Composting Buddies : Black Soldier Flies
By Rini Varghese
Quite early on while composting you would have to befriend this unique dipteran, every composters' buddy, the black soldier fly.
Don't go by its looks, don't mistake it for a housefly. They are neither pests or vectors (carriers) of diseases.
They are similar to earthworms in their function as they help in decompostion process by breaking down organic matter
Life cycle : BSF ideally have a life cycle ranging from 47 to 75 days if they are provided with optimum growing conditions.
BSF are most effective when they are in their larval stage, as its during this phase they become voracious eaters and convert waste into compost
Benefits :
1 :They prevent houseflies population from growing by eating away their larvae .
2 : They are not attracted to human habitation or food, they only attracted to rotting food or manure.
Doesn't that make them all the more cute?
3 :They speed up the decomposition process by eating up all the waste and converting it into compost. BSF larvae are voracious eaters.
Worry not, if you see them in your compost ! Keep calm and compost.
Happy composting :D
Written by Malini Parmar
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