The ABC of Black Soldier Fly farming part 3

In this post series we go through important terminology related to Black Soldier Fly farming (BSF farming), in an alphabetical order. This third post focuses on BSF farming terms from H to O.

Hammer mill: An example of machinery sometimes used to pre-process the substrate for the larvae for easier and faster consumption. Crushes and shreds material into smaller pieces by repeated strikes of small hammers. It does not cut material. The particle size is defined by the diameter of the outlet screen.

Harvesting: The collection of mature black soldier fly larvae or pupae.

Hatching: The process of young larvae (hatchlings) emerging from the egg.

Hatchling container: Sometimes used to collect and nurture hatchlings. Hatchlings fall into the hatchling container after hatching where they remain and feed for five days on nutritious feed (chicken feed) to become 5-DOL.

Hatchling: Larvae that have just hatched from the eggs. Sometimes also called “neonates”.

Hermetia illucens: Scientific latin name for the black soldier fly.

Incubator unit: Container for first phase of BSFL conversion stage (from 5-DOL to 8-DOL). In many cases 5DOLs are placed directly to a tray with substrate to eat and grow.

Insect protein: A sustainable source of protein that can be produced through black soldier fly farming.

Instar: A phase of larval growth. The BSFL pass through 5 instars, in some research there are 6 instars that can be seen in the growth cycle (metamorphosis into a fly).

Larva(e): The plural form of larva, referring to the immature stage of the black soldier fly.

Larvero: Larvero is the container where larvae feed on biowaste after being transferred from the incubator unit. The larvae stay here from approx. 8-DOL up to 17-DOL when they are harvested.

Larviculture: The cultivation of larvae.

LED: Abbreviation for light-emitting diode, used to stimulate mating for black soldier fly colony maintenance. There are specific LED light that can be used to stimulate the flies effectively. 

Life cycle perspective: A holistic approach to understanding the environmental impact of black soldier fly farming.

Love cage: The love cage is a netted “cage” with a cohort of same-aged flies received from the dark cages. In the love cage, adult flies mate and females lay their eggs into eggies (egg traps).

Market waste: Consists mostly of fruits and vegetables. It has a high water content (up to 95%) and is subject to seasonal variation. The outer parts of leafy vegetables may have been exposed to pesticides, which can slow or prevent the larvae from eating the substrate efficiently, or even transfer some pesticides in the process.

Metamorphosis: The process of transformation from larval to adult stage in Black Soldier Flies.

Municipal organic waste: The organic fraction of waste generated by settlements, which includes households, commercial and industrial premises, institutions (schools, health care centres, etc.) and public spaces (streets, bus stops, parks and gardens).

Neonates: Larvae that have just hatched from the eggs. Also called “hatchlings”.

Nursery container: In the nursery container, 5-DOL are fed a defined amount of nutritious feed (e.g. wet chicken feed) until they transform into pre-pupae. They are transferred to the pupation containers where the pre-pupae pupate and eventually emerge as adults to maintain the colony.

OPEX: OPEX refers to the costs associated with financial, manufacturing, business operations and services. Unlike capital expenditures, operating expenses are fixed and regular one. Operating expenses directly affect business profitability. Most of the annual costs of a company are operating expenses. Examples of operating costs:
* business expenses,
* administrative expenses,
* management expenses,
* logistics costs,
* research and development costs (R&D).

Oviposition: The process of female black soldier flies laying eggs.

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For more information about Manna’s solutions for Black Soldier Fly farming, jump to the Manna Insect frontpage!

Read also the other ABC posts;
The ABC of Black Soldier Fly farming part 1
The ABC of Black Soldier Fly farming part 2
The ABC of Black Soldier Fly farming part 4