I just got back from another highly informative and inspiring field trip…and I have a few little bits of rad information to share…
Worm Tea-
I finally figured out, from Dr. Kai, the simple truth about worm tea. Basically, there are two methods of doing worm tea:
1. Non-aerated tea- You can dump juice from your worm bin directly on plants without hurting them, but it may contain unwanted bacteria. The best thing to do is make tea from vermicast. Add one part vermicast to ten parts water in any kind of tub or bin. Leave the bin outside for four days, give it a stir, let it set for four more days, and viola! Perfectly good, nutrient rich organic fertilizer. Worms produce the most complete natural fertilizer (especially when fed food scraps) with the exception of a lack of nitrogen. I substitute some organic blood meal for that purpose.
2. Aerated Worm Tea- The finished product of this method takes only a day to make and gets sprayed directly on the plant to discourage pests, specifically aphids. The only set back is that you have to go buy an inexpensive air pump or stone pump. The same combination is used (1:10 ratio of vermicast to water) but it only needs to sit for 24 hours with the air pump going the entire time. It is probably important to wrap your vermicast up in some cheese cloth or fabric so chunks don’t get in it (this is necessary for both methods if you are doing aquaponics.) If I remember correctly the two methods produce different beneficial bacteria, which is why they are used in different ways. All the nutrients are still there so they fertilize your plants regardless.
Soldier Fly **check the comments for clarification
The above picture is of a Soldier Fly in my worm bin. For a while I was so disgusted by these guys that I would throw them out every chance I got, that plus they always seemed dead. I was surprised to find out that they are actually amazing eaters and incredibly helpful in my worm bin. Aaand, they are great fish food because of their high protein and fat content (aquaponics.)
You want these guys in there because they eat all the stuff the worms don’t eat and they bully out the annoying fruit flies. Meat, citrus, fats, and just about anything can all be digested by the soldier fly. The way Kai described it was that the larvae live for about 45 days and the adults only ten. They binge on whatever food you give them and then crawl out of the bin and die (apparently their mouth also closes up once they finish eating.) There is usually only about 5% food left in the bin that Soldier Flies cannot digest and that can be given to the worms for finishing.
Although these guys have been hiding out in my worm bin, they actually do better in a specific bin made just for them. It has to have an area at the top for them to get in at, and a ramp for them to walk out when they are finished eating, something to catch them also. A company called ProtaCulture produces the BioPod which is just like a worm box but with specifications for Soldier Flies. I found a Soldier Fly blog that has instructions on making one out of a 5 gallon bucket. The good thing to know about this is that if you find these guys in your worm bin, it is probably safe to throw a few lemons in once in a while and maybe a little bit of food scraps that worms don’t eat…once in a while. Roscoe will most likely be making a Soldier Fly Bin soon so I’ll post pictures when that project commences.
aloha!
Hey Jess- great information. I’ve been wanting to use BSF’s to handle the inordinate amount of food scraps my family produces, especially if I can fulfill my dream of importing yellow perch to raise in my aquaponics system. Have you seen the new DIY BSF Bucket 2.0?
http://blacksoldierflyblog.com/2010/04/07/bsf-bucket-bio-composter-version-2-0/
Hey Shawn- thanks for the link. I’ve been MIA because we moved into a new place, but have my internet back. Was contemplating the BSF bin but I’ve smelled those things and unless you can put them far away from your dwellings (which I can’t) their stink travels quite a distance. Its not terrible so maybe. Roscoe just finished digging a hole for our fish bin so maybe we will need some BSF to feed those guys. Can’t wait for the upgrade…I’ll post pics when its up.
Very nice site! is it yours too
hey that’s awesome. I thought I had seen these guys but wasnt sure if they are here. nice to know one of the invasive species here is good for something.
Hi guys, I’m Jerry from the black soldier fly blog. I’m glad to see you discussing BSF and I would like to correct a few misconceptions.
BSF larvae pass through 6 stages before pupation. If a larva is motionless it is probably preparing to shed its skin as part of the transition to the next stage. In the last stage they change from a light tan color to dark brown. Also, their mouth is exchanged for a hook-like appendage to aid in crawling because at that point they leave the food source to find a protected dry place to pupate. This migration away from the juvenile colony is the behavior that allows us to create a self-harvesting mechanism for BSF. The pupating larvae look much like the mature (active) larvae except they are stiff and usually straight. After two weeks or more (depending on temperature) the skin of the pupae break open and the adult BSF emerges. Like the mature larvae the adult BSF doesn’t eat, it lives off of stored fat. They live 5-8 days for the sole purpose of mating and laying eggs to repeat the cycle.
Now for the stink. It’s a total misconception that a BSF unit must smell bad. If it smells bad then you’re doing something wrong. I’m not going to give the whole lecture on BSF and odor but you can learn about by searching “Hermetia illucens odor”. Hermetia illucens is the scientific name for black soldier fly.
Enjoy your BSF!
Love it! Thank you so much for all that great info!!!
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