Conversion of Organic Material - A Question of Feed Rate to Optimize BSF Production

So once again, I must apologize- but really for two things.

1. I am so sorry it has been a couple of weeks since I last wrote a post for the blog. I feel like I have been missing out on great conversation with friends from around the world when I do not post frequently.  

2. I started a new record system so I can keep up with the papers/topics that I discuss in each post. What does this mean? Well, it keep me from being too redundant by discussing the same articles over and over again.  So, please accept my apologies (again) if I am about to review a paper that I had previously discussed.... but I will say- if I am discussing the same paper again, it is because I think so highly of it! So highly, I feel it is necessary to review it again.

Today's paper for discussion is (drumroll please):

Diener, S., C. Zurbrugg, and K. Tockner. 2009. Conversion of organic material by black soldier fly larvae: establishing optimal feeding rates. Waste Management Research 27: 603-610.

This is a great paper by my friend and colleague Dr. Stefan Diener!  (A little back story- Stefan and I met a number of years ago... probably a decade or more when he came to visit me in Texas. He spent a few days meeting with me and discussing BSF as well as enjoying good Texas BBQ (if you visit Texas, here is a list of the best BBQ places). We have been good friends ever since!  He is such a leader in the development of the BSF for waste management and protein production.  I have so much respect for him!)

Now - how about his paper?

The take-home message from his study is feed rate matters (I am pretty sure we have talked about this before).  In this study, they fed BSFL a standard diet at different rates. They determined that there is a threshold at which overfeeding the BSFL occurs. There are a couple of key points here.

1. Feed rate will be dictated by what you feed them (some diets can be provided at much higher rates than others- for example, vegetable waste vs meat by-products).
2. Overfeeding can result in larval mortality as the larvae cannot digest it fast enough to prevent pathogen proliferation.
3. Overfeeding will reduce BSFL conversion rates.
4. Underfeeding will prolong larval development.
5. All diets need to be tested to determine an optimal rate.

Well... hopefully I am still on track in terms of providing useful information. I will start digging through my citations to review every paper on BSF that I have filed away... from the earliest to the latest. That way- you can develop your library too!

All the best,
Jeff Tomberlin, PhD, BSF librarian
Twitter: @FliesFacility
Director, EVO Conversion Systems