You may have experience with two and
four footed livestock but how about livestock with six or no legs?
Larval and adult black soldier fly.
Composting farm and food wastes has
become increasingly important to management of small farms. However, some food
wastes are difficult or impossible to process using hot compost or
vermicomposting techniques. Arthropod based composting using black soldier
flies is an attractive option because the flies can process high oil and
protein sources that worms cannot. In addition black soldier flies make a great
feed source for fish and foul and common composting systems incorporate "self
harvesting.'
Thrips, fungus gnats and other soil
borne pests are a consistent problem in greenhouse, hoop house and some open
field agriculture crops. Thrips are especially challenging to manage due to
their rapid development of insecticide resistance. Augmentative biological
control provides a good alternative to insecticides when available.
Entomopathogenic nematodes and predators like D. coriaria are two
biological control organisms with a track record of use for Integrated Pest
Management (IPM) of a variety of soil insects including thrips. Sourcing these
natural enemies can be challenging, so learning to rear your own can make them
a more feasible pest management option.