Once again, The Money Bug shows up…
Mark my words, the Black Soldier Fly (BSF) has a very bright future.
The Entomological Society of America believes that the BSF as animal feed may be the way to go. So does McDonalds, they want to start using BSF to feed their chicken ranches for their Chicken McNugget sales.
As human populations increase, so does our demand for meat, including poultry. This increases demand for soybeans and fish meal to produce poultry feed. But many countries, including Kenya, do not produce enough soybeans and must import them. And demand for fish meal has led to overfishing in Lake Victoria and other areas. Poultry feed is costly to farmers as well as the environment. Feed accounts for about 60-70 percent of production costs for some poultry producers.
Black soldier fly larvae (Hermetia illucens) could provide a solution. The larvae are a more environmentally friendly source of protein, as they can be raised on various organic waste materials and require less water than soybeans. The larvae’s waste, or frass, can be used as an organic fertilizer. And black soldier flies don’t bite or transmit disease.
