How to Feed My BSF Larvae to Optimize Production? Part 5

What does it matter if I overfeed? Overfeeding is bad news waiting to happen!! This is extremely important to avoid other pests becoming established (see previous point) or the outbreak of disease. Yes - the BSF are susceptible to certain microbes. While they haven't been identified yet (some speculate bacteria- others think fungi), the pathogen often occurs in over fed larvae. Infected larvae swell up like balloons and die. They also exhibit a behavior of aggregating at the top of the waste but not feeding. Now- this is very important, the pathogen, whatever it is, is highly transferrable. If you have multiple bins- DO NOT touch an infected bin and then touch an uninfected bin. You run the risk of transferring the infection. Also, if you have an infected bin- you will want to empty it quickly and sterilize/clean as best you can. Using a 10% bleach solution and allowing to air dry in direct sunlight will help. The issue is if your bin is made of wood which might be more challenging to clean.

I hope this information helps you be successful- but please let me know if there are specific topics you would like covered.  We are here to help.

Until my next post- best of luck and happy black soldier fly farming!!

Author

Jeff Tomberlin, PhD, BSF ecologist
​evoconsys.com