Hi Grace, The revulsion you show towards BSF is c...

2010-04-17T06:48:44.793-05:00

Hi Grace,

The revulsion you show towards BSF is common but misplaced in my opinion. There are over 120,000 species of flies but most of us only think of "fly" and we are repulsed because of the fly species that pester us and spread disease. BSF do not spread disease, bite, sting, or poop on our food. In fact I think it's fair to say that they are as harmless as butterflies. Would you be disgusted if BSF larvae turned into beautiful butterflies? If you take a little time to study this harmless and pretty insect you may come to appreciate it's shiny black/purple wings and white banded legs.

Anyway, worms are great and produce a beautiful soil amendment. If you want to keep the BSF from showing up in your bin then you must prevent the females from laying eggs on it. Even if the BSF can't enter the bin you might still get larvae if they can lay eggs on the outside of it. You would need to keep the BSF adults off of, and out of your bin. Removing the existing larvae can be tricky. The easiest approach may be to let them mature which should take 3-4 weeks, and to help them crawl out of the bin. If your bin has smooth sides you can try misting them (the bin walls) in the evenings which will allow the BSF larvae to crawl vertically up and out of your bin. Once the BSF are gone you can easily prevent them from laying in your worm bin if you can keep it indoors. If you can't do that maybe a shed or a storage unit that can keep the BSF adults away will work. Good luck.

Jerry

I got a red worm compost box for my birthday in Ju...

2009-08-15T17:45:23.170-05:00

I got a red worm compost box for my birthday in June. Everything was going well until suddenly I noticed a massive heap of flicking white larvae.

At first I thought they could be cockroach babies and I was horrified. But they must be these soldier flies. I have looked at several websites and they match this photo/ description perfectly.

I prefer the red worms. They are less disgusting, and dont turn into flies. But I see what you mean about going through the food quickly. These soldier fly larvae really go to town on anything I put in the box.

Now when I look in the box I can hardly find any of the old worms. Is there any way to control the larvae population without hurting the red worms??

Comments on Mamarati: Worm Bin: Soldier Fly Larvae

Hi Grace, The revulsion you show towards BSF is c...

I got a red worm compost box for my birthday in Ju...