Enhancement of Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia Illucens) Production for Organic Waste Management
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.58506/ajstss.v4i2.329Keywords:
BSF, color preference, emergence, faecal waste, kitchen wasteAbstract
Addressing sustainable management of faecal matter has become one of the most pressing challenges of our time. It's a global issue that demands attention and innovative solutions. One such innovative solution is utilizing black soldier fly (BSF) technology, which enables bioconversion of faecal matter into valuable resources. In this study, we assessed the oviposition performance of BSF, and the adult emergence rates under different conditions. To achieve this, three feed substrates; faecal matter (FM), kitchen waste (KW), and a FM: KW at a ratio of 1:1. We also tested colour preference on oviposition performance using three flexible plastic tubes, coloured white, yellow, blue, and black as oviposition structures. Three cages of dimensions 2.5m × 1.2 m, 2m × 1 m, and 1m × 1m were used for oviposition and adult emergence tests, whereas flexible plastic tubes were used to collect eggs for comparative purposes. Approximately one kilogram of each substrate was placed into each feeding tray measuring 26 cm × 13 cm × 11 cm with 5 g of five 5-day-old larvae added, and monitored until the pupa stage, after which adult emergence and oviposition were determined. The results indicated that BSF fed on FM: KW at a ratio of1:1had the highest egg production (P < 0.05) (9.38 g) whereas FM and KW attained 4.65g and 5.22 g, respectively. Additionally, 2.5m × 1.2 m cage size was found to be most effective for oviposition (P < 0.05), at 16.38 g of eggs compared to1 m ×1 m at 4.53 g. However, cage size had no impact on adult emergence (P> 0.5). The results also showed that a black-coloured egg tube was the most preferred site for oviposition. Our findings clarify further effective and economical methods to boost the production of BSF, handle and recycle wastes from onsite facilities and retrieve resources that can be utilized as animal feed and organic fertilizer.
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