Black Soldier Fly larvae (BSFL) compost

Ms. Jitomate · July 2, 2013

I have accidentally created a Black Soldier Fly Larvae (BSFL) colony in my plastic compost tumbler. I have been feeding them my kitchen scraps for the last 6 months and they are swimming in this brown jelly-like fluid. There is no foul smell now coming out of the tumbler but originally in January when the rain got in the tumbler I was adding oak sawdust and shredded paper because it got wet and stinky. The tumbler was storing my greens until I got ready in the spring to start my pallet compost pile, but the BSFL took over the compost. Somehow the BSFLs crawl out and my chickens hang out underneath the tumbler and search for them in the ground to eat them. If they do crawl out I have never seen it happen. I have also never seen the actual black fly in my garden. You would think that there would be so many hanging around because of the colony in the tumbler but I have never seen them in my yard.

Most of the information available is for growing the BSFL for fish or reptile food, which I don’t have or care to do. I would like to know what is this brown jelly-like material and maybe use it in my garden if it is not toxic. Any suggestions? Could it be humic acid?

July 2, 2013	#1
Ms. Jitomate Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: San Gabriel Valley, CA Posts: 99	Black Soldier Fly larvae (BSFL) compost I have accidentally created a Black Soldier Fly Larvae (BSFL) colony in my plastic compost tumbler. I have been feeding them my kitchen scraps for the last 6 months and they are swimming in this brown jelly-like fluid. There is no foul smell now coming out of the tumbler but originally in January when the rain got in the tumbler I was adding oak sawdust and shredded paper because it got wet and stinky. The tumbler was storing my greens until I got ready in the spring to start my pallet compost pile, but the BSFL took over the compost. Somehow the BSFLs crawl out and my chickens hang out underneath the tumbler and search for them in the ground to eat them. If they do crawl out I have never seen it happen. I have also never seen the actual black fly in my garden. You would think that there would be so many hanging around because of the colony in the tumbler but I have never seen them in my yard. Most of the information available is for growing the BSFL for fish or reptile food, which I don’t have or care to do. I would like to know what is this brown jelly-like material and maybe use it in my garden if it is not toxic. Any suggestions? Could it be humic acid?