Benefits of composting with black soldier flies:
- Soldier Flies are found almost everywhere, especially in warm climates
- You can feed them almost anything biodegradable; meat and fermented waste are big hits
- Black soldier flies don’t carry diseases like the common house fly, and will reduce their numbers because black soldier larvae out-compete house fly larvae for food
- No real mouth, so they don’t bite or eat as adults
- They don’t try to land on your food or pester you when eating outdoors
- The waste they produce is great fertilizer for your garden
- They dispose of waste very quickly
- Most animal waste will be consumed
- Little to no maintenance
- They make a great treat for chickens
Fast Food
Though the black soldier fly is native to most areas in the United States, they generally prefer a warmer climate. The larvae of black soldier flies develop on foods including grasses, grains, vegetable waste, animal feces, as well as nutrient-rich products like meat or carrion. Soldier flies can eat their weight in waste daily. If the larvae are given enough moisture-rich food, they will develop from egg to harvest in about 3 weeks. Black soldier fly larvae are a great source of supplemental nutrition for chickens.
Black soldier fly larvae nutritional profile:
42.1% crude protein
34.8% ether extract (lipids)
7.0% crude fiber
7.9% moisture
1.4% nitrogen free extract
14.6% ash
5.0% calcium
1.5% phosphorus
Win-Win-Win!
Quality chicken feed is expensive. One way we maximize our feed is by getting 3 uses out of it: the first is the feed itself goes to the chickens; the droppings go into our black soldier fly composter; the larvae feed on the waste and kitchen scraps and are then harvested and fed to the chickens as an afternoon treat. The third use is liquid waste from the soldier flies, which is used as fertilizer.
What to Look For
To add soldier flies to your chicken menu, you can purchase a black soldier composter or build your own. While there are plenty of designs on the web, we have our own downloadable plan available for your convenience. Whatever you choose, here are some things to look for.
- The black soldier fly is known for being able to self-harvest, so make sure the design has a ramp sloped at about 40 degrees as this allows them to be harvested without dragging waste material with them. There should be some sort of bin at the top of the ramp to collect the larvae.
- Ensure the design has good drainage, as the larvae produce a lot of liquid waste that needs someplace to drain to maintain an optimum environment. The liquid can be collected and diluted for fertilizer. We aerate the liquid for at least 48 hours to promote beneficial bacteria and kill off pathogens. We also add some molasses to feed the good bacteria.
- The adult soldier flies need to be able to get access into the composter, but you don’t want something uncovered or with too big of an entrance that encourages pests to disturb the composter. Lots of small 3/8 – ½ inch near the top of the composter should work well.
- Once in the composter, the adults need a place to lay their eggs- preferably something hanging from the top above the waste. Strips of corrugated cardboard or yard signs work well for this, as they provide lots of crevices for the female solder flies to lay their eggs.
- The composter should be on a stand to make it harder for pest, or ants to get into.
Black soldier flies are great way to treat your chickens, reduce landfill waste, decrease common house fly populations, and help you fertilize your garden. There are no negatives to composting with black soldier flies- try it!