A Great Dissertation on the Black Soldier Fly- Contains Great Review as well as Studies Examining Nutrition and Density on BSF Development

This Sunday afternoon I spent it doing what I typically do- cruising the internet in search of new information on the BSF. And, to my delight, I came across this wonderful PhD dissertation. I highly recommend it to those interested in gaining a stronger appreciation for what is known about this species while also reading about research conducted by the student on BSF and the role of nutrition and density on development. I also like the art work!

Like with most studies, these were done at a bench top scale. So, take these results with a grain of salt as their application at an industrial scale may not translate into similar outputs. Furthermore, I am not sure of the origins of the BSF colony used for the research. So, it is not clear how the results translate to different populations. With that said- all studies should result in voucher specimens placed in a museum. 

Barragán-Fonseca, K. B. 2018. Flies are What They Eat: Tailoring Nutrition of Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia illucens L.) for Larval Biomass Production. PhD, Wageningen University.

Chapters 1&2 focus on the background of the species. I am very impressed by the student's writing and thoroughness (nice publication from this chapter in: Journal of Insects as Food and Feed: 3 (2) - Pages: 105 - 120; but you can access everything in the dissertation- link provided, simply click on citation above).

Chapter 3 explores the impact of of larval density and dietary nutrient concentration on performance, body protein and fat contents of BSF.

Chapter 4 dietary protein and carbohydrates on BSF.

Chapter 5 explored the development of BSF on vegetable waste diets where they were formulated based on nutritional makeup.

​Chapter 6 also explored nutrition (protein and carbohydrates) on BSF development.

 Chapter 7 is a summary chapter of the research conducted.

Image from dissertation

Author

Jeffery K. Tomberlin, PhD, and not an artist!
Director, EVO Conversion Systems
Twitter: @FliesFacility