Black Soldier Fly Larvae

[Lindasjackson]

I just ordered 200 and they will be here Friday but it's cold where I live... Hope they survive. And I got 12 hornworms.

I order them frequently and it’s cold here to. Have them held at the post office and go and pick them up when they notify you they are in. That’s the best way to get live bugs instead of frozen ones! Rainbow mealworms is where I get most of my bugs and they have a box you can check off when you order any bugs from them to hold them at post office. This is what I always do summer and winter because winter is too cold and summer can be too hot. They then put a big pink sticker on the box that says ”hold at post office” . You can’t miss it! Lol! My post office then calls me when they get there to let me know to pick them up. I haven’t lost any bugs yet!

 

[Thatcher]

I order them frequently and it’s cold here to. Have them held at the post office and go and pick them up when they notify you they are in. That’s the best way to get live bugs instead of frozen ones! Rainbow mealworms is where I get most of my bugs and they have a box you can check off when you order any bugs from them to hold them at post office. This is what I always do summer and winter because winter is too cold and summer can be too hot. They then put a big pink sticker on the box that says ”hold at post office” . You can’t miss it! Lol! My post office then calls me when they get there to let me know to pick them up. I haven’t lost any bugs yet!

I don't think it would matter much because they have been in KANSAS for a whole day and It still needs to come to VA but I have hope some of them will live

 

[Lindasjackson]

I keep my Bsf in a bowl with a perforated lid in the substrate they come in at room temp and I feed them fresh veggies every couple days. They keep well that way.

 

[Lindasjackson]

I don't think it would matter much because they have been in KANSAS for a whole day and It still needs to come to VA but I have hope some of them will live

As long as they’ve been inside the warehouse they’ll be fine. It’s when they drive around in a freezing mail truck and they leave them on your porch that they freeze and die.

 

[Thatcher]

As long as they’ve been inside the warehouse they’ll be fine. It’s when they leave them on your porch that they freeze and die.

Oh ok my mom will probably bring them in and it's early release days gosh I'm Soo exited!!!!

 

[Lindasjackson]

Remember to feed them. I give them cut up red bell pepper, yellow squash, and arugula. You can feed them anything you feed your other feeder bugs. I usually put mine in a little bigger bowl than what they come in and make pinholes in the lid for air. Also leave them in the substrate they come in. Just empty them substrate and all into a bigger container, add veggies to the top of the substrate and put on the lid. It’s simple. Keep them at room temp. Be careful when opening in case any have turned into flies.

 

[Thatcher]

Remember to feed them. I give them cut up red bell pepper, yellow squash, and arugula. You can feed them anything you feed your other feeder bugs. I usually put mine in a little bigger bowl than what they come in and make pinholes in the lid for air. Also leave them in the substrate they come in. Just empty them substrate and all into a bigger container, add veggies to the top of the substrate and put on the lid. It’s simple. Keep them at room temp. Be careful when opening in case any have turned into flies.

Cool! And should I move the flies to a separate container to breed? Or will they do everything as long as they have food

 

[Lindasjackson]

I’m dont know anything about breeding them. I just release the flies into my chams cage and watch him hunt them down! Lol! I imagine you probably put them into a taller receptacle that they can fly around in with veggies they can lay eggs on but again I don’t know thats the right way to do it because I don’t breed them.

 

[Thatcher]

I’m dont know anything about breeding them. I just release the flies into my chams cage and watch him hunt them down! Lol! I imagine you probably put them into a taller receptacle that they can fly around in with veggies they can lay eggs on but again I don’t know thats the right way to do it because I don’t breed them.

Awesome! I fed my cham a few as a baby but I'm really excited to do it now!

 

[DocZ]

Awesome! I fed my cham a few as a baby but I'm really excited to do it now!

Definitely feed off the flies if they pupate. I usually take all the dark ones that are near changing to flies and throw them in the plant pots to pop up when they’re ready

Your Cham will LOVE the flies

 

[Thatcher]

Im so exited!

 

[Jpeff]

I'm in va and my bsfl always make it alive. I do have them held at post office

 

[dinomom]

I just bought a 100 count of black soldier fly larvae. I was wondering what type of container you would keep these in, would you put anything (like oatmeal or soil) in the container, and any other advice you might have for keeping them?

I take out of the little cup and put in a 6" tall deli container, with about 5" of dry coconut coir and give it a light spray. You can then feed them all you want, the urine (ammonia) is absorbed over a larger area so you can't even smell it. I use the smaller container to keep about half of them in the frig and transfer to big container as needed. I have kept them in frig IF not crowded for a couple of months easily.

I would not use fruit but peppers, raw squash, etc. are devoured.

 

[Pickle-cham]

Bsfl secrete a substance that suppresses mould growth interestingly cant gutloud the flies, I've found that gutloading veg & fruit to the larvae decrease pupate rate slightly. This us from observation not tested scientifically mind

 

[Lindasjackson]

Bsfl secrete a substance that suppresses mould growth interestingly cant gutloud the flies, I've found that gutloading veg & fruit to the larvae decrease pupate rate slightly. This us from observation not tested scientifically mind

That’s funny because in my experience it seems to increase the pupation rate. When I didn’t feed them they never pupated for me.

 

[Thatcher]

That’s funny because in my experience it seems to increase the pupation rate. When I didn’t feed them they never pupated for me.

I just fed them and left the cup with what I assumed was dead ones and I got flies

 

[Thatcher]

When I first got them

 

[Pickle-cham]

That’s funny because in my experience it seems to increase the pupation rate. When I didn’t feed them they never pupated for me.

Apple didn't do that for me, i do still put small pieces of butternut squash or sweet potato in but they never really eat it think its too hard for their mouthparts.
I find keeping them warm makes them all change in smaller timeframe, around my ambient (uk temperature) i get steady 2/3 flies a day.