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Black soldier fly (Source: By Didier Descouens - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=29228852)

An adult female lays between 206 and 639 eggs at a time. These eggs are typically deposited in crevices or on surfaces above or adjacent to decaying matter such as manure or compost and hatch in about 4days. Able to reach a length of 1 inch (27 mm) and weight of 0.10 to 0.22 g by the end of larval stage. The larval stage last about 22 days.

Black soldier fly larvae play a role as essential decomposers in breaking down organic substrates and returning nutrients to the soil. The larvae have voracious appetites and can be used for composting household food scraps and agricultural waste products. Additionally, black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) are an alternative source of protein for aquaculture, animal feed, pet food and human nutrition.

The larvae and adults are considered neither pests nor vectors are safe in the human habitats to culture.

Insect Farming

Insect farming from waste materials for consumption by Humans or animals. Insect farming is the practice of raising and breeding insects like any other domestic animals farm. Insects are farmed as a commodity as food, as a dye, as feed and otherwise.

Some of the popular insects are:

Silkworms

Mealworms

Buffaloworms

Honeybees

Lac insects

Cochineal

Crickets

Waxworms

Cockroaches

Benefits

• Significantly less amounts of resources and space is required, less amounts of waste produced, and emissions of very trace amounts of greenhouse gases.
• They include many vitamins and essential minerals, contain dietary fiber (which is not present in meat), and are a complete protein. The protein count of 100g of cricket is nearly equivalent to the amount in 100g of lean ground beef.
• As opposed to meat, lower costs are required to care for and produce insects.
• Faster growth and reproduction rates. Crickets mature rather quickly and are typically fullgrown within 3 weeks to a month, and an individual female can lay from 1,200 to 1,500 eggs in three to four weeks. Cattle, however, become adults at 2 years, and the breeding ratio is four breeding animals for each market animal produced.
• Unlike meat, insects rarely transmit diseases such as H1N1, mad cow disease, or salmonella.