A female produces about 900 eggs in her short life of 5 to 8 days. Housefly adults, by contrast, live up to 30 days, and during this long period, they must eat, and in so doing, they are actively engaged in the spread of disease. Their naturally short life span is the reason why they are not vectors of human pathogens. BSF eggs are relatively slow in hatching: from 102 to 105 hours. The newly hatched larvae have a light cream color, and crawl onto the waste, where they begin to consume it with amazing speed. Under ideal conditions, it takes about two weeks for the larvae to reach maturity. If the temperature is not right, or if there is not enough food, this period of two weeks may extend to several months. The ability of the BSF larva to extend its life cycle under conditions of stress is a very important reason why it may be used for waste disposal processing. BSF larvae pass through five stages or instars. Upon reaching maturity, they are about 25 mm in length, 6 mm in diameter, and they weigh about 0.2 grams. The dormant puparium is dark brown to charcoal gray in color. These larvae and pupae are extremely tough and robust. They can survive under conditions of extreme oxygen deprivation.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
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4 comments:
does the bsf consume dead animals? if so could it find its way to a dead animal within 2 hours of the animal dying?
Yes they do. If fact many organizations, such as zoos and municipalities have used BSF technologies to process road kill and deceased animals. Mammalian bones will not be eaten, but most of the rest of the carcass will. If poisons were used in the process, you may harm the grubs. Check with your extension office about compatibility issues.
These BSF larvae fascinate me. They've become my pets. I can put almost anything in there and they eat it. They devour salad dressing, cheese, old meat and citrus on top of the standard fare. The only thing they can't seem to swallow is things with tough (high in cellulose) skins like the leaves of an artichoke or yard waste.
How well do they survive the winter?
I have noticed they don't eat avocado skin either - I suppose the beneficial microbes will have to tackle those alone! They do not fancy yard clippings either. The pupae will overwinter in zones 7 and up, and can survive the colder areas with protection. Your can have year-round activity if you place your colony in a greenhouse.
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