be afraid. Deadly nightshade and all that. Turns out the fruit is harmless.

 

[JackTheGrower]

Update

Update

I've added whatever has come to mind and was on hand basically. Anything I thought microbes would eat. What do I know it's my first time.

I believe success is getting closer.

The "Foam" is very light now where it had been very thick. The smell much less vinegar and the ass smell is faint.

Still any input on bubbling materials in a brew would be helpful..

Also the temperature of the liquid was hanging around 80 degrees F and now is down to 74 F.. I figure that is a sign of a decline in microbial activity.

BTW thanks for the reminder on Tomatoes MJ.. Eggplant I didn't know about.

 

[maryjohn]

Jack that is nasty. Just nasty! Looks like a baby shit milkshake. Make that malted.

 

[JackTheGrower]

Actually it has changed smells now..

It's a bit on that poopy side but in a good way.. In for a Penny weight in for a pound... So poopy side but not that anaerobic kind of poopy smell..

So I am going to add more nitrogen in the form of 12-8-0 Sea bird and let her go..

So far very interesting.. I'm experimenting so all is fair...


Oh I think it will be some good stuff..

 

[JackTheGrower]

Update

Update

That Guano and some old BSF leach mellowed it out. Vinegar smell is down.. Going to see in a few if more guano does even more..
Still with the cane sugar..

Going by my nose..


The liquid is starting to look like carob-milk if anyone has seen that.

 

[JackTheGrower]

Update

Update

Alright, I can honestly say it smells great! Sweet and ready to rock. Still a hint of "tang" in the smell but really sweet.

Now the exact nature of the things in there are a secret. A gardener needs to keep some secrets private!

Well I am confident it's alright. I know what it is made of every step so my trust is bestowed before I test; well the test is the use.. That is I diluted it a lot and watered everything.

MaryJohn pegged the color and I have to agree malted baby shit milkshake brown.

So yes there is a use for the liquid my BSF Internet friends..

My best guess is this brew is absolutely premium. I will be surprised if it's bad for plants.. We shall see..

Jack

 

[maryjohn]

Just out of curiosity, is it very acidic?

 

[JackTheGrower]

Just out of curiosity, is it very acidic?

You know I didn't check.. But the Baking soda fizzes so I am adding more oyster shell.

Good thing you reminded me to check.

I diluted well when I used it so I don't think it will be a problem but I would like it lower on the Fizz scale.

Again Thanx It's my first time brewing..

 

[foescan]

So, anyone have advice on how to get rid of BSF? I've been trying all summer to limit their numbers. I've tried drying out the pile, but they seem to generate a lot of moisture on their own. I'm interested in good bacterial/fungal compost, not muddy sludge and buckets of larva.

The only benefit is that the lower layers of my pile are teeming with worms, but I'm not getting close to the amount of finished compost I used to. And I'm also concerned about the pile not getting hot enough. It doesn't seem to get much over 100 degrees with the BSF dominating it.

 

[JackTheGrower]

Huh... Yep those BSF know how to manage the decomposition somehow.. I mixed rice and alfalfa in there and that should have kicked it up high but it never much went over 100 and then settled down @ 90 ish

Rid of... Nothing comes to mind..

I guess you could kill them by turning them under the pile but the scent of them will attract new females.

Cold is the only tool i know that stops them..

Perhaps just turning the pile more will disrupt them? I'll try to think of something.

 

[FrankRizzo]

So, anyone have advice on how to get rid of BSF? I've been trying all summer to limit their numbers. I've tried drying out the pile, but they seem to generate a lot of moisture on their own. I'm interested in good bacterial/fungal compost, not muddy sludge and buckets of larva.

The only benefit is that the lower layers of my pile are teeming with worms, but I'm not getting close to the amount of finished compost I used to. And I'm also concerned about the pile not getting hot enough. It doesn't seem to get much over 100 degrees with the BSF dominating it.

You need to get the temps up over 120. Closer to 140. No good advice on how to do that, but they will leave/die of you get the temps up.

 

[JackTheGrower]

Update

Update

It's been a bubbling Brew all this time.. Added more oyster shell and thanks to CC I have switched to the cheaper kelp meal..

Added some of that meal..

You know it's interesting to do this..

With a healthy soil a little acidic isn't going to cause problems. The microherd works it out...

Nothing died from watering with a diluted solution.. Depending on water pH it can be diluted down and the pH will be much less.

So I will be using it some and see how it goes.. Nothing beats the soil but this may feed it even in small containers..

That's my experience with "Brewing" BSF leachate mixes.. Plenty of biological activity.. Add what you think you want into it..
I add Oyster Shell but this maybe be a time for other Limes..

Now on to Earthworms.

Does anyone want to continue this thread as a two part-er topic? Worm castings from BSF "compost?" It makes sense since I see there is a bit of interest in it..

Wouldn't be our Organic soil forum with out the Fun...


JackTheGrower

 

[maryjohn]

It occurs to me that you basically have a mini composting toilet for maggots.

Cool.

You think adding some em or bokashi juice would help?

 

[JackTheGrower]

It occurs to me that you basically have a mini composting toilet for maggots.

Cool.

You think adding some em or bokashi juice would help?

On the, "stick my neck out since I have no schooling on this kind of thing", observation of this ; yes it's sort of like bio-composting except that I don't expect the culture of organisms to "directly" transfer to the soil medium.. I mean by that, I don't expect the decompositional process to be in the same mode as the liquid once I water the soil.

Also I doubt seriously that this "program" can't be done with materials in water. The BSF leachate is just premium starter liquid IMO.

Bokashi leachate? I don't have any experience with but it sounds alright as long as nothing is extreme like sodium.. Human foods are often high in sodium.
That's my current POV...

JTG