I get black soldier fly larva auto shipped to me from Chewey. When my Bearded Dragon was growing, he really liked to eat the larva; but, now, I am using the larva for composting. The really can do a number on watermelon rind. My dragon likes to eat the soldier flies. when he can catch them in his cage.
I didn’t know what you had chickens. Great way to add protein to their diet. Could you incorporate the composter and collection bins to the coop for direct feeding, or do you have another use for the grubs beyond the chickens? Wishing you and your family a blessed week, gentle autumn weather and restful evenings. Peace brother
Good morning, brother. Yes, black soldier fly larvae are an excellent source of protein. Chickens belong to neighbors. I’m just the maggot supplier. :-) They are generous with sharing eggs. Thank you for watching. Hope all is well in O-H…I-O. Peace brother.
@@GreenShortzDIY attending PA Conference in Columbus Ohio. I saw a white Jeep with black tape forming letters O H I O by blocking parts of the seven vertical bars on the radiator. College kids are so crafty. Stay safe out there, enjoy your sunny days and time with your kids and spousal unit. Peace brother.
I stopped harvesting them. We Let them crawl out and find there way to a dark place... then we let the chickens forage for them. Keeps them busy out of the flower and veggie beds... mostly. I want to buy some bsf eggs in the spring to get a jumpstart. Any idea who sells them?
Hello Meta. I’ve shut my system down for the winter as well. Moving most of the dross to my garden beds. Pretty sure there are people on eBay selling eggs and larvae. But, depending on where you are, the larvae you let escape should be able to overwinter and emerge in n the Spring. I leave a little dross in the bin to remind them where to return.
So many questions. How many years has it been? What do you do with all the leftovers in there? Any tips for doing this in a much drier place? Is there anything you'd do differently? In a greenhouse do you think a system like this could run all winter?
Hello, I also have a soldier fly box now here in Germany, and I have a few questions for you. Maybe you have time to answer. Have you ever fed yours with straw or wood bedding with grass clippings? I wanted to give them my rabbit toilet but see that they hardly decompose it. Do you give them garden waste, like leaves or weed plants? Does the escaping moisture also stink with you? I feed cauliflower stalks that are grated and a lot of moisture comes out. In which climate zone do you live and how cold does it get in your area in winter? Many thanks in advance, thank you also for your videos, I learned a lot.
Great content, I'll soon building a few bins myself. I had a few questions and suggestions though. I noticed you haven't done a follow up on the bin using the tarp. How did that turn out? Is there any concern about the tarp degrading? Can you do a follow up video on specifically the tarp compost bin? You mentioned that you take a handful of larvae and give back to nature. For the trashcan compost bin, I think it would be easier if you let the larvae fall to the ground in the center where some escape rather than catching every last few. You also mentioned an issue with ants. Consider using metal angle iron for legs as they won't be able to climb it, and it'll last longer than wood. This works well for bee keeping too.
Thanks, Dan. The tarp bin worked pretty well too. I didn’t use it this season, but still have it. I’ll need to check how it has held up. One interesting issue…the local possum figured out he could tip up the milk jugs for a midnight snack. I’ll need to figure a way to secure those. I’m planning a super-simple BSFL bin build this Spring. I’ll do an update on the other two bins as part of that video. Thank you for your suggestions. Thank you for watching.
@@GreenShortzDIY awesom! I'll be sure to keep an eye out for it! By the way I thought of a few more suggestions. You mentioned most of the fly eggs are on the entrance which poses the issue that when they hatch they don't make it to the compost. What if you made a bridge covering the entrance and going over the trap? That way all the hatchings fall in the compost. For your next version to overcome the possums, you could use a huge jar(pickles plastic or metal, large peanut butter), and create a hole as big as you need in the center of the lid for the larvae to fall through, leaving enough room to screw it to the bottom. That'll allow you to mount the jar by screwing it in to the lid. Hopefully they're not too clever. You'll have to find a way channel the larvae into that hole too. Thanks for getting back to me and creating your super helpful content! By the way, I've recently started a channel, I'd love it if you checked it out. Not a UA-cam celebrity but hey we all gotta start somewhere right? Visit me at youtube.com/@BeeManDan
There would be more adults around even if I didn’t toss some, but that will help boost the adult population. I also like giving some of them a chance to live. :-) In my climate (Georgia) they shut down during the winter. They’ll hibernate in the pupae phase and then emerge in Spring as adults. Thank you for watching.
Avocado skins they won’t eat. Orange peel, they can but it usually dries up first. I do have to clean out the debris and sludge, but it is all organically which go into the garden soil. I usually only clean out once a season.
Hii :) I am an Austrian design and engineering student and I am currently working on my master thesis about insect breeding. I have to say that I am amazed by your rearing system and wanted to ask if it is somehow possible to contact you and talk to you. I have some questions and I think I can learn a lot from your experience. Cheers, Yasmin
Great little insight into how quickly it goes! Can't believe how fast they devoured those leftovers!
Very cool. I just compost but I will look into this next spring. God Bless and stay safe.
Thank you for watching, Joey.
I’ve got a simpler bin design in the works. Will have it ready for Spring.
Oh wow, I love this. We really missed a trick back when we had chickens. No space now unfortunately, but one day...
Thank you for watching. :-)
Awesome stuff Tom! 😃👍🏻👊🏻
I get black soldier fly larva auto shipped to me from Chewey. When my Bearded Dragon was growing, he really liked to eat the larva; but, now, I am using the larva for composting. The really can do a number on watermelon rind. My dragon likes to eat the soldier flies. when he can catch them in his cage.
Great idea!
Thank you for watching, John.
I didn’t know what you had chickens. Great way to add protein to their diet. Could you incorporate the composter and collection bins to the coop for direct feeding, or do you have another use for the grubs beyond the chickens? Wishing you and your family a blessed week, gentle autumn weather and restful evenings. Peace brother
Good morning, brother. Yes, black soldier fly larvae are an excellent source of protein. Chickens belong to neighbors. I’m just the maggot supplier. :-) They are generous with sharing eggs. Thank you for watching. Hope all is well in O-H…I-O. Peace brother.
@@GreenShortzDIY attending PA Conference in Columbus Ohio. I saw a white Jeep with black tape forming letters O H I O by blocking parts of the seven vertical bars on the radiator. College kids are so crafty. Stay safe out there, enjoy your sunny days and time with your kids and spousal unit. Peace brother.
Insightful. Thanks
maggots for eggs, nice😛
I stopped harvesting them. We Let them crawl out and find there way to a dark place... then we let the chickens forage for them. Keeps them busy out of the flower and veggie beds... mostly. I want to buy some bsf eggs in the spring to get a jumpstart. Any idea who sells them?
Hello Meta. I’ve shut my system down for the winter as well. Moving most of the dross to my garden beds. Pretty sure there are people on eBay selling eggs and larvae. But, depending on where you are, the larvae you let escape should be able to overwinter and emerge in n the Spring. I leave a little dross in the bin to remind them where to return.
So many questions. How many years has it been? What do you do with all the leftovers in there? Any tips for doing this in a much drier place? Is there anything you'd do differently? In a greenhouse do you think a system like this could run all winter?
Hello, I also have a soldier fly box now here in Germany, and I have a few questions for you.
Maybe you have time to answer.
Have you ever fed yours with straw or wood bedding with grass clippings? I wanted to give them my rabbit toilet but see that they hardly decompose it.
Do you give them garden waste, like leaves or weed plants?
Does the escaping moisture also stink with you? I feed cauliflower stalks that are grated and a lot of moisture comes out.
In which climate zone do you live and how cold does it get in your area in winter?
Many thanks in advance, thank you also for your videos, I learned a lot.
How do u kno wen it's time to clean it out?do u ever clean it? Wudnt it just b full of bsf poop?
Great content, I'll soon building a few bins myself. I had a few questions and suggestions though.
I noticed you haven't done a follow up on the bin using the tarp. How did that turn out? Is there any concern about the tarp degrading? Can you do a follow up video on specifically the tarp compost bin?
You mentioned that you take a handful of larvae and give back to nature. For the trashcan compost bin, I think it would be easier if you let the larvae fall to the ground in the center where some escape rather than catching every last few.
You also mentioned an issue with ants. Consider using metal angle iron for legs as they won't be able to climb it, and it'll last longer than wood. This works well for bee keeping too.
Thanks, Dan. The tarp bin worked pretty well too. I didn’t use it this season, but still have it. I’ll need to check how it has held up. One interesting issue…the local possum figured out he could tip up the milk jugs for a midnight snack. I’ll need to figure a way to secure those. I’m planning a super-simple BSFL bin build this Spring. I’ll do an update on the other two bins as part of that video. Thank you for your suggestions. Thank you for watching.
@@GreenShortzDIY awesom! I'll be sure to keep an eye out for it! By the way I thought of a few more suggestions.
You mentioned most of the fly eggs are on the entrance which poses the issue that when they hatch they don't make it to the compost. What if you made a bridge covering the entrance and going over the trap? That way all the hatchings fall in the compost.
For your next version to overcome the possums,
you could use a huge jar(pickles plastic or metal, large peanut butter), and create a hole as big as you need in the center of the lid for the larvae to fall through, leaving enough room to screw it to the bottom.
That'll allow you to mount the jar by screwing it in to the lid. Hopefully they're not too clever. You'll have to find a way channel the larvae into that hole too.
Thanks for getting back to me and creating your super helpful content!
By the way, I've recently started a channel, I'd love it if you checked it out. Not a UA-cam celebrity but hey we all gotta start somewhere right?
Visit me at youtube.com/@BeeManDan
Excellent. Is throwing some on the ground to hide the only thing you do to help generate the next batch/cycle?
Are these alive all year round?
There would be more adults around even if I didn’t toss some, but that will help boost the adult population. I also like giving some of them a chance to live. :-) In my climate (Georgia) they shut down during the winter. They’ll hibernate in the pupae phase and then emerge in Spring as adults. Thank you for watching.
@@GreenShortzDIY thanks for your reply. They do certainly look like a great composting solution, and feed for chickens.
do they end up eating the avocado skin and orange peels and stuff? Or do you have to remove them after they clean the insides out?
Avocado skins they won’t eat. Orange peel, they can but it usually dries up first. I do have to clean out the debris and sludge, but it is all organically which go into the garden soil. I usually only clean out once a season.
Hii :) I am an Austrian design and engineering student and I am currently working on my master thesis about insect breeding. I have to say that I am amazed by your rearing system and wanted to ask if it is somehow possible to contact you and talk to you. I have some questions and I think I can learn a lot from your experience. Cheers, Yasmin
Hi Yasmin. I’d be happy to share what I’ve learned. Email me at tom @ GreenShortz dot com. :-)
@@GreenShortzDIY Great, thank you sooo much! I sent you an e-mail :) Let me know if it worked out. looking forward to talking to you :D
Does this make anyone else hungry?🫤