Black Soldier Fly Larvae

JuniorC

JuniorC

Avid Member
Back with more questions. After reading thru the forum I finally looked into Black Soldier Fly Larva and saw they are a good nutritious feeder and also like the fact that they turn into flies and the chameleons can then catch these in their enclosures. So thinking of throwing some dubias in a feeder cup along with some of these BSFLs as a staple diet. So what can I keep these in to make them last as long as possible? And also keep as clean as possible. I would be getting a minimum order of 100
 
You can keep them at room temp if you want them to pupate and hatch into flies. If you want them to stay as larvae longer, you can keep them in your fridge. It shouldn't take you very long to feed off 100. Not sure what you mean by clean as possible... They don't poop a lot like dubias if that's what you mean.
 
Gingero said:
You can keep them at room temp if you want them to pupate and hatch into flies. If you want them to stay as larvae longer, you can keep them in your fridge. It shouldn't take you very long to feed off 100. Not sure what you mean by clean as possible... They don't poop a lot like dubias if that's what you mean.
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I read they start to smell from where they eat and poop
 
Yup! Should be totally fine. And keep them at room temp if you want them to turn into flies after a few weeks.
 
JuniorC said:
So they take a couple weeks before turning into flies? And if I dont feed them they will still survive?
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Exactly. They start out as larvae that are a cream color and very wiggly. Then they will pupate and turn a really dark/black and stop moving (they'll look like they're dead but they're not). Next they will hatch into black solider flies. Yay.
 
JuniorC said:
I read they start to smell from where they eat and poop
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you don't have to feed them (Gut load ) , you can feed them if you want to get a colony going but they smell like ammonia once they start pooping and eating ! but yeah they do not need to be gut loaded !
 
coastal_chameleon said:
you don't have to feed them (Gut load ) , you can feed them if you want to get a colony going but they smell like ammonia once they start pooping and eating ! but yeah they do not need to be gut loaded !
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And are they fine being thrown in with dubias in a feeder cup?
 
yes they are , just note that dubias need to be dusted with calcium and bsfl do not need to be dusted I think there calcium to phosphorus ratiofor bsfl is almost 3.1 . but don't quote me on that !!
 
Hey there! Thank you for the above info!I just got my first order of BSFL’s from josh’s frogs. Really great packaging and timing. Also kept me up-to-date with tracking information.
I was thinking the mediums were going to be a bit bigger, but they are on the small side. Do they get larger? I am trying to use them as a new staple for my chameleon. The crickets and their smell did not work out great with my husband ??
Also, what would be a good staple feeder to go with a BSFL ‘s? I am in Florida and I heard I cannot have the roaches.
 
0122AandB said:
Hey there! Thank you for the above info!I just got my first order of BSFL’s from josh’s frogs. Really great packaging and timing. Also kept me up-to-date with tracking information.
I was thinking the mediums were going to be a bit bigger, but they are on the small side. Do they get larger? I am trying to use them as a new staple for my chameleon. The crickets and their smell did not work out great with my husband ??
Also, what would be a good staple feeder to go with a BSFL ‘s? I am in Florida and I heard I cannot have the roaches.
Click to expand...

Oh, and at the size they are now(about a pinky nail), how many BSFL’s should I feed my four month old Chamaeleon? He weighs about 22 g... ty!!
 
0122AandB said:
Hey there! Thank you for the above info!I just got my first order of BSFL’s from josh’s frogs. Really great packaging and timing. Also kept me up-to-date with tracking information.
I was thinking the mediums were going to be a bit bigger, but they are on the small side. Do they get larger? I am trying to use them as a new staple for my chameleon. The crickets and their smell did not work out great with my husband ??
Also, what would be a good staple feeder to go with a BSFL ‘s? I am in Florida and I heard I cannot have the roaches.
Click to expand...
You can have roaches. Discoids are the Florida legal equivalent of dubia. They don’t climb or fly. A few other types are also legal, but the only ones I can think of are what I have, which is Surinam. One of the forum members, @jamest0o0 is our resident ‘bug lord’ and can get you set up with some really nice bugs. Silkworms are also a good staple feeder. This may help.
1E4A8400-9BDE-41E2-B184-9F30EAD29FDA.jpeg
 
What else can the bsfl live in besides the sawdust? Or whatever it came in. You think oats is ok? I put squash in with mine and it turned their sawdust damp
 
Blizzy07 said:
What else can the bsfl live in besides the sawdust? Or whatever it came in. You think oats is ok? I put squash in with mine and it turned their sawdust damp
Click to expand...
I’m not sure what mine are in when I get them, but I always move them to a mix of coco coir with a touch of organic soil and every now and then I give a spray of water for a bit of moisture. I rinse them before feeding.
 
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