18/10/2022
How to start a BSF farm
Black Soldier Fly farming is presently the most widespread form of insect farming in the world. The Black Soldier Fly is ideally suited for food production due to its rapid production cycle and high concentration of protein. The high percentage of protein in the larvae makes them an ideal source of food for a wide variety of animals.
Black Soldier Fly larvae farming
During the breeding phase, also referred to as the hatchery phase, the eggs deposited by adult Black Soldier Flies are placed in vertically racked containers filled with compost consisting of residual waste streams such as organic food waste. Under completely controlled climate conditions, the eggs hatch very quickly into tiny Black Soldier Fly larvae.
During the production phase, temperature, humidity, and food supply are carefully controlled and optimised for growth of the larvae, which reach their maximum body mass in only 6 days. During this period, the larvae rapidly consume nutrients from the organic waste in order to prepare themselves for the following stage of their life as an adult fly.
When they are ready to be harvested, the larvae consist for 40% to 65% of protein and other essential nutrients for humans and animals. The dried insects are then processed to provide an insect meal that is ready for distribution and further processing.
Black soldier fly farming is becoming more and more popular in Nigeria and the farm should be designed as their farms so that they can model the best habitats of this black soldier fly in a natural environment. So it is not easy to model the whole farm to be suitable for the habitat of the black soldier fly. Not everyone can set up a highly efficient black soldier fly farm with the lowest cost of production.
Below are some of the basic criteria of choosing a location for an effective black soldier fly farm:
The farm must be located close to where there is enough fresh waste at a low cost:Staying close to sources of high-quality carbohydrate, protein waste is a prerequisite for your successful black soldier fly farm. Building a farm near food waste handling facilities in cities, hotel restaurants… or on poultry farms is a good option for your fly farm location.
The amount of waste at the farm is predictable and regular:
The second important thing to keep in mind is that the number of feed sources is predictable and less disruptive. Because when your farm is on a medium Scale, changing the strange food source into another source can cause your whole flock of black soldier flies to die since not adapting to the new food source in time, or the source itself Freshly contaminated food with extremely heavy pesticides.
The farm should be close to good transport routes:
Try to set up your camp in locations close to convenient village roads. This will help you access a low-cost, uninterrupted, continuous fly feed. Do not set up a fly farm in a remote location, where the food of BSF is not enough for you to expand your farm for highly increasing demand. BSF larvae are very water-eating, they can eat up to X2 times of their body weight, the food in remote areas is not enough for them to consume. For many professional black soldier fly farms, the daily amount of fly feed must be calculated in “Tons”.
Avoid places with crowded residential areas, dust pollution: Though the black soldier fly is an extremely vigorous insect, in densely populated areas contaminated with noise and dust, the flies have been shown to perform significantly worse. The number of eggs, as well as larval quality, are drastically reduced compared to those set up in low populated areas, with low air pollution and noise.
Avoid areas adjacent to farms where pesticides are used:It must be sure that your farm is not built, adjoining your farm is an area free of high doses of agricultural pesticides. Although this type of larvae is resistant to a certain amount of insecticide, at high doses the larvae of the black soldier fly will die massively, causing undesirable damage to your farm.
The establishment must maintain a healthy buffer zone for flies. (eg. open areas, trees, fences, fresh air….) :A healthy buffer zone for your BSF farm is a must. The buffer zone includes: open area, fence trees, fresh air … a clean buffer zone will help limiting dust pollution, noise pollution, access to pesticides. Then your farm will help increase fly productivity quickly. Adult black soldier flies are sensitive to the environment, and if the environment is good they will reproduce better
The farm area must be shaded and no direct sunlight:Black soldier fly is a shade-loving fly that likes to live in cool, shady places, out of direct sunlight. So you should choose a farm shaded by sedge trees, the temperature ranges from 24 – 30 degrees Celsius, the air is less polluted.
Materials needed for setting up a BSF farm
(1) Hatching Nets
(2) Pales
(3) Ply wood
(4) Pipes
(5) Constant supply of attractants
The Farmerpreneurs Hub would be hosting a free training on How to start and maintain a BSF farm
It's going to be done on WhatsApp
All you need to do is to subscribe to our email where we will send you a direct link to the WhatsApp group.
Anticipate as we show you a step by step process of building and manage a BSF
Happy farming
