food waste

Our primary goal is to find out if raising Black Soldier Flies larva (BSFL, Hermetia illucens) is feasible for small farmers during cold upstate NY winters. Our secondary goal is to find out the ratio of pounds of larva to pounds of feed to pounds produced. Larva are fed food waste from on-site farm activity and kitchen. BSFL are an ideal feed for fish, chickens, and pigs because they are 42% protein, develop quickly, and do not infest human spaces, or carry disease. We bought in a 5000 larva to start a colony, and are using an existing heated greenhouse to raise the larva in plastic bins.