black soldier fly farming business plan

Black Soldier Fly Farm Business Plan [Sample Template]

By: Author Tony Martins Ajaero

Home » Business Plans » Agriculture Sector » Livestock Farming

Do you want to start a black soldier fly farm and need to write a plan? If YES, here is a sample black soldier fly farming business plan template & feasibility report.

Black Soldier Flies (BSF) is the type of flies that are slightly bigger than the normal flies and known for its extraordinary ability to consume and reduce organic waste. It is also sold to poultries and dairy farms as a new protein source.

Black fly larvae alone can contain up to 43 percent of protein, and they are a great source of calcium and amino acids as well.

Why Breed Black Soldier Fly?

In modern America, any animal raised for its meat must be a clean source of food, both before and after being processed. For poultries or cattle, black soldier flies mean the process is a whole lot faster and easier, since no matter what they eat, a black soldier fly’s digestive process kills any bacteria they encounter in their food.

A black soldier fly can easily lay up to 500 eggs in one go, and since they only live for 6 weeks, be ready to get more eggs from the next generation of BSFL. Compared to that, a chicken usually lays only about 200 eggs in a year.

To further show how advantageous their reproduction rate is when compared to other animals, black soldier fly larvae excel at converting fodder into food. While you would need 10 kg of fodder to make 1 kg of beef, BSFL only need around 1.5 kg of feed to produce 1 kg of meat.

If you are seeking for a fresh, organic source of protein that you can easily farm, this is it. It is unique and stress free. Once you put a little ramp in their feeding area with a bucket at the end, the BSFL will harvest it selves: just before they enter the final stage of their growth, they will look for a dark and dry place, and climb into the bucket by themselves.

They also prefer to stay very close together. This means that what counts as cruel towards other livestock, is actually a humane, and practical solution here. In addition, they produce zero waste since their remains are fertilizer, and take a lot less space than other animals, so farming black soldier flies in environmentally sustainable.

A Sample Black Soldier Fly Farming Business Plan Template

1. industry overview.

According to industry reports, the global black soldier fly market will reach $2.57 billion by 2030 with a CAGR of 33.3 percent during the forecast period of 2019 to 2030. The high growth of the black soldier fly market is due to the growing global meat demand, growing aquaculture industry, and the demand from animal feed industry for alternative proteins due to rising prices of soy meal.

In addition, growing government support for the use of insect meal in livestock feed, and growing investments by the key players operating in the BSF industry is fuelling overall growth. Although, factors such as non-standardized regulatory framework across Europe and limited acceptance and approval for BSFL application in human diet are negatively affecting the growth of this market.

In terms of industry product, in terms of value, protein meal maintained the largest share of the overall black soldier fly market in 2019.

Geographically, Europe will enjoy rapid growth during the forecast period. This rapid growth can be due to the government approvals for the use of BSF in animal feed and pet food; growing funding and investments in BSF industry; and the presence of a large number of start-ups.

Howbeit, factors such as growing demand for protein-rich animal feed; large supply of organic waste, including pre-consumer food waste from agriculture and food and beverage sectors; and supportive government policies for BSF farming conditions are also encouraging the BSF insect farming, and their consumption in food, feed, and other industrial applications.

2. Executive Summary

Feed Special® Black Soldier Fly Farm, Inc. is a new Black Soldier Fly Farm and Animal feed Production facility in Chicago, Illinois dedicated to sustainable, profitable and unique products. Black soldier flies are slightly bigger than the normal flies and known for its extraordinary ability to consume and reduce organic waste. We plan to sell them as new protein source used as animal feed.

Our mission at Feed Special® Black Soldier Fly Farm, Inc. is to breed these amazing flies, and use them to produce animal proteins to supply local poultries and consumers in Chicago. Our goals include high quality products and processes, and all our methods include new technology utilizing sustainable agriculture and best management practices.

Feed Special® Black Soldier Fly Farm, Inc. would earn revenue through the production and selling of the feeds for cattle, swine and poultry using the black soldier flies. Livestock animals are increasing in their numbers and there is increase in demand of feeds for livestock especially in winter.

Our breeding and production would go on around the year since there is availability of key resources all time of the year. At Feed Special® Black Soldier Fly Farm, Inc., we hope to increase production by 20 percent and sales by 30 percent in the next five years. Thomas and Patricia Kent own Feed Special® Black Soldier Fly Farm, Inc.

The farm and facility will be located on 3 acres of land belonging to the family and has two round style greenhouses for production and the reduction of production risk. The Kent family have been farming for 4 years and is relatively new to the industry although Thomas grew up on a ranch.

From our market research, it is evident that consumers are interested in high-end speciality products. There is a move toward health and local that will benefit our operation. Few limitations to our business include time and labour to devote to the operation and feed production.

Feed Special® Black Soldier Fly Farm, Inc. is well prepared to grow into one of the leading commercial BSF farms in the united states of America. We have organised the processes and strategies that will enable us employ best practices within the proximity of the law.

3. Our Products and Services

Cattles are one of the major contributors in the livestock market across the United States and they are a significant component of the American dietary system that includes the dairy products like butter and cheese. Poultry also remains one of the important livestock components in this modern age.

Animal feed plays a vital role in the food chain, as feed is one of the most crucial contributors in ensuring safe, abundant and affordable animal protein. Incessant population growth and rising affordability has surged demand for animal protein in the United States.

Feed Special® Black Soldier Fly Farm, Inc. will leverage extensive farming practices to bred black solider flies for both the United States’ market and the world as a whole.

We also plan to produce both animal feed and fertilisers in very large quantities to meet the demand for clean protein source for livestock farmers and organic efficient fertilisers for crop farmers. We will also produce dried larvae, larvae oil, and chitin and chitosan. We plan to market them to the feed, agriculture, pet food, and other segments.

4. Our Mission and Vision Statement

• The Vision of Feed Special® Black Soldier Fly Farm, Inc. is to grow to become one of the leading commercial insect farms in the whole world, starting from the United States.
• Our mission at Feed Special® Black Soldier Fly Farm, Inc. is to provide unique and wholesome animal feeds that are affordable and sustainable.
• We work harmoniously with nature to grow quality black soldier flies to supply local poultries, cattle and swine in Chicago, Illinois

Our Business Structure

Feed Special® Black Soldier Fly Farm, Inc. is a black soldier fly farm that will be offering a wide range of animal feed and fertilizer produce. We plan to hire a number of employees to help us build a farm that will be able to meet the demand in the Chicago livestock industry.

We would also be hiring workers at intervals to help us deliver on our promise to provide sustainable options to our customers. Outlined below is the business structure of Feed Special® Black Soldier Fly Farm, Inc.:

Chief Operating Officer

Farm General Manager

Business Accountant

• Black Soldier Fly Farming Manager/Supervisor
• Field Employees

Receptionist

5. Job Roles and Responsibilities

• Will be in charge of providing direction for the business
• Well be In charge of Creating, communicating, and implementing the farm’s vision, mission, and overall direction – i.e. leading the development and implementation of the overall farm’s strategy.
• Will be in charge of the day to day running of the farm
• Will be in charge of handling high profile clients and deals
• Will be in charge of fixing prices and signing business deals
• Will be in charge of signing checks and documents on behalf of the company
• In charge of calculating the success of the farm at regular interval
• Will be in charge of the planning, management and coordinating all farm activities across the various sections on behalf of the farm
• Ensures compliance during project executions
• Obligated to provide advice on the management of farming activities across all section
• Should be able to use IT systems and software to keep track of people and progress of the growth of the insects
• In charge of overseeing the accounting, costing and sale of farm produce after harvest
• Is charged with representing the farm’s interest at various stakeholders meetings
• Makes sure that farming goals desired result are achieved, the most efficient resources are used and different interests involved are satisfied.
• In charge of overseeing the smooth running of HR and administrative tasks for the farm
• It’s obligated to define the job positions for recruitment and managing interviewing process
• Carries out induction for new team members
• In charge of training, evaluation and assessment of employees
• In charge of overseeing the smooth running of the daily farming activities across the various farming sections
• Tasked with defining job positions for recruitment and managing interviewing process
• In charge of preparing financial reports, budgets, and financial statements for the farm
• In charge of financial forecasting and risks analysis
• In charge of developing and managing financial systems and policies
• In charge of administering payrolls
• Ensures compliance with taxation legislation
• Handles all financial transactions for the company
• Serves as internal auditor for the company

Black Soldier fly Manager/Supervisor

• In charge of managing the black soldier farming section of the farm
• Tasked with supervising other workers within the department
• Works closely with the General Manager to achieve the farms’ goals and objectives

Field Workers/Contract Staff

• In charge of feeding flies
• Helps in carrying out task in line with the stated job description
• Help in transport working tools and equipment from the farm and back to the designated store room
• Handles any other duties as assigned my the line manager
• Tasked with Receiving Visitors / customers on behalf of the farm
• Tasked with receiving parcels / documents for the company
• Tasked with handling enquiries via e-mail and phone calls for the farm
• Tasked with handling any other duties as assigned by the manager
• In charge of protecting the farm and its environs
• Controls traffic and organize parking
• Tasked with giving security tips when necessary
• Patrols around the farm on a 24 hours basis
• Presents security reports weekly

6. SWOT Analysis

Feed Special® Black Soldier Fly Farm, Inc. will compete favourably with leading feed production businesses in the United States of America. We will be offering a good number of agricultural resources, have properly analysed our market and our possibility for success.

Our SWOT analysis is to be analysed with a keen eye to capitalize on our strengths and make adjustments based on findings. Properly explained below is a summary of the result of the SWOT analysis of Feed Special® Black Soldier Fly Farm, Inc.,

• Devotion to the farm business
• Off farm income is helpful for start of the farm enterprise
• Well known in the community and reputation for quality
• Commitment to quality and success
• Constant trainings and workshops for management and production
• Do not have some of the machinery for feed production
• Lack of farm experience and new to black soldier fly farming
• Off farm jobs take precedence over farm
• Time and labour are an issue at peak time

Opportunities

• Local livestock movement is growing
• Promotion of Farmers Markets and coupon programs by state
• Lack of quality and affordable animal feed
• Local Farms and feed production businesses are Competitors
• Consumer preferences vary
• Product liability insurance are required by some potential clients

7. MARKET ANALYSIS

• Market Trends

In North America and Europe, black soldier fly prices are enormous compared to Asian countries, especially South Korea, Japan, Malaysia, and Vietnam, given the production cost differential between North America and Europe and Asia.

In addition, in the US, the prices for BSF products are higher than in European countries, especially due to standardized regulatory framework and low BSF production units compared to Europe.

At Feed Special® Black Soldier Fly Farm, Inc., we also understand that the availability of fishmeal has become increasingly limited with the expansion of the aquaculture industry, causing volatility in the price of the ingredient. There are growing concerns about the deforestation link with soybean meal, and it is fuelling industry’s search for sustainable alternatives, leading to growing interest in insect derived protein.

Insect species that are mass-reared such as black soldier fly (BSF) have received significant attention mainly due to their ability to feed on different substrates including organic waste streams. Coupled with increasing demand from the feed industry for alternative proteins, we also understand at Feed Special® Black Soldier Fly Farm, Inc. that the growth of the BSF market stems from a hike in global demand.

8. Our Target Market

Poultry, cattle and swine are the fastest growing livestock sectors in the United States. These livestock need adequate feed to obtain high quality, improved growth rate and lower mortality rate. Although the feedstock is of different types depending on the product such as for eggs or meat, Black soldier fly feedstock are important feeding component in almost every livestock farm owing to its cost effective and desired results.

Our market at Feed Special® Black Soldier Fly Farm, Inc. is a part of the vast animal feed market that makes an important part of it as meat and livestock products consumed in most parts of the country.

Our Competitive Advantage

At Feed Special® Black Soldier Fly Farm, Inc., we aspire to deliver quality products that would be beneficial for the health of the livestock and improve their longevity and productivity. It is expected that there would be a demand-pull at the customer end.

This can be further strengthened through innovative promotional strategies. The demand-pull is estimated to be significant thereby ensuring lowering of costs through economies of scale. It is expected that some of the competition would eventually be eliminated.

9. SALES AND MARKETING STRATEGY

At Feed Special® Black Soldier Fly Farm, Inc., we perfectly understand the importance of a well-detailed marketing plan and we have perfected ours by networking with livestock merchants and companies that rely on animal feeds for their farms.

Properly aligned below are the basic sales and marketing strategies we will be adopted ongoing at Feed Special® Black Soldier Fly Farm, Inc.:

• We will be introducing our farm and products by sending introductory letters alongside our brochure to poultries, cattle ranches, crop farmers and industry businesses.
• We will also advertise our farm and products in livestock and agricultural related magazines and websites
• We will strive to attend related agriculture expos, seminars, and business fairs et al
• We also plan to make use of the internet to promote our business
• We also plan to engage in direct marketing
• We will also Encourage the use of Word of mouth marketing (referrals)

10. Sales Forecast

We at Feed Special® Black Soldier Fly Farm, Inc. after our extensive research and feasibility studies have been able to discover what our sales might look like over the next three years. We believe in our strength and the products we offer from our farm, and we believe we will achieve these goals and figures.

We have also perfected our sales and marketing strategies to help us achieve our aim and goals, we have employed experienced hands and individuals we believe can help us be what we want, when we want.

Our sales forecast was actually based on what we believe is attainable for a new entrant in this industry and we have made everything possible in order to achieve it within the specified time or year. Outlined perfectly below is the three years forecast for Feed Special® Black Soldier Fly Farm, Inc.:

• First Year: $125,000
• Second Year: $449,000
• Third Year: $1,082,000

11. Publicity and Advertising Strategy

At Feed Special® Black Soldier Fly Farm, Inc., we boast of the zeal to grow our farm into a market leader in the industry. We have perfected plans to grow our brand awareness and create a corporate identity.

After our due market research, we know the critical points to leverage when deciding on the best strategies that will help us boost our brand awareness and to create a corporate identity for our farm. Summarized below are the strategies we have decided to use to boost our farm image:

• We plan to encourage our loyal customers to help with Word of Mouth mode of advertisement (referrals)
• We also plan to advertise our black soldier fly farm business in relevant magazines (agriculture and livestock related magazines), local newspaper, local TV and radio stations
• We will also promote our farm online via our official website and other farmers market publication
• We will list our farm business on local directories (yellow pages ads)
• We will make use of the internet and social media platforms like; Instagram, Google+, LinkedIn, Badoo, Facebook , twitter, et al to promote our farm business
• We plan to distribute our fliers and handbills in target areas (farm markets) at regular intervals.

Sources of Income

Feed Special® Black Soldier Fly Farm, Inc. is a privately owned farm that was established with the aim maximizing profits. Therefore, we have decided to leverage all available opportunities within our range to make Feed Special® Black Soldier Fly Farm, Inc. break even in the nearest possible time.

Feed Special® Black Soldier Fly Farm, Inc. would earn revenue through the production and selling of black soldier larvae and flies as feeds for cattle, swine and poultry.

We also plan to produce fertilisers in very large quantities to meet the demand for clean organic efficient fertilisers for crop farmers. We will earn revenue by selling dried larvae, larvae oil, and chitin and chitosan. All these products will be marketed to the feed, agriculture, pet food, and other segments.

12. Our Pricing Strategy

To get the right pricing for our farm resources, we need to make sure that we reduce the cost of running our farm to the smallest minimum and make sure we attract buyers, as against taking our products to the market to source for buyers. With this, we would have successfully removed the cost of transporting the goods to the market and other logistics from the equation.

We believe the nature of the industry has made it possible for farmers to place prices on their products based on their discretion without any outlined procedure in the industry. We plan to price our products efficiently to buttress its quality and nutrients.

• Payment Options

We all at Feed Special® Black Soldier Fly Farm, Inc. after our extensive research and thorough discussion are aware that different customers prefer different payment options as it suits them. We plan to make sure that we provide them with payment options that will make their transactions less stressful and very open. Listed below are the payment options we are making available to our customers:

• Payment via bank transfer
• Payment with cash
• Payment via online bank transfer
• Payment via check
• Payment via bank draft

13. Startup Expenditure (Budget)

As a farm that will be offering a good number of agricultural resources, we have properly analysed our market and our possibility for success. Our goals include high quality products and processes, and all our methods include new technology utilizing sustainable agriculture and best management practices.

We plan to offer a wide variety of services at Feed Special® Black Soldier Fly Farm, Inc. and we know what we need to make this farm profitable in no time.

The business would have only one production line with the production of feeds for cattle, swine and poultry. The production requires four types of machineries, which includes crusher machine, mixer machine, pelleting machine and conveyor machine, which works simultaneously one after the other accordingly.

Outlined below are some of the basic areas we plan to spend our start up fund for Feed Special® Black Soldier Fly Farm, Inc.

• The price for registering our farm in United States of America – $750
• Our budget for key insurance policies, permits and business license – $4,000
• The cost of preparing our production facility – $55,000
• The budget for preparing the farm– $25,000
• The price for acquiring the required working tools and equipment / machines / et al– $600,000
• The price of Launching an official Website – $600
• The budget for paying our workers for 1 year – $500,000
• Other business requirements (Business cards, Signage, Adverts and Promotions et al) – $2,000
• Miscellaneous – $5,000

As you can see from our above cost analysis, we will need $1,192,350 to start Feed Special® Black Soldier Fly Farm, Inc. and make the farm ready to serve the needs of our customers.

Generating Funding/Start-up Capital for Feed Special® Black Soldier Fly Farm, Inc.

Feed Special® Black Soldier Fly Farm, Inc. is owned and operated by Thomas and Patricia Kent. The farm and facility will be located on 3 acres of land belonging to the family that has two round style greenhouses for production.

Feed Special® Black Soldier Fly Farm, Inc. is a privately owned farm that will be solely finance by the owners and their immediate family. Outlined below are the possible means we plan to raising funds for Feed Special® Black Soldier Fly Farm, Inc.,

• Raising part of the startup capital from personal savings and sale of his stocks
• Raising part of the startup capital from family members and friends (soft loans and gifts et al)
• Raising a larger chunk of the start-up capital from the banks (loan facility)

14. Sustainability and Expansion Strategy

Although Feed Special® Black Soldier Fly Farm, Inc. should try to focus much in winters to serve the farmers as there will be scarcity of natural feed during this period. Nevertheless, for institutional side, we have to focus on meeting up the demand all throughout the year.

Our sales team, headed by the Chief Operating Officer, should have clearly spelt out responsibilities for team members to address the above segment with a properly devised sales plan. As our work forces are mostly unskilled, there is a need to develop their skills according to the need of the industry.

Workshops or on-site short-term trainings will be organized by the farming alignment with suppliers of machineries on how to control the temperature, operate machineries etc.  The training would be a combination of theory sessions, on-the-job coaching sessions and on-the-job supervision.

For people joining with no relevant experience, training in their respective functional area would be mandatory. There would be a periodic skill assessment done by the farm management based on observation of on-the-job performance. Based on the findings, a training calendar needs to be drawn up;

One of the most common complaints associated with insect farms and feed production are the odours produced. The odours that feed production emits are a complex mixture of ammonia, hydrogen sulphide, and carbon dioxide, as well as volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds.

These odours are worse than smells formerly associated with smaller livestock farms. The anaerobic reaction that occurs when manure is stored in pits or lagoons for long amounts of time is the main cause of the smells. Odours from waste will be carried away from farm areas to be disposed according to water management laws in the region.

• Insect Vectors

Feed production and their waste can be breeding grounds for insect vectors. Houseflies, stable flies, and mosquitoes are the most common insects associated with feed production. Houseflies breed in manure, while stable and other flies breed in decaying organic material, such as livestock bedding.

Mosquitoes breed in standing water, and water on the edges of manure lagoons can cause mosquito infestations to rise. Flies can change from eggs to adults in only 10 days, which means that substances in which flies breed on need to be cleaned up regularly at our facility.

• Antibiotics

Antibiotics are commonly administered in animal feed in the United States. Antibiotics are included at low levels in animal feed to reduce the chance of infection and to eradicate the need for animals to expend energy fighting off bacteria, with the assumption that saved energy will be translated into growth.

The main purposes of using non-therapeutic doses of antimicrobials in animal feed are so that animals will grow faster, produce more meat, and avoid illnesses.

Supporters of antibiotic use say that it allows animals to digest their food more efficiently, get the most benefit from it, and grow into strong and healthy animals. The trend of using antibiotics in feed has increased with the greater number of animals held in confinement.

The more animals that are in close quarters, the more likely it is that infection or bacteria can spread among the animals.

Exit Strategy

Thomas and Patricia Kent will like to retire in 15 years and turn the farm over to their Son Austin. They have decided not to put more than $260,000 of their cash reserves at risk at anytime in the farm business. They want to work as a family unit in decision making regarding insects, enterprises, marketing and finances.

They also plan to invest in the farm business and hope to have a positive cash flow in 5 years. If not they will re-evaluate the farm business practice, market and product. At that time, they will decide to keep the farm in production or not.

Check List/Milestone

• Business Name Availability Check : Completed
• Business Incorporation: Completed
• Opening of Corporate Bank Accounts : Completed
• Opening Online Payment Platforms: Completed
• Application and Obtaining Tax Payer’s ID: In Progress
• Application for business license and permit: Completed
• Purchase of Insurance for the Business: Completed
• Conducting Feasibility Studies: Completed
• Leasing, renovating and equipping our facility: Completed
• Generating part of the startup capital from the founder: Completed
• Applications for Loan from our Bankers: In Progress
• writing of business plan: Completed
• Drafting of Employee’s Handbook: Completed
• Drafting of Contract Documents: In Progress
• Design of The Company’s Logo: Completed
• Printing of Promotional Materials: Completed
• Recruitment of employees: In Progress
• Purchase of software applications, furniture, office equipment, electronic appliances and facility facelift: In progress
• Creating Official Website for the Company: In Progress
• Creating Awareness for the business (Business PR): In Progress
• Health and Safety and Fire Safety Arrangement: In Progress
• Establishing business relationship with banks, financial lending institutions, vendors and key players in the industry: In Progress

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Establishing a Scaled-Up Black Soldier Fly System

By: sombat chalermliamthong and patrick trail, echo asia impact center, published: 2021-09-01, from: echo asia note articles.

[Editor’s Note: This step-by-step guide follows the BSF production system of the ECHO Asia Small Farm Resource Center in Chiang Mai, Thailand. This is only one example of a functional system and should be adapted according to local context and availability of inputs. This article aims to elaborate on a ‘scaled-up’ system, adding to the wide variety of materials written about backyard and household BSF production.]

Figure 1. Author displays healthy Black Soldier Fly larvae to workshop participants at the ECHO Asia Small Farm Resource Center.

Introduction to Black Soldier Fly Production

Critical to the success of a small-scale farm is its ability to turn on-farm waste into alternative value-added products. By integrating the Black Soldier Fly ( Hermetia illucens ) on the farm, small-scale enterprises can do just that. Taking common waste products such as food scraps and manure, the Black Soldier Fly can be used to efficiently convert raw waste materials into high-protein feed sources for livestock, while simultaneously producing a by-product suited for amending soils. 

The production of BSF larvae also has particular potential for areas in which feed protein sources are difficult to come by. In remote mountainous regions for example, the production of pigs, poultry, and fish are often limited by the availability of affordable protein inputs such as fishmeal and/or soy meal. Black Soldier Fly larvae production may be suited as an affordable alternative. While, humans can safely consume BSF larvae as well, the focus of this article will target production of feed sources for livestock. 

There are many potential advantages to producing BSF and few drawbacks. Of particular note, BSF are extremely efficient converters of waste, can be produced quickly, and require a comparatively small footprint to other livestock or agricultural enterprises. It is also important to note that the Black Soldier Fly is not considered a pest, a common misconception. The BSF is not a known vector of disease, nor does it bite or sting.

Nutritional Value of BSF Larvae

Figure 2. Nutritional break down of [dehydrated] Black Soldier Fly ( Hermetia illucens ) larvae. Source: Feedipedia, 2021.   

The larvae of the BSF are packed full of nutrients, both in quantity and quality. In addition to their high percentage levels of protein and fat content, larvae offer a complete nutritional make-up, including micronutrients, chitins, amino acids, and vitamins. Figure 2 below offers a snapshot of the nutritional make-up of the BSF larvae. For further details and break down of individual nutritional components of BSF larvae, see summary article by Barragan-Fonseca et al., 2017 . 

A Step-By Step Guide to Scaled-Up BSF Production

This photo guide tracks the current Black Soldier Fly production system of the ECHO Asia Small Farm Resource Center, located outside of Chiang Mai, Thailand. This particular system aims to produce a steady flow of BSF larvae for feed of chickens and fish on the farm, but should not be considered large-scale or industrial by any means. Many resources currently exist online for the set-up and maintenance of small backyard BSF systems, such as those produced in buckets, bins, and barrels, but this system aims to produce larger quantities of larvae at various stages of production and life cycle. At the time of writing, this system consistently produces larvae in the range of 10 kilograms per week. 

Step 1. Getting Started

Figure 3. Close up of an adult Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia illucens) .

As noted earlier in the article, the Hermetia illucens (Figure 3) can be found in most parts of the world, having adapted itself from its native region of the Americas into a now commonly seen insect species. To start a BSF production system, flies can either be captured from the wild or purchased from a local source. This article assumes the latter, that the reader is starting with eggs, larvae, or adult flies already in hand.

Figure 4. The screened-in BSF mating enclosure, including a dark room and overhead sprinklers for moisture control. Here adult flies mate and females will lay their eggs.

Step 2. Establishing a Mating Enclosure

The establishment of a mating enclosure is critical to the production of eggs, the primary step in producing BSF larvae. Such enclosures depend on the targeted scale of the enterprise, with many options and adaptations available. Mating enclosures can range from large screened-in rooms such as the above example from the ECHO Asia Farm, or smaller systems that utilize mosquito nets or even mesh laundry baskets. No matter the scale or design, it is necessary that the mating enclosure maintain adequate moisture and temperature. It is also critical that these enclosures remain sealed environments, both to keep the BSF in, and pests such as bird and rats out. 

Within this enclosure a few provisions should be made for the adult flies, including a water source, some vegetation and surface on which to hide and mate, and a ‘dark room’ inside of which females will lay their eggs. At his stage in their life cycle, neither the pupae nor the mature adults will eat any food, therefore only a small food source is provided for the purposes of enticing the females to lay their eggs. 

Step 3. Collecting Eggs

In order to collect the eggs of the adult female BSF, provisions must be made within the mating enclosure. At the ECHO Asia Farm we have discovered that small blocks of wood work well, providing both an inviting egg-laying environment for the female flies and a convenient mode of egg collection for staff. It is common practice to use small pieces of cardboard as egg laying material (Wong, 2020), however we prefer the aforementioned method as it is more convenient for the collection of eggs and tends to result in higher quantities of eggs. At this stage it is important to note that BSF do not lay their eggs directly on (or in) a food source, but rather nearby to one. Therefore, laying blocks should be situated nearby a food source, as depicted in Figure 5. 

Figure 5. Inside the breeding enclosure, wooden blocks with small crevices are provided for the female BSF to lay their eggs. Blocks are placed above a food source, but not directly in contact with the food source.

In order to collect eggs, blocks should be removed, separated, and carefully scraped off. It is important to note at this stage that eggs can be of different ages if the blocks are not removed each day. By having eggs of different ages, the larvae will hatch and grow at different stages, requiring additional sorting and separating at maturity. Ideally, when producing larger batches of BSF, it is better to have larvae at uniform age and maturity. Typically, a mature female will produce anywhere from three to four hundred eggs in her lifetime.

Figure 6. Once the eggs have been laid, the wooden blocks can be removed and taken apart for easier access to the eggs. Toothpicks are used to separate blocks to provide small gaps in which females may deposit their eggs. 

Step 4. Transitioning from Eggs to Larvae

Once eggs have been collected, they can be transferred to a food source where they will hatch and crawl their way to the nearby feedstock provided. Eggs will typically hatch within 4 days of being laid. At this stage, when larvae remain small, plastic trays can be used to hold small quantities of feed/waste and larvae. Mesh screen is used to keep the eggs from directly contacting the food source.

Figure 7. Collected eggs can be gently placed on top of the food source. Eggs are laid on screen mesh to avoid direct contact with the moist food. Once eggs hatch, they will quickly find their way to the food source. 

Step 5. Selecting Appropriate Feedstock

One of the great benefits of the Black Soldier Fly is its ability to consume a wide array of different products, consuming market waste (fruit & vegetable), manure, table scraps, bone meal, and most other products. This article will not provide a prescriptive list of feed sources, but rather encourages the producer to identify the so-called ‘waste’ resources available to him/her. Ideally, low-cost, or even free, waste by-products should be targeted, including market waste, cafeteria food scraps, rice bran, brewer’s spent grains, soy cake, etc…

Figure 8. Many food source options exist for the production of BSF larvae, such as pineapple waste byproducts collected from the market, as seen here. 

In order to ensure a balanced, or ‘complete’ feed source, it is recommended to mix a number of various waste resources together. This helps ‘bulk up’ the feedstock to ensure higher yields of larvae produced, but is not necessary.

Figure 9. To ensure that BSF larvae grow strong and healthy, it is possible to mix higher quality waste byproducts such as rice bran and soy meal, with lower quality waste byproducts. 

Step 6. Stepping Up Production

As larvae hatch and feed, they will need to be ‘stepped up’ into larger containers or bays for adequate production. During this step, additional feedstock is provided and larvae are left to eat.

***NOTE: It is critical to control moisture to avoid foul smells and rotting feed material. Piles of feed or waste should never be allowed to go anaerobic. Trays or bays should have a way to drain off moisture to avoid any standing liquid. On the ECHO Asia Farm, we use a dry material such as rice bran or rice powder to rapidly absorb moisture when needed.

Figure 10. A scaled-up Black Soldier Fly system at a local farm in northern Thailand. This farm uses individual bays with different waste sources to grow BSF larvae at various stages of their life cycles. 

Step 7. Knowing When to Harvest Larvae

Within the next 13 to 18 days larvae will feed voraciously, eating as much as twice their own body weight each day. It is critical during this time to identify the desired stage at which to harvest the larvae. At the end of the larval stage, before reaching the pre-pupae stage (Figure 11), larvae will reach their maximum nutrional capacity as a feed resource (Barragan-Fonseca et al., 2017). If harvested too late the producer runs the risk of lower feed quality, whicle harvesing too early might mean missing out on additional weight and size, and therefore potentially higher yields.

It is important to note that the decision to harvest larvae at this stage, before reaching maturity, will likely require some form of sorting or sizing, or separation of larvae from their feed material. This can be a laborious task and it is recommended that screens of various sizes be used in this process. Mechanized shakers do exist and can be repurposed for this purpose, or it can be done manually. 

Figure 11. The life cycle of the Black Soldier Fly ( Hermetia illucens ), lasting approximately 45 days in its entirety. Before reaching the pre-pupal stage, BSF larvae are at their maximum nutritional quality as a feed resource. Source: Nutrinews 2020.

Step 8. Sorting and Sizing

In order to produce larvae at their peak nutritional stage they must be ‘harvested’ from their feed material. This involves some level of sorting and screening to isolate the larvae. This can be done with various sizes of screens and is made easier by transferring larvae to a finer feed source at the end of their production, allowing for easier separation. This can be done by hand or through investment in mechanized shakers, similar to technologies used in vermicast systems. For larvae that are fed directly, it may not be necessary to clean them completely.

Figure 12. Sorting and sizing BSF larvae.

Step 9. The Final Product

These larvae are at their final and most nutritionally rich stage, before turning into pupae, at which time their nutritional value will begin to decline. 

Figure 13. The final product! 

Step 10. Raising Pupae for Reproduction Purposes  

Many BSF systems take advantage of the ‘self-harvesting’ nature of the BSF pupae. At this stage in its life, a BSF pupae will migrate from its food source in search of a dark quiet place to transform into a mature fly. As seen in the example above (Figure 14), many set-ups have been designed to funnel the crawling pupae out of the food source and into a bucket or other catchment arrangement. This is an extremely convenient phenomenon, but as noted earlier, only happens at the pupal stage when the BSF has already passed its prime as a feed source. 

At the ECHO Asia Farm we have found that the ‘self-harvesting’ system works very well for [re]supplying the mating enclosure. If checked regularly it can be convenient and is capable of providing a steady supply of pupae for reproduction purposes. 

Figure 14. A BSF larvae ‘self-harvesting’ bay. When pupae have reached the end of their pupal cycle, they will crawl away from their food source and will fall into the troughs where they can be collected.

Production Challenges to Consider

Pests such as birds, rats, and other critters should be considered before establishing a BSF system of any scale. Closed systems are necessary to keep flies in and unwanted pests out. Unfortunately, this necessary process of installing screens and nets can become expensive, and adds significantly to a producer’s bottom line. 

Foul Smells

As previously mentioned, it is critical to the success of any BSF system to control moisture properly. Many food wastes, such as fruit scraps, contain high moisture contents and can lead to systems that become anaerobic. Preventing this from happening is not only crucial to the success of the overall system, but also to overall smell and subsequent perception of neighbors and clients. As previously mentioned, it is recommended to install drainage options and to keep on hand substances such as rice bran and rice flour that can be added to rapidly absorb moisture. 

Uses of Black Soldier Fly Products

Livestock feeds.

Figure 15. Comparison of commercial chicken feed supplemented with various rates of BSF larvae at the ECHO Asia Farm. In this case, larvae are being integrated whole.

While it is possible to produce BSF larvae for human consumption, the primary impetus for producers remains as a source for livestock feed, particularly fish and poultry. Larvae can be fed directly, or they can be integrated into an existing feed ration. Staff on the ECHO Asia Farm are currently experimenting with commercial fish and chicken feeds supplemented with various rates of BSF larvae (Figure 15). To use larvae practically and regularly, they can be fed fresh, whole, dried, ground, or frozen depending on the context and equipment available to the producer. 

Soil Amendment

In addition to the larvae produced, BSF also leaves behind a valuable manure similar to vermicasts. These ‘casts’ or ‘frass’ can be applied to soil as a rich amendment, providing additional value to an overall production system. In commercial enterprises this by-product is often bagged and sold as a separate product, another income generating component the small and medium producer might consider. At a minimum, this product can be reintegrated onto the farm in vegetable beds, nursery potting mixes, etc… 

Lastly, there also comes with the production of BSF a liquid product that can be collected and used to amend soils. This liquid can be collected during the feeding process when larvae are voraciously consuming waste products such as food scraps, manure, and other feedstock materials. 

Figure 16. BSF ‘casts’ or ‘frass’. A potentially valuable by-product of BSF production systems. 

BSF production may or may not be beneficial on every farm or every context. Critical to any success will be the identification of an affordable, preferably free waste resource to serve as feedstock for the production of BSF. In many cases, BSF have been identified as an economical solution to the management of existing farm waste, such as manure and other un-used by-products.   

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Mr. Phai from Phai BSF Ecofarm CNX, for his willingness to share is his knowledge and experience. We learned so much from you, thank you. 

Barragan-Fonseca, K.B., M. Dicke, and J.J.A. van Loon. 2017. Nutritional value of the black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens L.) and its suitability as animal feed – a review. Journal of Insects as Food and Feed. 3(2): 105-120. Available : https://avingstan.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Barragan-Fonseca-et-al-2017-Nutritional-value.pdf 

Feedipedia, 2021. Tables of chemical composition and nutritional value of Black soldier fly larvae (Hermetia illucens), dehydrated. Available: https://www.feedipedia.org/node/16388 

Nutrinews. 2020. Using black soldier fly larvae as a source of protein. The Animal Nutrition. Available : https://theanimalnutrition.com/using-black-soldier-fly-larvae-as-a-source-of-protein/ 

Wong, A. 2020. Black Soldier Fly of the Frangipani Langkawi Organic Farm. ECHO Asia Notes. 41. Available: https://www.echocommunity.org/en/resources/e3d5b1f1-0ec8-4a86-97e0-d80f26e7a951   

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Article Contents

Introduction, agroecological insect-fish farming, income generation and financial projections, bsf and fish costs structure, market scenarios, income generation when adopting aiff, income differences in the short, medium, and long-term, enabling aspects to promote aiff, aspects to promote aiff in countries of the global south, authors’ contributions, conflict of interest, acknowledgments.

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Small-scale Black Soldier Fly-fish farming: a model with socioeconomic benefits

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Karol B Barragán-Fonseca, Julián Cortés-Urquijo, Julián Pineda-Mejía, Diego Lagos-Sierra, Marcel Dicke, Small-scale Black Soldier Fly-fish farming: a model with socioeconomic benefits, Animal Frontiers , Volume 13, Issue 4, August 2023, Pages 91–101, https://doi.org/10.1093/af/vfad030

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While previous research has focused on Black Soldier Fly production on a large industrial scale, our research focuses on economic and social advantages for local economies and small-holder farmers.

Our findings indicate that Black Soldier Fly provides an important alternative protein source that can be locally produced by small- or medium-scale farmers, and can be combined on farms with fish production.

Our data show that Black Soldier Fly can provide an economically viable feed component for small-holder farmers

These results build on existing evidence that a circular approach to insect-fish farming is a viable option that empowers farmers and can contribute to developing the local community through a local value-chain approach in the Global South.

Over the past 20 years, aquaculture has become more integrated into the global food system, with a rapid growth in production and major transformations in feed ingredients, production technologies, farm management, and value chains ( Naylor et al., 2021 ). This growth in production as well as consumption relates almost entirely to countries in the Global South, where almost all (98%) of the world’s smallholder fish farmers are located, mostly in rural areas ( FAO, 2020 ). Smallholder fish producers operate across production intensities to cultivate a variety of species, relying primarily on their own labor and relatively small areas of land ( Marschke and Wilkings, 2014 ). In many communities, fish farming has been practiced as a tradition ( Bhujel, 2013 ), and in general, small-scale aquaculture is a peasant activity managed by families, with few employees or operated by a small community ( FAO, 2015 ). Such medium- and smallholder fish farmers are found in countries on different continents, most of them belonging to the Global South where poverty rates are high and high-quality nutrition is needed. Environmental impact of production, scarcity and increasing prices of raw ingredients for fish feed are among the most important challenges for this sector ( Tran et al., 2022a ), because feed is the largest single cost item for fish production, accounting for 60–70% of the total costs, including smallholder fish farmers ( van Huis, 2013 ).

Therefore, to reduce costs, the exploration of new opportunities is needed. Circular economy ( CE ) may provide these opportunities and may bring innovation into the aquaculture sector ( Thorarinsdottir et al., 2011 ). CE is not a new concept among smallholder farmers because it has been practiced in circular agriculture and agroecology for a long time ( Barragan-Fonseca et al., 2022a ). However, since aquaculture in the Global South faces similar challenges and opportunities, CE should be implemented by aiming for social equality, promoting a radical change in the creation of wealth and the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services, and recovering culture ( Betancourt Morales and Zartha Sossa, 2020 ).

Several studies ( van Huis, 2013 ; Dicke, 2018 ; Chia et al., 2019 ; Madau et al., 2020 ; Tran et al., 2022a ), have shown how insects may be used to close the loop when referring to serious environmental and social problems that global agriculture is facing. Agriculture is responsible for more than 70% of the water footprint ( Pfister and Bayer, 2014 ) and food production is responsible for more than 30% of overall greenhouse gas emissions from all sources globally ( Smetana et al., 2019 ), aquaculture having a lower impact than livestock ( Jiang et al., 2022 ). Insects provide innovative solutions as an alternative protein source for animal nutrition ( van Huis, 2013 ; Smetana et al., 2019 ; Tran et al., 2022b ), a source to add value and improving health, natural behavior and quality of animals ( Foysal et al., 2019 ; Rawski et al., 2021 ), and a valuable tool for the transition to a bio-based CE in the agri-food sector, which aims to close the loop of agroproduction through recycling and reuse ( Madau et al., 2020 ). The use of insects as component of fish feed has been recently covered by various reviews focussing on production performance of aquaculture species ( Nogales-Merida et al., 2019 ; Tran et al., 2022b ). These reviews indicate that insects such as the Black Soldier Fly ( BSF , Hermetia illucens ) are promising components of feed for various fish species including salmonids ( Weththasinghe et al., 2022 ) and tilapia ( Oreochromis niloticus ) ( Tippayadara et al., 2021 ). The BSF can be used in innovations that provide environmental, social, and economical improvements of the performance of agri-food systems ( Onsongo et al., 2018 ; Chia et al., 2019 ), not only by large-scale, but also by medium- and smallholder farmers ( Barragan-Fonseca et al., 2022a ). Some initiatives using insects by medium- and smallholder farmers have shown that insects can support several of the Sustainable Development Goals ( SDGs ), focusing on food security, sustainable agriculture, combating climate change, and promoting stability and peace ( Dicke, 2018 ; Chia et al., 2019 ; Barragán-Fonseca et al., 2020b ; Madau et al., 2020 ).

Currently, it is not clear to what extent circular agriculture, based on producing insects for feed, can foster sustainable livelihoods for peasant families within the fish-producing economy. We recently proposed a theoretical model: Agroecological Insect-Fish Farming ( AIFF ), as a new opportunity to develop a CE by implementing practices such as those related to the agroecological field for crop production and the use of insects, especially the BSF ( Barragan-Fonseca et al., 2022a ). Here, we present the economic impact of the transition from an industrialized linear economy to a smallholder farmer circular aquaculture, and analyze the feasibility and the conditions under which AIFF might be developed by small- and medium-scale peasant farmers in the Global South based on a case study in Colombia.

To assess the direct impact of the inclusion of BSF larvae ( BSFL ) as a protein source to decrease the costs related to fish feed, smallholder farmers in Icononzo (Tolima, Colombia) engaged in setting up such novel circular approach of producing tilapia fish ( O. niloticus ) fed with BSFL as an alternative component of commercial feed. These farmers were ex-guerrilla members who had put down their arms in the peace process and started fish production within the frame of the project “Insects for Peace” ( I4P ) ( Barragán-Fonseca et al., 2020b ). These farmers replaced between 25% and 38% of the traditional tilapia feed with sundried BSFL, fish were fed five times a day during the fingerling phase, three times a day during the juvenile phase and twice a day during the growing and final phase. Fish exposed to traditional production and those exposed to the AIFF model were fed with the same regime and frequency. Italcol´s brand fish feed was used as the commercial feed. Based on this case and information collected from fish and insect producers in Colombia, a CE model called “Agroecological Insect-Fish Farming” (AIFF) was developed ( Barragan-Fonseca et al., 2022a ). This model conceptualizes the synergies between CE and agroecology approaches as a new opportunity to develop a CE by implementing practices such as the use of insects, especially BSF, producing high value proteins and organic fertilizer (insect waste streams— IWS ) while empowering small- and medium-holder fish farmers’ economies by raising profitability ( Figure 1 ).

General description of the Agroecological Insect-Fish Farming model—AIFF (adapted from Barragan-Fonseca et al., 2022a ). This model conceptualizes the synergies between CE and agroecology approaches as a new opportunity to develop a circular economy by implementing practices such as the use of insects, especially BSF, producing high value proteins and organic fertilizer (insect waste streams—IWS) while empowering small- and medium-holder fish farmers’ economies by raising profitability. More than an economy, this is a concept based on the next three principles: Principle 1—Inputs: Preserve and enhance natural capital by controlling finite stocks and balancing renewable resource flows. Principle 2—Processes: Optimize resource yields by circulating production components and materials in both technical and biological cycles. Principle 3—Outputs: Foster system effectiveness by revealing and phasing out negative externalities.

The economic impact and financial projections of partially replacing commercial feed ingredients with BSFL based on a circular approach, used data obtained from insect farmers and fish farmers in Colombia and the case study of Icononzo ( Barragan-Fonseca et al., 2022a ). This relates to an analysis of the economic impact of the transition to a peasant circular aquaculture to support peasant economy and small- and medium-scale farmers in Latin America according to the AIFF model. To gain insight into the economic effects of using BSF as protein source in fish feed, the income of farmers when including AIFF (circular production) should be compared to a traditional linear fish production (non-AIFF). When producing fish fed with BSF as protein source, two production systems may be used: 1) producing BSF and fish in two different places, as was done in Icononzo or 2) by executing both production systems at the same physical location or production center. Fish costs: We used a two-cost structure for fish production. One is based on Icononzo′s case study (AIFF model) and the other is a cost structure without including BSF as fish feed (non-AIFF model). In this way, with BSF and fish cost structures we have a starting point to analyze other market scenarios.

In the case of BSF production, the costs incurred by having the BSF production unit and the fish production unit in different production centers (being BSF and fish production of the same owner) or in the same production center are presented. The fish cost structure is subdivided into two, the first structure refers to a fish production system that applies a circular economy production through the AIFF model, which uses BSFL as feed component for fish, thus reducing the use of conventional fish feed and, in turn, their respective total costs. Table 1 presents BSF and fish production costs of Icononzo′s case study. All costs and revenues are expressed for an AIFF with 7,000 fish (2.1 tons of total biomass were produced with an average weight of 300 g/tilapia) and 1,400 kg of BSF production capacity during a period of 4 months, which represents the duration of the tilapia production cycle. AIFF and non-AIFF production methods had similar responses of the tilapia performance, both had an average Feed Conversion Ratio of 1.3 and mortality of 30% where the tilapia reached the weight target (±300g). BSFL production : is done through vertically stacking trays in a facility. Larvae were fed on organic waste streams from community waste and from Icononzo´s local market. Average production of BSF: 15 kg of organic waste (wet weight) to produce ~2 kg (wet weight) of harvested BSFL, or ~0.6 kg of sundried BSFL, and 4.5 kg of frass (wet weight). Tilapia production : The facilities for tilapia production consisted of three tanks where the tilapia fingerlings were distributed according to the water volume availability. Tanks 1, 2, and 3 had a capacity of 2,500, 2,500, and 2,000 animals respectively. Each tank had constant water replacement and air flow with a net that covers and protects the fish from natural predators.

Structure of BSF production for a 4-month fish production cycle in a different production center or in the same location as fish production, and fish production costs per fish-production cycle (4 months) with AIFF and non-AIFF model

Underlined figures represent costs that differ between scenarios. All costs in euro’s based on Colombian conditions. N/A, not applicable.

a Cost structure includes: Fixed costs that do not depend on production volume; they are constant in time; Variable costs which depend on the production volume. The sum of the fixed and variable costs equals Total costs .

b Icononzo market scenario.

c The type of peasant family economy applied in this context recognizes working conditions where the producer families exchange working hours with neighboring farms and family members, which is why it is optional to pay wages in cash or in working hours. For cost accounting purposes, it is calculated that an average worker dedicates 3 to 4 h of work per day in each of the two activities, with an average payment of 1.2 Euros for each hour of work (higher than the payment of 1 h of work stipulated by the legal minimum wage in force in Colombia in 2023).

d Costs that are reduced in BSF’s cost structure by incorporating both production systems (BSF and fish) within the same production center.

e This cost relates to both cost structures, because variation in the costs of BSF production affects the cost structure of fish production, because for circular fish production (AIFF), the production of BSF is previously incurred.

Table 1 presents the costs related to both BSF and fish production systems. There are variables such as organic waste transport that only relate to the production of BSF. Land rent, marketing, telephone/internet, and organic waste transport represent those costs of BSF production that, when BSF and fish are produced on the same farm, should not be included for BSF production because they are included in the costs of fish production.

We use two variables to propose four different market scenarios, Icononzo´s case being one of them. Variable A: BSF production and fish production are in the same or in different production centers or farms. Variable B: The sales price of fish produced in a linear economy (non-AIFF) is the same or different from that produced in a circular economy (AIFF). We selected these variables based on the actual situation in Icononzo for small and medium-scale fish farmers. A difference in fish prices for the circular and linear production systems was selected because there is a tendency toward the consumption of food with better nutritional quality and benefit for human health due to the management and type of complementary feeding used ( Feldmann and Hamm, 2015 ). Both variables combined generate four different market scenarios. The market scenario of Icononzo’s BSF production is based on the following principles: different sales prices (€1.00/ fish produced in a circular system [AIFF] vs. €0.71/fish produced in a linear system [non-AIFF]) and production systems in different production centers. After analyzing Icononzo's market scenario (hereafter Scenario 3) we assessed the consequences of changing variables A and B. The prices were obtained by the local sales market experience. In the local market, traditional tilapia price was € 0.71/fish, compared with a different market price of € 1.00/fish, based on the Porter’s five tendency force: threat of substitution, where the customers prefer a more sustainable product on their dish (from farm to fork).

Table 2 presents four market scenarios based on the two variables: Variable A—BSF and fish produced in the same or in different production centers, and Variable B—fish produced in a circular and linear production system are sold at the same or different prices. Variable A only affects the cost structure of the AIFF model, reducing or maintaining costs; while variable B only affects the income of the non-AIFF model (linear economy). Therefore, there are four market scenarios each with two cost structures: under the AIFF model and the non-AIFF model, and we can calculate the profit differences between fish production with AIFF and non-AIFF models.

Fish production with (AIFF) and without (non-AIFF) the use of Black Soldier Fly as feed component

All costs in euro’s.

Costs, revenues, and break-even point for four different market scenarios per fish-production cycle (4 months) including and excluding the AIFF model based on two variables (A and B).

Fish production revenues are derived directly from the total sales of fish (at the farm gate), and by-products’ revenues are the income obtained from the sales of the by-products generated by the fish production. In the case of AIFF production, by-product revenues refer to the fertilizers obtained after harvesting the BSF (frass, i.e., non-consumed substrate, insect manure, and moulting skins), which are sold to neighboring crop farmers ( Barragán-Fonseca et al., 2022a ); in the case of non-AIFF fish production by-products’ revenues (leftover fish parts) refer to the surplus fish marketable in the area. Break-even point refers to the level of sales (in quantities sold) where the revenues obtained cover both fixed and variable costs, and that from these values profits start to be generated. Operating profit is the difference between Total Revenues and Total Costs, being the profits obtained from the total sale of fish, after discounting the costs. Difference in Operating Profit for a 4-month production cycle represents the difference between the fish production systems (AIFF and Non-AIFF) of each of the cases, for a period of 4 months, a value that will allow be projected to some future periods, as we will see later.

Bold values indicate the main values, that are calculated on the basis of several lines above the value.

a Icononzo´s market scenario.

b Break-even point represents the point at which total revenues equal total costs. At this point there is no profit or loss. In the table they are presented as the number of units sold.

In scenarios 1 and 3, higher fixed costs are generated by the obligation to pay rent for the land, marketing, telephone, and transport of organic waste to the BSF farm, which are unavoidable when the BSF production plant is located in a different location than the fish production plant. Hence, in this first case, the difference between operating profits when producing AIFF compared to non-AIFF is 200 euros. In Scenario 2, the costs are lower than in Scenario 1, because here the advantage is that both BSF and fish production systems are in the same place, which reduces AIFF fixed costs by €300 for each production cycle: total fixed costs are €2,291 for AIFF in the same production center and €2,591 for AIFF in different production centers. Therefore, fixed costs like marketing, internet and telephone, land rent, and organic waste transport are not present. As a result, the difference between Operating Profit between producing with AIFF and without AIFF increases from €200 to €500. Scenarios 3 and 4 differ considerably in income from scenarios 1 and 2, mainly generated by the differentiation of sales prices of fish (€0.71 and €1 for non-AIFF and AIFF, respectively). The differences in break-even point between AIFF and non-AIFF models, regardless of scenario, show that the AIFF model presents better income to the farmer, with the best market scenarios being 3 and 4.

In the Icononzo case (Scenario 3), where BSF production is not located at the fish farm, the final price of fish produced with BSF as feed ingredient (€1.00/fish) at the farm gate is higher than without including BSF (€0.71/fish). This result is achieved because local consumers are willing to pay more for fish locally produced through an AIFF model by ex-combatants, based on the experience with local consumers in Icononzo. However, this principle may or may not be fulfilled in other communities because it depends on the preferences of consumers that may change over time, depending on their situation and economic stability. If their economic situation deteriorates, consumers may prefer a lower price over quality. This is why it is important to recognize other possible sources of economic sustainability, which do not fundamentally depend on the sales price of fish produced through AIFF compared to the non-AIFF model. For instance, when there is a cost structure where both production systems (fish and BSF) are on the same land or within the same production center, the BSF production cost is lower than when both production systems are in different places. The AIFF model provides opportunities to yield up to 44% higher revenues, and to reduce the costs up to 23%.

The AIFF and non-AIFF approaches in scenarios 3 and 4 differ considerably in income compared with the two approaches in scenarios 1 and 2, mainly caused by the differentiation of sales prices of fish (€0.71 and €1.00). It is a strong assumption considering economic crises that farmers (local consumers) have in relation to the commercialization of their products or basic services access. Reduced income of these local fish consumers may make them decide to choose cheaper fish. However, the wish for healthy and environmentally friendly food encourages consumers to make decisions where quality prevails over price, which is why they decide to opt for fish produced through a circular-economy approach. The differences in break-even point between AIFF and non-AIFF models, regardless of scenario, show that the AIFF model presents better income (Operating profit) to the farmer, with the best market scenarios being 3 and 4.

In relation to the break-even point, in Scenario 1 and Scenario 2, the main difference between the production systems with AIFF and Non-AIFF is that feeding fish from BSF production requires higher fixed costs and lower variable costs due to the constant production of BSF which is required, unlike the case of opting for the traditional production system where costs depend to a large extent on the purchase of concentrate that varies according to the level of production. In scenarios 3 and 4, the main difference in break-even point of both production systems is due to the price difference, which is ahead of the production system with BSF where comparatively a point of zero losses can be reached sooner than in the case of producing by the non-AIFF model. In all cases, the constant sales level of 7,000 fish would allow reaching and exceeding the break-even point in the first period of application.

Additional to that, as mentioned before, the AIFF model has the possibility of generating a by-product in the transformation process: organic fertilizer from BSF frass, which can be used for crops ( Poveda, 2021 ; Barragan-Fonseca et al., 2022b ) and can improve profits for farmers as was reported, for example, Kenya ( Beesigamukama et al., 2022 ; Tanga et al., 2022 ). This fertilizer is generated without increasing the costs of fish production and also increases the family income by supplying the inputs that a peasant family needs to increase the quality of other products that they grow on their farm. With the sale of these, an increase in the family income is estimated at 500 euros. Therefore, the AIFF model may produce a return rate up to 45% considering that total sales are €7,500 and the costs associated to its production are around 50% of it.

However, there are some risks to consider for the proposed market scenarios. For instance, there may be a previous unproductive stage typical of the application of the BSF production system, which may vary among production centers which could affect each of the models contemplated because in this time there would not be income. On the other hand, the aforementioned market models do not consider monetary inflation fluctuations or eventual cases of increases in the prices of inputs in the local area, which is why it is important when evaluating scenarios that require more detail to consider the need to add to the final sale price the inflationary percentage that allows projections more faithful to reality. Thus, the evaluation of more precise AIFF scenarios is needed according to different geographic and socio-economic factors in the AIFF implementation.

The income projections are based on the calculation of the operating profits of both production systems (AIFF and non-AIFF models) presented in each of the four scenarios analyzed. The projections are made for the short (2 years), medium (5 years), and long-term (10 years), where each year of production contains three production cycles of fish, each lasting 4 months. The difference in accumulated earnings is bigger in the AIFF model than in the non-AIFF model in all four scenarios and in the long-term projection. The income differences (Difference Operating Profit for 4 months) in the short, medium, and long-term between AIFF and non-AIFF models of the four scenarios ( Figure 2 ) shows that even in the least profitable scenario (Scenario 1) the income based on AIFF is higher than for the non-AIFF situation. Even with this small income difference and starting from a moderately profitable scenario (Scenario 1), when projecting the income over several years into the future after 10 years the income difference between both systems is €5,970.

Income of farmers using the AIFF and non-AIFF models in four market scenarios (see Table 2 for details on the four scenarios). The income differences (Difference Operating Profit for 4 months) are based on the calculation of the operating profits of both production systems (AIFF and non-AIFF models) presented in each of the four scenarios analysed. The projections are made in the short (2 years), medium (5 years), and long term (10 years), where each year of production contains three production cycles of fish. The income differences between AIFF and non-AIFF model of the four scenarios shows that the income based on AIFF is higher than for the non-AIFF situation.

The transition to a sustainable organic waste management with insects should establish the best ways to put AIFF into practice in a local scenario. Experience shows that this transition cannot be merely technological. By nature, it is multidimensional and requires active participation by different actors through an inter- and transdisciplinary approach ( Chia et al., 2019 ; Barragán-Fonseca et al., 2020a , b ). Here, we analyze success and risk factors and we present a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats ( SWOT ) analysis of an AIFF model to identify enabling aspects to implement AIFF schemes in developing countries. For this SWOT analysis all observations and inferences suggested are based on the previously documented literature, Icononzo´s experience, insect production with small-holder farmers in Kenya ( Chia et al., 2019 ), workshops with ex-combatant communities in Colombia ( Barragán-Fonseca et al., 2020a ), and private and public institutions in Colombia regarding the use of insects as feed ( Dicke et al., 2020 ), and the authors’ experience.

SWOT analysis for AIFF

Pros and cons of the use of insect farming in aquaculture in countries of the Global South are assessed through a SWOT analysis to identify key factors that could support or impair the development of AIFF in those countries as protein source for the aquaculture sector. In Table 3 we present the SWOT of implementing the AIFF model in the Global South.

Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis of implementing AIFF model in the Global South

The transition from linear to circular aquaculture by smallholder farmers in low-income countries requires a local analysis of the value chain and the actors (stakeholders) involved, that can potentially intervene so that the system is successful and that it adjusts to specific conditions at each place. A value chain of the AIFF model consists of four main segments: 1) The substrate segment, aimed at providing organic waste for insects, 2) the insect segment, aimed at production of insects, 3) the feed production segment, aimed at products resulting in resources for fish feed, and 4) the fish production, valorization, and consumption segment ( Dicke et al., 2020 ). Each segment has specific stakeholders. We propose four main aspects to promote the AIFF model in developing countries: 1) socio-economic, 2) technical, 3) communication and marketing, 4) education, research, and innovation, and 5) policy-making and legislation.

Socio-economic aspects

Peasant family farming has traditionally been more focused on self-consumption of food and other goods to satisfy their own needs and on the selling of surpluses rather than on cash crops ( van der Ploeg, 2008 ). Entrepreneurial farming in the Global South usually engages small- and middle-scale farmers in business models addressed to big, national, international, or highly profitable markets, that normally require high inputs of innovation, capital, knowledge, and skills and a fruitful economic environment which, in some developing countries, are currently difficult to achieve. Value chains and business models promoted through public policies and cooperation programs in the Global South usually fail due to the lack of understanding of the local economic environment. Most of the time, the local economic environment lacks public support and infrastructure, is embedded in criminal activities, involves high levels of land concentration and is managed by violent power structures, among others. In this context, promoting peasant and family farming within the AIFF model, would be a more realistic approach to provide sustainable livelihoods to peasants, increasing local knowledge, safeguarding culture, conserving nature, feeding themselves, and being autonomous, among other benefits ( van der Ploeg, 2014 ).

As a corollary of the former aspect, we propose to concentrate efforts, at a starting stage, in building local markets and zero-level channels, where farmers can sell fish products directly to final customers. Further efforts to achieve more complex markets and added value to innovative products can be made in contexts where the support of the state or international cooperation is well organized and concentrated on peasant and small- and middle-scale farming where there are more certainties regarding possible and realistic markets. Cooperatives also can serve to support the AIFF model by reducing costs of agricultural inputs, negotiating better prices in the market, sharing knowledge and supporting strategies of production among others ( Gibson-Graham et al., 2013 ). Therefore, AIFF initiatives could be developed by combining extended and niche markets. It means selling large quantities of fish produced at the lowest possible cost and producing and selling a lower amount of fish but with a higher added value (e.g., healthy and agroecological food concept) in specific niche markets.

Technical aspects

In the case of BSFL as feed component for sustainable fish production, the main concern is the variability in bioconversion due to the changeability of the substrate used to feed BSFL ( Onsongo et al., 2018 ). Several studies show that insect meal can be used to substitute fish meal in fish diets and can be used to as novel aquafeed component for sustainable aquaculture ( Tippayadara et al., 2021 ). The use of live or sun-dried larvae may provide both a nutritional advantage and cheaper protein source for freshwater and tropical fish found in the Global South, which are mostly herbivorous/omnivorous ( Henry et al., 2015 ), such as for tilapia that does not have such high protein requirements. The use of a mixture of different protein sources (different insects, with plant-derived proteins or with other animal proteins) could reduce the potential nutrient deficiencies and better balance the amino acid profiles of aquafeeds incorporating insect meal ( Henry et al., 2015 ) and insect meals may also be mixed with other protein sources to improve tilapia performance ( Mohd Din et al., 2012 ) to reduce lack of full diet balancing. Experiences in the Global South show that the implementation of integrated agri-aquaculture systems and aquaponic systems might allow smallholder fish farmers to develop local adaptations and generate synergies ( Barragan-Fonseca et al., 2022a ).

Communication and marketing

Considering the labor-intensive aspect of the production of healthy and agroecologically produced food (including healthy fish) which is usually more expensive than highly industrialized food, a strong communicational effort is needed to show the advantages of consuming AIFF products and healthy and agroecological food. Such advantages are not only about the promotion of healthy behavior, but also about the provision of fair income to peasant farmers and the protection of nature. Additionally, because sustainable consumption of food requires high levels of mental construal ( van Dam, 2016 ) which problematizes making decisions in favor of health, environmental protection, fair income to producers, there is an additional challenge in terms of communication that strengthens current efforts in promoting and improving sustainable and responsible consumer behavior.

Education, research, and innovation

Small farmers need to be aware of the advantages of circular economy practices. This can be done by sharing knowledge and recovering traditional peasant practices, on the use of side-products from their farms to reduce costs and to profit from part of these side-products. On the other hand, the adoption of agroecological practices also implies the conscientization of circularity among farmers. Because many countries in the Global South are located in the tropics, this provides a comparative advantage compared to countries that have seasons because it has greater biodiversity, such as insect species and species of tropical forages that can be included in diets of these insect species ( Espitia-Buitrago et al., 2021 ). New insect species that may be amenable to large-scale rearing and new feed alternatives and substrates for them are important to explore as it represents an additional advantage of rearing these species in the Global South. Finally, if we aim to achieve the “zero hunger” SDG, consumers with low incomes should be able to afford access to food from AIFF producers. Thus, efforts addressed to reduce production costs and to connect producers with consumers would serve to produce healthy fish at the lowest production cost and with a fair profit for peasant farmers.

Policy-making and legislation

Future attempts to regulate AIFF practices must consider specific contexts. While in some countries—e.g., with a strong conflict around land ownership—regulation would help to support small- and medium-scale farmers practicing AIFF initiatives, in others it would reduce their possibilities. On the one hand regulation might ensure food quality and good practices of production, but on the other hand, it can serve to strengthen the concentration of land in a few hands and to reduce the adaptability of its practice by peasant communities who will be at a disadvantage with those who can invest in the achievement of an existing regulation. The involvement of the public sector, if possible, could be concentrated on redistribution of land, the improvement of current infrastructure to reduce costs of transportation of agricultural inputs and food products, the provision of basic services, training in entrepreneurship to build capacities, and the support in creating innovation and more markets among others.

Aquaculture rapidly gains importance in providing nutritious food to the growing human population. Small- and medium-scale farmers are important fish producers in the Global South. Yet, they face high costs of imported feeds, especially related to soy and fishmeal as protein sources. Current aquaculture especially follows a linear production. Insects such as BSF provide an important alternative protein source that can be locally produced by small- or medium-scale farmers. Moreover, BSF production can be combined on farms with fish production. This leads to a circular approach to fish production where residual streams can be used to improve the sustainability of fish farming. In addition to the extra income using insects, helping communities become independent from external inputs should be a priority. In this way, the AIFF model promotes the independence of the community from external and increasingly expensive inputs, a CE concept that can be expanded to other livestock as has been seen in different countries in the Global South ( Chia et al., 2019 ). Here we show, based upon experiences in Colombia, that a circular approach to fish farming is a viable option that empowers farmers and can contribute to developing the local community through a local value-chain approach. We identified several aspects that deserve to be developed to support this sustainable aquaculture approach that contributes to the livelihood of small- and medium-scale farmers.

All authors significantly contributed to the manuscript and all authors approve the manuscript.

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

The authors kindly thank Ricardo Arciniegas-Cardenas for providing information on his insect-fish farm.

About the Author

Karol B. Barragán-Fonseca is a veterinarian, with an MSc in Biological Sciences. She has worked in situ and ex situ with conservation and sustainable wildlife production systems. Since 2008, she is a professor at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia (UNAL), working on insects as feed and food. Karol founded the Terrestrial Arthropod Research Laboratory at UNAL in 2012, and received her PhD in this field in 2018 at Wageningen University (WUR). Currently, Karol is an Assistant Professor; cofounder of EntoPro, an UNAL spin-off company; and coordinator of the Insects for Peace initiative to promote social transformation through insects.

Julián Cortés-Urquijo is a mechanical engineer with a Master in Development and Rural Innovation from Wageningen University and is currently a PhD Candidate in Social Sciences at the same university with the project: Post insurgency in Colombia: local agency, politics and reincorporation of FARC-EP. His research interests are Rural Sociology; Cooperatives and Solidarity Economy; Demobilization, Disarmament and Reintegration (DDR); Social Movements, Militant Ethnography; and the use of video in Social Sciences. He has worked in Colombian public institutions in the area of rural development.

Julián Pineda-Mejía studied animal production at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia (UNAL), his BSc thesis was done at Wageningen University in the Netherlands and the research was oriented to the growth of Black Soldier Fly larvae fed organic waste. As an MSc student in animal science at the UNAL, Julián has supported applied insect research with ex-combatant communities in Colombia to decrease the cost of animal feed in their livestock systems. He is a co-founder of EntoPro, an UNAL spin-off company. Currently, he works as an innovation project manager for a company dedicated to providing environmental services.

Diego Lagos-Sierra is an economist and researcher from the Universidad Nacional de Colombia (UNAL) focus on rural development and management for territorial and community development. Specialist in Social Research Techniques and Methods with research experience in illicit economies, internal armed conflict, economic autonomy, rural productive projects, with relevant experience in promoting dialog with national and international institutional and community actors in Colombia. He has developed interdisciplinary knowledge in differential gender and ethnic approach; direction, execution, and distribution of investigative projects through audio-visual narratives, and application of qualitative, quantitative and mixed methodologies for regional, local, and conjuncture analysis for projects.

Marcel Dicke investigates the ecology of insect-plant interactions and insects as food and feed. Head of the Laboratory of Entomology at Wageningen University, The Netherlands, with a history of working in academic research, ample experience with translating fundamental science to the general public, with specific projects with private industry in different fields: insect-plant interaction, pollination, biological control, breeding for resistance, and insects as food and feed. He has received various awards for his research such as the NWO Spinoza award (aka the “Dutch Nobel Prize”), Eureka prize for science communication, awarded by NWO (Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research), Academic Year Prize (Battle of the Universities), among others. Marcel is a Current member of the Council for International Congresses of Entomology (CICE).

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• Agriculture

Livestock Farming

Aquaculture

Poultry Farming

The process also includes considerations for the overall setup cost and profit analysis of black soldier fly farming, examining its viability as a profitable business venture. The black soldier fly business is emerging as a promising sector due to its low environmental impact and high yield of valuable products, such as animal feed or fertilizer, derived from the larvae.

Black Soldier Fly Farming

Firstly, it’s an effective way to reduce organic waste, as black soldier fly larvae can consume large amounts of biodegradable material, turning it into valuable biomass. This process helps in reducing the burden on traditional waste management systems. Additionally, the farming of these flies contributes to producing high-quality protein sources, which can be used in animal feeds. 

The black soldier fly feed conversion ratio is highly efficient, meaning they can convert feed into body mass more effectively compared to traditional livestock. This efficient conversion contributes to the overall profitability of black soldier fly farming. Moreover, the process is environmentally friendly, with a low carbon footprint, and does not require extensive land or water resources.

Comprehending the life stages of the black soldier fly is essential for effective agriculture. The cycle starts when adult flies deposit their eggs in a suitable setting, typically a damp and nutrient-rich substrate. These eggs subsequently hatch into larvae, which play a pivotal role in transforming waste materials. 

The larvae go through several stages of growth, during which they consume organic waste voraciously. After reaching maturity, they transform into pupae, eventually emerging as adult flies, ready to reproduce and continue the cycle. This knowledge is essential for managing the black soldier fly production efficiently, ensuring continuous and sustainable operation of the farm.

The larvae of black soldier flies play a pivotal role in the farming process, primarily due to their remarkable ability to convert organic waste into nutrient-rich biomass. These larvae have a high feed conversion ratio, efficiently transforming the waste they consume into body mass.

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This process not only helps in managing waste but also produces larvae that are high in protein and fat content, making them an excellent feedstock for poultry, fish, and even pets. The dry mass of black soldier fly larvae plays a crucial role in assessing their suitability as a feedstock, serving as an indicator of their nutritional composition and overall quality.

Setting up a black soldier fly farm involves several key steps to ensure efficient production and profitability. The initial setup includes creating a breeding area, typically using a black soldier fly breeding box, and establishing a controlled environment for the flies to lay eggs. The farm must also have adequate space for the larvae to grow and process the organic waste. 

The initial expenses for establishing a black soldier fly farm can fluctuate based on its size and location, typically necessitating a moderate outlay for infrastructure and equipment. Additionally, understanding the feed conversion ratio and optimal conditions for larvae growth is crucial for maximizing the efficiency and yield of the farm.

Harvesting and processing the products of black soldier fly farming are key steps in the production cycle. The harvesting process involves collecting the mature larvae, which are then processed into various forms, such as dried larvae or pelletized feed. This stage is critical in determining the quality and value of the end products. The processing methods aim to preserve the nutritional content of the larvae, ensuring that they are suitable for use as high-protein animal feed. Efficient harvesting and processing techniques are essential for maintaining the profitability of the black soldier fly business.

The final phase in black soldier fly farming is the marketing and sales of the produced goods. This involves identifying potential markets for the larvae and by-products, such as the animal feed industry or organic fertilizer sector. Effective marketing strategies are crucial for establishing the black soldier fly business in the competitive market.

Sales strategies should focus on highlighting the environmental benefits and high nutritional value of the products, appealing to consumers who are increasingly looking for sustainable and eco-friendly options. Establishing strong market connections and understanding customer needs are vital for the successful commercialization of black soldier fly products.

The cost analysis of black soldier fly farming is an essential aspect for anyone considering entering this business. Initial costs primarily involve setting up the breeding and rearing facilities. The expense of a black soldier fly breeding box, along with the cost of constructing or adapting a space for larval growth, can vary significantly based on scale and location. 

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On average, small-scale setups might require an investment ranging from $5,000 to $15,000, while larger operations could exceed $50,000. Operational costs include feeding the larvae (often using waste materials, which can be low-cost or free), utility bills, and labor. Additionally, periodic maintenance and upgrades to the farming infrastructure can contribute to ongoing expenses.

Profit analysis of black soldier fly farming reveals a promising outlook due to the high demand for sustainable protein sources and organic waste management solutions. The income from a black soldier fly farm can stem from selling the larvae as animal feed; the adult flies for breeding, and the by-products like frass as organic fertilizer. 

Profit margins can vary but are generally favorable; for instance, a well-managed small to medium-sized farm could see profit margins of around 20% to 40%. These figures can be higher in large-scale operations with efficient processes and strong market connections. It’s important to note that profitability is influenced by factors such as market prices for larvae and by-products, operational efficiency, and the cost of raw materials.

Adhering to legal and regulatory mandates is essential in black soldier fly farming. These requirements may differ by location but typically involve securing the requisite licenses and permits to operate a farming enterprise. These may involve environmental permits, especially considering the use of organic waste and health and safety certifications for producing animal feed.

In many regions, specific licenses may be required for breeding and rearing insects for commercial purposes. Potential farmers need to research and adhere to local laws and regulations, including zoning laws, waste management regulations, and food safety standards. Compliance not only ensures legal operation but also enhances credibility and trustworthiness in the market.

Black soldier fly farming presents a unique and sustainable opportunity in the realms of waste management and protein production. The farming process, from setting up breeding facilities to marketing the end products, involves careful planning and execution.

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Black Soldier Fly Farming: How to start

Black Soldier Fly farming is the world’s most common type of insect farming today. It is a novel and environmentally friendly method of producing organic fertilizer and animal feed. These insects are popular among farmers since they are easy to produce and do not bite or sting. Because of its quick production cycle and high protein concentration, the Black Soldier Fly is perfect for food production. The larvae’s high protein content makes them a good source of food for a wide range of animals.

This article will walk you through the process of creating a black soldier fly farm, including personal insights and practical advice to help you get started on this fascinating path.

Choose a Suitable Location:

• Black soldier flies eat on organic trash, so the farm should be close to an area with plenty of fresh waste.
• To keep a consistent supply for the larvae, make sure there is adequate amount of waste at the source.
• To lessen disturbances, locate the farm close to a region that receives little human interference.

Set Up the Farm Structure:

• Build the farm’s raised platform out of cinder blocks.
• Put a bin on top of the cinder blocks so that it can house the larvae in its primary container.
• Raising the trash can off the ground improves drainage and keeps pests away from the larvae.

Add Bedding Substrate:

• Put bedding substrate in the bin, such as used coop shavings or other organic materials.
• The bedding substrate offers the black soldier fly larvae a favorable habitat for growth.

Provide Water and Food:

• Make sure the larvae of the black soldier fly have access to a supply of water, like a shallow dish or container
• Put food scraps or other organic materials in the trash can to act as a source of nourishment for the larvae.
• Maintain the proper balance of nutrients and water in the food to promote the development of healthy larvae.

Maintain Suitable Conditions:

• Keep an eye on the farm’s temperature. The ideal temperature range for black soldier flies is between 32 and 113 °F (0 and 45 °C).
• As the fly become inactive in cooler temperatures, make sure the temperature doesn’t drop below 50 °F (10 °C).
• Check the bin frequently, ideally once a week, to collect the larvae.

Consider Indoor Farming:

Consider bringing the structure indoors and enclosing it with a suitable enclosure if you want a fly farm that is operational all year.

Better temperature control and protection from the elements are made possible by indoor farming.

Practically, raising insects is considerably more effective and sustainable than raising cattle, pigs, or chickens. Insects convert nutrition into body mass 4–10 times more effectively than mammals. Insect larvae also consume a greater variety of leftover waste streams, which are effectively transformed into protein-rich body mass.

It is possible to start a black soldier fly farm both indoors and outdoors with little equipment. You can successfully start a black soldier fly farm by following these instructions and creating the right circumstances, and you may use the larvae as a useful food source or organic fertilizer. Black soldier fly farming is a successful business that is sustainable and good for the environment as well as farmers.

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Ideas, analysis, & insight for business innovators across Africa & beyond.

The business of black soldier flies

Insects might just be the future of food. And one species, the black soldier fly, is the star of the show across Africa & beyond thanks to an almost magical ability to convert organic waste into valuable commercial products.

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Black soldier fly larvae and tomato risotto. (Photo: Dezeen.) .

Insects might just be the future of food.

As weird as that might sound, bear with me.

According to the latest UN projections , there’ll be 9.7 billion of us walking around by 2050. That’s a lot of mouths to feed.

And with meat consumption continuing to rise globally , meat production will have to basically double by 2050.

But producing meat is tough on the environment . And it’ll probably be a while before synthetic, plant-based or ‘ fermentation-derived ’ meat is truly mainstream.

But worldwide acceptance of alternative, non-synthetic proteins seems to be at an inflection point. Lab-grown, ‘cell-cultivated’ chicken was approved for sale in the US just a few weeks ago. And the EU approved a fourth insect for human consumption earlier this year.

Enter insect farming.

Farming insects consumes much fewer resources and has greater protein potential than farming meat — 100g of mealworm larvae, for example, offers 25g of protein, compared to 20g of protein in 100g of beef.

And even if you don’t have an appetite for arthropods, insect proteins can still improve the environmental footprint of your beloved burger indirectly — by replacing (or displacing some percentage of) traditional cattle feed.

And that’s not all.

Certain insect species are natural ‘ bioconverters ’ — they efficiently transform organic waste into useful products.

And since organic waste accounts for over one-fifth of global methane emissions, that’s a pretty bug big deal.

Let’s take a deeper look at edible insects.

Entomophagy , from the Greek éntomon [insect] and phagein [to eat], meaning: "the human consumption of insects for food."

Bon appetit!

Food, feed, and finances

Slowly but surely, edible insects are moving into the mainstream — both for human consumption and animal nutrition.

Source: Food revolution (PDF) . Barclays.

A number of different demand and supply factors are at play here, but large-scale insect farming in the near term is arguably driven by insects as feed, not as food.

Money talks — and rising costs of conventional animal feeds have created a sense of urgency. So there’s now more demand for insect-based animal feed than ever.

Fish and soybean meal are the top protein sources for animal feed, which makes up the bulk of meat production costs today.

Afridigestibles

574 : Million metric tons’ worth of meat, seafood, dairy, and eggs consumed globally in 2020. (That’s roughly 75 kilograms per person FYI.)

60%–70% : Animal feed share of total livestock and poultry production costs.

$501.9B : Global animal feed market size in 2022.

4% : Projected global animal feed market CAGR through 2030.

$1.1B : Global insect feed market size in 2022.

12% : Projected global insect feed market CAGR through 2031.

70% : Consumer acceptance rate of insects as animal feed in Europe.

>85% : Acceptance rate of insect-based feed by farmers and feed producers in Kenya.

Africa’s top animal feed producers : South Africa, Egypt, Nigeria, Morocco, and Algeria.

>80% : Percent of worldwide insect farming activity focused on black soldier flies.

Polyphagous , from the Greek poly [many] and phagein [to eat], meaning (of an animal): "able to feed on various kinds of food."

Magic maggots

There are over 1 million different insects on the planet, but only a few are farmed industrially.

Crickets, mealworms, and locusts top the list for human consumption, but there’s just one star when it comes to insects as animal feed — Hermetia illucens , the black soldier fly.

Watch the ‘ crown jewel ’ of the insect farming industry work in this 2-minute video:

Unlike popular insect farming species like crickets and mealworms, black soldier fly larvae love organic waste and they practice polyphagy.

You can feed them spent grains from beermaking, all kinds of food waste, and even fecal sludge, and they still grow well. (They don’t eat bones though.)

In fact, that’s probably their superpower — an almost magical ability to convert organic waste into products that are valuable to us humans.

Even their poop frass is a nutrient-rich fertilizer.

“ How is this insect so magical? ” — Talash Huijbers , Founder & CEO of Kenya’s InsectiPro .

It’s no surprise then that up to 90% of insect farms worldwide focus on black soldier flies.

That includes South Africa’s Maltento . And here’s Dominic Malan , the company’s Co-founder and Commercial Director:

As an adult, it has no mouthparts [which is] important from a phytosanitary perspective…from a hygiene perspective. So, it’s a non-pathogenic fly and poses no risk from a pathogen transfer perspective.

But more importantly, because it has no mouth, what makes the larvae really interesting is the fact that they are almost designed to eat for their lives.

The little insect in larva form only lives for ten days. It hatches out as a tiny little neonate and for ten days it’s a larva and then it pupates, goes through metamorphosis, and hatches out as a fly.

The African outlook

Europe (and France , in particular) is the center of global insect farming activity today.

But the African continent might have unique advantages when it comes to black soldier flies: their larvae are most active at temperatures between 77 and 95°F (25-35°C). And that’s also the ideal range for adult fly mating and egg hatching.

So black soldier fly farms across the continent can potentially spend less on infrastructure and overhead farming costs than their counterparts elsewhere. And with the right investments, partnerships, and training, there’s a real chance for Africa to become a global leader here.

Investors in Africa’s black soldier fly farming space today include Novastar Ventures, Kepple Africa Ventures, GIIG Africa, E Squared Investments, Futuregrowth Asset Management, E4E Africa, GreenTec Capital Partners, ShEquity, and others.

And here’s a look at some startups using black soldier flies to transform waste into various end products across Africa.

Expert insights

Founded in 2017, Nigeria’s MagProtein is quietly one of the largest insect protein producers on the continent.

Every day, it produces approximately 1 ton of dry protein , 3 tons of wet protein , and 6 tons of frass . The protein goes primarily to local fish farmers for feed and the frass goes primarily to local crop farmers for fertilizer.

That’s according to George Thorpe , MagProtein’s Managing Director.

I spoke with him to get a much-needed practitioner’s perspective.

Here’s the transcript — lightly edited for clarity:

What’s your perspective on the potential of insect protein production in Africa generally? Is it realistic to think that Africa can overtake Europe to become the global leader in this space?

“The most important thing to recognize is that the infrastructure requirements for scaling up insect production in Africa are much more advantageous than in Europe. We’ve got the right climate, we’ve got the right cost structure, and we have access to tremendous waste. Most of the waste in Africa is undervalued in my opinion, so there’s a lot of potential for upcycling of nutrients in this space. And when we add the fact that 70 to 80% of protein products used for fish feed is imported in Nigeria & other countries, it’s clear that there’s a dire need for supply. This is a remarkable opportunity in a market-ready environment.”

Let’s talk more about access to waste. I’ve seen reports that some Kenyan insect protein producers get 80% of waste inputs for free. How does it work for MagProtein?

“We have to commend many of the food & beverage businesses producing in Nigeria, because they see the opportunities for synergy. Many of them have already done similar integrations in their value chain for plastics recycling initiatives and they see similar opportunities for organic waste circularity. So, when companies like ours approach them and say, ‘we’d like to offtake a percentage of your waste because we want to use it to produce fertilizer that could help grow some of the inputs you need for your business,’ they see the synergy. As a result, our access to inputs is probably more extensive than the players in Kenya that you mention. Imagine a company making drinks that require hibiscus. Their outgrowers in, say, Jigawa require fertilizer. So it’s attractive when we say, ‘we don’t just take your free waste, we’ll also sell you or your outgrowers fertilizer on a long-term contract basis.’ Very simply, we partner directly with industrial-scale food and beverage companies across Nigeria to offtake their waste and in turn, we create a partnership that’s a complete circle.”

You mentioned that you sell mostly to local fish farmers & crop farmers. How do you think about the export market?

“There are always export opportunities. And it can be an attractive market. But the requirements are such that you generally need specific, global certifications that tend to require specific expertise. And here in Nigeria, where manufacturing is still a new science in my opinion, it can be difficult to have the same type of expertise. At the same time, the local market is also very attractive. One of the drivers of insect-based fertilizer demand in northern Nigeria, for example, is that the soil is not as rich as it is in the south of the country, so farming requires organic fertilizer inputs. But the volume that’s available is very small and what is available is also very inefficient when compared to black soldier fly frass. Similarly, the local market for insect-based protein is highly attractive. A lot of feed is imported which raises costs. So enabling farmers to access high-quality protein inputs within their price points locally creates tremendous demand and volumes for us.”

Recent black soldier fly fundraises in Africa

• South Africa’s Maltento raised $3.3M from Sand River Venture Capital in Week 24 2023.
• It also announced a $788K fundraise from DEG’s Up-Scaling program in Week 13 2023.
• Tanzania’s BioBuu raised a $200K seed round from the GIIG Africa Fund in Week 8 2023.
• South Africa’s Nambu Group raised an undisclosed seed round from E Squared Investments in Week 4 2023.
• Kenya’s Ecodudu raised $540K in a round led by Truvalu, with participation from GreenTec Capital Partners, ShEquity, and Opes-Lcef, in Week 51 2022.
• South Africa’s Inseco raised a $5.3M seed round led by Futuregrowth Asset Management, with participation from E4E Africa, Oak Drive Ventures, and others, in Week 17 2022.

Vectors of differentiation/specialization

• Inputs : Human fecal waste vs. other organic waste (generally)
• End products : Insect meal, insect powder, insect oil, frass, whole larvae, protein coatings, etc.
• Target consumers : Fisheries, meat producers, poultry farmers, pet food producers, crop farmers, etc.
• Target markets : Local, export

Moats & defensibility

• Access to raw materials in large quantities is an important factor. There’s no shortage of organic waste in Africa, but there are a limited number of large producers to offtake from.
• There’s also a technical aspect at play here as certain processes — climate control, automation, egg hatching, insect diet, vertical farming — seem to be closely-held secrets that require a fair amount of R&D. The requirements of precision black soldier fly farming weren’t generally known until this 2002 paper , and there’s still a lot of ongoing research. In other words, just twenty years ago, industrial black soldier fly cultivation didn’t exist, so the equipment and processes required for efficient large-scale production are still being optimized.
• Finally, scale matters. There are lots of low-tech, small-scale insect producers across the continent, but larger, tech-enabled commercial producers enjoy gains in unit cost and production yield/efficiency.

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• Spotlight:   Featured , Intelligence Brief

By Emeka Ajene

Based in Lagos, Nigeria, Emeka is the Founder & Publisher of Afridigest and leads Africreate , a strategic advisory firm that helps global senior executives, corporates, and investors take advantage of opportunities in African markets. He also connects global capital to promising Africa Tech investment opportunities via investment firm Africapital . Follow him on Linkedin and Twitter .

Black Soldier Fly Farming

How to use this site.

• INTRODUCTION
• THE BSF LIFE CYCLE
• 1. BSF REARING
• 1.1 RECOMMENDED LOCATION AND CONDITIONS
• 1.2 WASTE MANAGEMENT
• 2. BSF HARVESTING AND PROCESSING
• BIBLIOGRAPHY

  The black soldier fly larvae rearing learning tool

This tool will provide you with instructions and the knowledge necessary to get started with black soldier fly (BSF) larvae rearing on a household level.

This learning tool will provide you with:

• a basic understanding of the black soldier fly life cycle;
• instructions on black soldier fly larvae rearing at home;
• instructions on how to use black soldier fly larvae as chicken feed;
• instructions on how to prepare and apply frass as fertilizer on your farm.

This learning tool has been developed in cooperation with DanChurchAid Kenya. 

Material found in this learning tool takes the Kenyan context as its point of departure. However, learning and knowledge related to black soldier fly farming is universal.

You can navigate this site by using the navigation menu on your left. You can also click on the arrows found at the top or bottom of each section.

Most people use around 1 hour to go through this learning tool. 

Please remember to turn up the volume on your computer or use a headset

This online learning tool will give you a basic understanding of black soldier fly farming and hands-on instructions on black soldier fly larvae rearing on a household level.

Click on arrow now to start learning!

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Black Soldier Fly Farming

Black Soldier Fly farming is presently the most widespread form of insect farming in the world. The Black Soldier Fly is ideally suited for food production due to its rapid production cycle and high concentration of protein. The high percentage of protein in the larvae makes them an ideal source of food for a wide variety of animals.

Black Soldier Fly larvae farming

During the breeding phase, also referred to as the hatchery phase, the eggs deposited by adult Black Soldier Flies are placed in vertically racked containers filled with compost consisting of residual waste streams such as organic food waste. Under completely controlled climate conditions, the eggs hatch very quickly into tiny Black Soldier Fly larvae.

During the production phase, temperature, humidity, and food supply are carefully controlled and optimised for growth of the larvae, which reach their maximum body mass in only 6 days.  During this period, the larvae rapidly consume nutrients from the organic waste in order to prepare themselves for the following stage of their life as an adult fly.

When they are ready to be harvested, the larvae consist for 40% to 65% of protein and other essential nutrients for humans and animals. The dried insects are then processed to provide an insect meal that is ready for distribution and further processing.

Sustainability

Insect farming is, in principle, much more efficient and sustainable than the farming of cattle, pigs, and poultry. Insects are 4 to 10 times more efficient in converting nutrients into body mass. In addition, insect larvae feed on a wider range of residual waste streams that are efficiently converted into protein-rich body mass.

Finally, insect farming requires much less space and water, and the emission of greenhouse gases also appears to be lower. In short, an insect farming business offers a sustainable solution for the growing global demand for protein.

Insect Engineers

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Investing $ 20 million to open a Black Soldier Fly Farm in the US – EnviroFlight LLC

• On 23/12/2020

EnviroFlight LLC is a company specializing in the production of animal feed from insects established in 2009, the company focuses on research and development of foods for sustainable livestock in the US. Recently they announced the construction of a new plant specializing in black soldier fly farming in the US state of Kentucky.

Large Black Soldier Fly Farm In Kentucky, USA

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear announced December 10, 2020, that EnviroFlight LLC will invest a large amount of money (20 million USD, equivalent to 462 billion VND) in this state to promote the chicken feed industry. sustainable state. It is known that Kentucky is very famous for its chicken industry, it possesses an advanced livestock industry and consumes a huge amount of chicken feed produced in America.

• Current old premises of the company: The size of the Ranch is 1.1 hectares in length in Maysville, employing 40 full-time black soldier fly workers.
• The new facility is scheduled to be under construction: The Ranch, 1.6 hectares of a new site in Kentucky, employs 73 full-time black soldier fly workers.

@ Note: 1 square meter of BSF larvae can eat about 15 kg of food per day. The scale of 2 boys’ pages above is very large.

Not Surprised With Factory Establishment

The production of chicken feed using traditional materials such as brown powder, potato powder, tapioca, fishmeal … is increasingly expensive, the price escalation affects the profitability of Large livestock businesses. In addition, the production process of materials for animal feed will have a huge impact on the environment. The use of insects (especially the black soldier fly ) is a cheaper and more stable option, as the larvae of this breed eat only agricultural residues and they are harmless friendly and diseases spread to animals and humans.

In addition, since 3/2018, the American Feed Control Association (AAFCO) has agreed to the request of Enterra Feed Corporation to bring insects and larvae to puree (including black soldier flies) into high-quality animal feed for poultry, birds, salmon, arctic fish…, allowing it to be used in large quantities for the US livestock industry.

Positive Effects On The Environment

The use of raw materials such as food leftovers from big cities, agricultural residues, livestock waste … as a food sources for BSF larvae will help us to greatly reduce dilemmas about the environment, increasing profits for businesses. It is known that the nutritional content in BSF larvae includes: 43% protein, 34% fat, 6% Calcium, 1.2% Phosphorus ……. believed to be excellent for the chicken industry (even slightly smokier than traditional fishmeal). In particular, the protein of the fly larvae is rich in lysine, 54% of the fat of the larvae is lauric acid, an acid that kills the virus with lipids (such as HIV, measles) as well as Clostridium and protozoa cause disease, supporting chickens to resist disease. In addition, the construction of black soldier fly breeding facilities saves space and area and does not cause any air pollution, soil pollution, water pollution, noise pollution for the surrounding area.

The article is written by KIMMY – Kimmy Farm in Ho Chi Minh City specializes in providing products related to BSF such as: Fly eggs, larvae, larvae, fly larvae … We have a soldier fly farm. black in the clean agricultural farming area in Binh Phuoc, Tay Ninh and has a representative office in Ho Chi Minh City for your convenience. We are a clean and modern agricultural farm with the desire to share the best with many people and develop the Clean agricultural ecosystem of Vietnam. Please contact us if you are in need of supplies for BSF. Hope the article about “Information: Black Soldier Fly Fat AWME Substance Similar to Antibacterial Resistance” is helpful for you.

@Check More Info Here: Vietnam Black Soldier Fly Farm

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A brand specializing in the production and export of agricultural products in Vietnam. We have a black soldier fly farm in Tay Ninh and a cashew growing area in Binh Phuoc. The main export products of the company are: cashew nuts , cashew nut kernels , black soldier fly , frozen seafood , shrimp, prawns, catfish… from Vietnam.

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Intensive Black Soldier Fly Farming

Black soldier fly is native to most areas in the United States, but the density of the population might vary across states. If you don't see them frequently in your area, it means you don't have millions of them around, and you will find it hard to attract fertilized females to lay eggs in your nursery. In this situation, a fly cage is highly recommended. In the picture below, there are two types of cages. One is made from PVC pipes (48*25*20 inch) and covered with baby insect-proof net. The size of this type is limited by the size of available netting. In the middle is a wood-framed cage (48*48*48 inch), and it's covered by common screen mesh. Either one works pretty well. There is a standard product for black soldier fly breeding purposes available HERE .

Allowing the maximum amount of direct sunlight available to the setup is the key to successful mating. If you are breeding indoor, make sure your colony gets the window that is facing south to maximize the amount of direct sunlight that's accessible to the cage. However, in many northern regions where sunlight is not adequate, you need to consider installing an artificial light source for black soldier fly breeding. Black soldier fly adults have special visual receptors, and successful mating only occurs when the right lights are available. The EVO Consortium has developed a LED light source that's specific for black soldier fly breeding purposes, and they are available HERE , and a test report for this black soldier fly breeding LED is available HERE .

Besides the light condition, the temperature should be kept above 23 degrees Celsius all the time for successful mating, and above 13 degrees Celsius to keep flies alive. Humidity should be around 50%. In the cage, all you need is to provide a clean water source and an attractant for oviposition (egg-laying). To make clean water available to the flies, you can place a small fountain, but make sure to avoid deep water standing, because black soldier fly is easy to drown. For the oviposition site, a plastic box with rotting organic matter (such as bananas, cornmeal, wheat bran) is necessary. For the best result, place a couple of thousand young larvae in the organic matter. The adult black soldier flies do not eat, the food is just for them to know where to lay eggs. Directly above the rotting material, using a rubber band to hold together 4-5 pieces of cardboard, and the fertile females would lay eggs in the cardboard flutes. For industrial farms that harvest hundreds of grams of egg per day, using a specially designed egg trap, for example, the ORI_1130  product, is necessary. The food should be kept moist all the time, otherwise, the female will lay directly on the food source, which will cause inconvenience for management. Usually, if you do not use antibiotics in the food for an attractant, the material will mold up after 2 or 3 days, and you have to replace the material frequently to avoid stinks. One way we found to be effective to prevent molds is introducing one or two thousand small black soldier fly larvae in the food source because the larvae can consume the fungi that cause the mold, and they can produce chemicals that inhibit fungi and bacterias growth. In this way, you can change the food source less frequently.

Farmers should harvest the eggs (replace the cardboard) every day or every two days to make the empty flute space available for the oviposition. The eggs can be directly introduced to the working grub compost for hatching. The black soldier fly larvae will not consume your eggs unless the eggs are already dead and rotting. This is a good thing because when the larvae consume those rotting eggs, other eggs that haven't been infected will be fine till hatching.

In most cases, the failure of the egg is a result of extremely low humidity plus high temperature. These environments are often found in small rooms with the heater turned on. In some other cases, it is due to unfertilized eggs. Although black soldier fly does not lay eggs if they never mated before, females do have eggs developed in the ovaries regardless of the mating. If the female ever formed a pair with a male, and they got interrupted before they finished, which could be 10-30 minutes, the female will lay all the eggs. Interruptions could be human activities or poor quality of the light source. If this is the case, a big portion of the egg mass is unfertilized and will not hatch. To avoid this happening, try to set up a greenhouse for the breeding cage, or place the cage beside a big window with no filters on. Also, minimizing the interruption due to management will help to increase egg quality. This is being said, do not play with the flies and let them do their jobs by themselves. 

Under the condition of 27-30 Celsius Degree, after 10 days of hatching, the larvae can reach a visible size and is ready to compost food scrap. When you introduce them to the compost, you can have a rough count of how many larvae you are having in your bins. 

The larvae of black soldier fly are polyphagous--they can grow from grasses like alfalfa, vegetable waste, animal feces, to nutrient-rich products like meat or carrions. If the larvae were given enough food with moisture, they will develop from egg to prepupae within 3 weeks on average. Although the black soldier fly larvae are tough growers, there are two main factors that could cause large damage to the population. The first one is the high temperature, and the second one is poor substrate ventilation. When actively consuming food, the black soldier fly can generate a good amount of heat. A healthy colony has a core temperature ranging from 32-44 Celsius Degree, with fluctuation depending on the environment temperature. The larvae will stop feeding once the temperature rises above 44 Celsius, and they will aggregate on top of the substrate to dissipate the heat. If the environment temperature is close or beyond 44 Celsius Degree over 4 hours, the larvae will die and will not be able to revive by placing them in a cooler room. Poor substrate ventilation is another factor that could cause large damage, and this is especially a problem for the neonates. When larvae are large, their wriggling movements are strong enough to create some pore space to breathe in a submerge situation. Yet, the neonates are not strong enough to create significant pore space to breathe, if the feedstock particles are too fine, like alfalfa and cornmeal, or too sticky like cooked sorghum. Therefore, it's critical to add feedstocks that have low density but high rigidity, such as wheat bran, rice bran, or wood shaving dust, into the diet to create a loose texture so that the neonates can breathe underneath. Larvae die due to heat or suffocated are soft in texture.

Ideally, the substrate should not be thicker than 3 inches, and this is because of two reasons. Firstly, the larvae tend to dig down with no stop, and if the substrate is thicker than 3 inches, sometimes you will find them fail to make it back to the surface and die due to either heat or lack of oxygen. Secondly, the fresh food you put on the surface will sink to the bottom due to the wiggling of the larvae, and if the substrate is too deep, the food will no longer be available for the larvae.

Though the black soldier fly is known for being able to self-harvest, most of the commercial producers in the world do not apply this in their main production line. JM Green (China), Enterra (Canada), and Enviroflight (USA) all use the pan system, with different size of the pan. Here are two examples of the projects done on the pan system: the first is a small pan system  JM Green Beijing Facility , and the second one is JM Green Baotou Facility .

• Researchers in North Central Florida have found an undescribed parasitic Hymenopteran species of Trichopria on BSFL ( H. illucens) , and in this case, the host was developed in poultry house (Mitchell et al. 1974). In our facility, we have spotted a parasitic wasp that was targeting the pupating pupae. The parasitic wasps usually occur in large numbers and could damage the pupate emergence rate. Common treatments include sticky traps and preventative procedures. 
• Rather than targeting the adult or larva of the BSF, phorids are interested in the foods that the BSFL is eating. Even though the phorids cannot outcompete the BSFL on the food source, they can make your facility very nasty--phorids are a common pest that could contaminate human resources. More importantly, the existence of the phorids is an indicator that your BSFL colony is not in a healthy state.
• Difference families of the mites have been observed annoying BSFL adults, larvae, and eggs.
• Although BSFL consumes fungi as food, there are unpreferable fungi that could hurt the colony, on all life stages of the BSFL, and some attacks will result in population wipeout. 
• A virus infection usually kills over 90% of the larvae
• The parasitic wasp is tiny and hard to be prevented by installing physical barriers such as window screens. While you see this is an issue, it means your colony is under severe attack. This often happens when there are old pupae being left in the environment for too long. One should regularly clean the cage to remove hatched pupae and install yellow sticky traps to catch the wasps to prevent them from reproducing.
• The phorid issue can be solved by accelerating the larval development or reduce the rearing time. After harvesting the BSF larvae, the frass should be set for aerobic composting to kill the phorid pupae.
• Mites usually come from the food source, especially grain-based feed. Proper pretreatment such as fermentation or heat cooling can prevent the outbreak adequately. In the case of an infected colony, one can increase the substrate temperature to above 40 Celsius Degree by increasing the larval density or ambient temperature.
• Remove the pans that showed unknown dieoff of the black soldier fly larvae, as this could be bacteria or virus caused. Washing the pans thoroughly and applying sanitization products afterward are necessary steps to prevent the pathogens to be carried over to the next batch.

Comments on this post (72 comments)

Matias says...

Hello Spring, very interesting material, we are traying to build a Pilot of BSF farming using the self harvesting method due to the low labor needed and the apparent simplicity, but this kind of analysis gives me a new perspective… Are you available to have a chat and help us on the process? as a consultant.

Best Regrds.

May 26, 2021

Koko tamuno-omie george says...

Thanks a lot for this useful review , but pls how are the larveas fed ? is it once a day or twice a day and what quantity should be fed per time .thank you sir.

May 15, 2021

Sanusi adamu says...

Hello,iam from Nigeria, I want ask a question, If I took the eggs and leaving without taken to the hatchery Will it been damage

May 06, 2021

Adewumi Adebowale Isaac says...

Thank you for sharing Can I get more help setting up a small BSF station in my small farm in Nigeria. Hope to hear from u soon Thanks

March 12, 2021

DAUDA AKANBI says...

I AM INTERESTED IN YOUR TRAINING AND I WANT TO DO THE BUSINESS WITH YOU

August 24, 2020

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Black Soldier Fly Larvae Farming

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Maat van Uitert Want an easy (and free) way to feed your hens? Have you heard of black soldier fly larvae? Not sure what the big deal is? In this article, I’ll show you how to get started farming black soldier fly larvae – and why they’re such a valuable food source for your flock. You’ll also get our free plans for building your own black soldier fly larvae farm.

What Are Black Soldier Fly Larvae?

Black soldier fly larvae are the juvenile state of the black soldier fly ( Hermetia illucens ). The adults look a little like wasps, and the larvae might remind you of mealworms. But don’t confuse them – black soldier fly larvae and mealworms are different species, with different advantages for backyard chickens and ducks.

Since they can be found all over the U.S ., particularly in southern states, you probably already have these black soldier fly larvae in your backyard! Don’t worry if you’ve never spotted them. The flies are easy to miss. We never realized they inhabited our farm until I left some horse grain in the bed of our truck during a rainstorm. A few days later, hundreds of larvae crawled out of the grain. We accidentally raised them in our truck bed! Yes, it was very gross, and it made me realize just how easy these insects are to cultivate. We had some very happy chickens that day.

Black soldier flies are everywhere. You just need to create an inviting area for the adults to lay their eggs to start your own black soldier fly larvae farm.

How Do I Feed Them to Chickens?

You may be wondering why these insects are so healthy for fowl. While the adults aren’t generally fed to chickens, their larvae make an exciting, nutritious, and free supplement in your flock’s diet. Black soldier fly larvae are about 50 percent protein and a rich source of vital nutrients, such as calcium. Since protein is necessary for feather growth and egg production, it’s clear how beneficial these yummy treats are for hens. The extra calcium will help your flock lay better eggs, too.

There’s no exact percentage for how much of your flock’s diet is replaceable with black soldier fly larvae. Just make sure that your chickens are getting all the nutrients they need. You can start by replacing 10 percent of your flock’s regular grain, and increase from there. They’ll thank you! It’s always a good idea to consult your veterinarian as well.

To feed these insects to your flock, you have some options. You can:

• Feed the insects live
• Sacrifice the larvae by freezing them (thaw them before feeding)
• Dry the larvae for long-term storage

Each option has advantages. Feeding live insects is exciting and fun for your chickens because it lets them indulge in their natural behaviors. Our birds are omnivores; they evolved to forage and seek out tasty insects. Since we keep them cooped all day, they get a bit bored! Live insects break up the boredom and give your flock a bit of exercise.

Eventually, live black soldier fly larvae will pupate into adults. The mature black soldier flies will stop breeding as summer fades to fall, and you’ll have no more larvae to harvest until the following spring. If you don’t harvest and store some of the young, your steady supply will eventually dwindle.

Feeding dead black soldier fly larvae makes it easy to mix them with feed. It’s also easier to hold onto dead larvae for longer-term storage (either by freezing them or drying them). If you don’t want to keep the black soldier fly larvae in your freezer, you can dry them after they’ve died in the freezer. Use a solar oven or even a household oven to dry them for long-term storage. Another method to dry black soldier fly larvae is to microwave them, however, I’ve never personally tried that method.

Plans For A DIY Black Soldier Fly Farm

Now that you know why these insects are so healthy for your hens, let’s talk about how you can raise them yourself! First, you’ll need a home for your larvae, and one way to do that is to build your own.

Building your own black soldier fly larvae farm takes just a few minutes. And it doesn’t need to cost an arm and a leg. We spent less than $20 on this project and were able to upcycle scrap wood and spent shavings from our coop to complete it.

To make this project easy and accessible for chicken keepers of all levels, we used a 55-gallon plastic bin. You can buy these at any big-box store. While plastic may not be for everyone, we wanted to show how this project can be easy, accessible, and low-cost.

If plastic isn’t your thing, then you can also build bins out of wood using this same design. It’ll cost you a bit more than just a plastic bin, but it’ll last longer. If you’re not sure that raising black soldier fly larvae is for you, then stick with a plastic bin. You’ll be less financially invested in the project, and you can always upgrade to a wood bin later.

Ultimately, the goal is to cultivate a protein-rich feed for your chickens. Since the design works well with many different types of material, feel free to use wood, cement, cinder blocks, or anything else you have on hand.

For this project, you’ll need:

• Cinder blocks, or another way to raise the bin ($1 each)
• A 55-gallon plastic bin and a smaller plastic bin ($14 total)
• A drill with a small-circumference bit (1/4-inch is best)
• Bedding substrate (free)
• Starter feed (such as ground corn, spent fruit and vegetables, horse feed, rice bran, etc).
• Corrugated cardboard (free from post office)
• 2 pieces of wood at least 6 inches wide (wider is better) and half the length of your bin (free)

Total cost: $18

Step 1: Stack your cinder blocks and bin.

Assembling your bin is easy. First, drill a few holes into the bin for drainage, so its contents won’t become waterlogged. Next, stack your cinder blocks so the bin is raised off the ground. This is important for two reasons: First, it keeps mice and rats out of your bin. Second, it creates good circulation around your bin. You don’t want the interior getting too hot, because it’ll rot the food faster (attracting the wrong kind of insects). Additionally, if your bin gets too hot, it’ll cause your black soldier fly larvae to crawl off sooner. They’ll be smaller and less nutritious for your chickens.

If you have another way to raise your bin, such as an extra table or sawhorses, you can use that instead of cinder blocks. The idea is to just get your bin off the ground.

Step 2: Add your bedding substrate to the bin.

We used spent shavings from our chicken coop. We didn’t want the interior of our bin to get too wet. A moist, anaerobic environment rots food quickly, and attracts houseflies instead of black soldier fly larvae. Some other bedding options are newspaper, wood chips, compost, or dirt.

Step 3: Add your starter feed.

We used rice bran for this project, and just dumped it on top of the shavings. We then wet the bran a little so it made a scent to attract the female black soldier flies.

Step 4: Top it off with the cardboard.

Just place the cardboard on top of the feed. The black soldier fly ladies will know what to do!

Step 5: Add the wood planks.

Place these into the bin, and lean them side-by-side against one side of the bin so they’re on a shallow slope (at least, as shallow as your bin allows). The idea is that these planks provide an easy way for your larvae to crawl out of the bin. You still will likely have some larvae crawl up the sides of your bin, but most will use the path of least resistance. If you notice a lot of the larvae crawling up the sides, you can catch the larvae by putting additional smaller bins below those areas as well. You can also add a lid to your bin to help contain and protect the larvae and their environment.

If you have strong winds like we do on our farm, weighing down the lid with a cinder block will prevent the lid from getting lost. This is especially important in storms, since you don’t want a lot of water in your bin. Excessive moisture can drown your grubs, cause them to crawl off too early, or attract the wrong kind of insects.

Step 6: Place your extra bin right below the wood planks.

Keep it as close to the ends of the planks as possible to ensure your larvae make it into the receiving bin. If you need to raise your receiving bin, just use extra cinder blocks, or something similar. Check your smaller bin daily! Adult black soldier flies only live about 7 days. In that time, they need to mate and lay eggs. Eggs take about 4 days to hatch, so you should see results quickly.

Step 7: Choose a location for your bin.

You don’t want the interior of your bin to get too hot, too moist, or too wet. If any of these conditions aren’t ideal, it can result in faster crawl-off and possible death. While the goal is to harvest the larvae to feed our chickens, you don’t want them dying too soon in your bin or crawling off before they’re large and nutritious for your birds. Choose a spot that’s in partial shade, and can keep your bin reasonably dry. Building your larvae farm in a bin lets you move it easily if it’s necessary.

Whenever we decide to set out a new bin, I look for a spot where I’ve seen larvae in the past. For example, our horses are masters at dropping their grain and mashing it into the mud. If we dig an inch or so with our boot heels and see black soldier fly larvae, we know it’s a great place to put a new bin. The flies are already attracted to that area! You can also place your bin close to your coop. Black soldier flies are attracted to the smell of chicken feed, so they’re likely already in that area.

Maintaining Your Bin and Attracting Black Soldier Flies

Now that your bin is complete, it’s on to the next step!

Your goal is to attract mature female black soldier flies and encourage them to lay eggs in your bin. These insects naturally lay eggs close to their food source. However, unlike houseflies, which lay their eggs on their food, black soldier flies lay their eggs near their food. So providing an attractive laying location, such as corrugated cardboard, is important. Any cardboard will do, although I personally would stay away from anything with a lot of ink and printing on it.

As for food, we use ground corn, rice bran, and wheat in our bins. We already have it available, and it’s less likely to attract houseflies. We also provide leftover fruit rinds, vegetables, and other kitchen waste. Experts recommend avoiding putting meat in your bin. As the meat decays, it sends off a rotting smell, which is more likely to attract houseflies. We personally don’t like the smell, so we just stick to grains, fruits, and vegetables. We’ve always had great luck with grains in particular!

Add food as needed, and keep an eye on the amount of food in your bin. If you notice it’s gone on a daily basis, add more. If there’s plenty of uneaten food in it, then hold off on adding more. While you’ll want to use leftovers from your kitchen instead of using very fresh produce, you also don’t want rotting food to create an anaerobic environment in your bin. It’ll attract maggots instead of black soldier fly larvae. It’s a balancing act, but you’ll soon get the hang of it.

How to Harvest Black Soldier Fly Larvae

As they mature, black soldier fly larvae will increase in size until they’re black and about 1 inch long. At this point, they’ll start to crawl off and out of their bin in order to move on to the next phase of their lives. Because they naturally will leave the bin, it’s very easy to harvest them. Simply wait for them to crawl off!

The planks of wood give them an easy way to leave their nest. As they crawl, they’ll eventually reach the end of the planks, and plop into the receiving bin below. You can check the bin every day for new larvae. You can then decide whether to feed them to your flock immediately or sacrifice them by freezing them.

Raising and harvesting black soldier fly larvae is relatively easy, and over time, it can provide a healthy and free source of food for your chickens.

Maat van Uitert is the founder of the backyard chicken and duck blog, Pampered Chicken Mama , which reaches approximately 20 million backyard poultry enthusiasts every month. She’s also the founder of the Living the Good Life with Backyard Chickens store , which carries nesting herbs, feed, and treats for chickens and ducks. You can catch up with Maat on Facebook and Instagram .

Originally published on Community Chickens website 2019.

4 thoughts on “Black Soldier Fly Larvae Farming”

Can cracked corn be used as the grain, or corn meal?

I am not looking to harvest the grubs, just to harness the awesome eating power of them to handle our food scraps 🙂

am currently using standard, open bottom compost bins and have added access holes and corrugated cardboard hanging from the lid.

do i need to anything else do you think?

I’m interested but out here in southern California I’ve never seen flys that look like the ones shown, all I’ve seen is common house fly…. Any tips? Maybe if I can find some live large could keep them till.a few turn to adults to repopulate… …any ideas would be great (zac if you see this maybe you can mail a few of the buggers to me – what state are you in) dustyjeeproad2000 at yahoo

How do the flies get in? Do you drill access holes? How big? How do you stop mice getting in?

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