Effects of waste stream combinations from brewing industry on performance of Black Soldier Fly, Hermetia illucens (Diptera: Stratiomyidae)

Abstract

BackgroundIn recent years, there has been a rapidly growing demand for readily accessible substrates for mass production of Black Soldier Fly, Hermetia illucens Linnaeus. Beer production results in various by-products that typically end up in uncontrolled dumpsites constituting pollution problems, which merits urgent attention. The present study investigated whether the 12 formulated diets composed of brewers’ spent grains (BSGs), brewers’ yeast and cane molasses can serve as substrate for H. illucens production.MethodsFour different BSGs were selected and formulated into 12 diets, aiming at varying protein and net energy levels. The diets were offered to newly hatched (∼1 h old) H. illucens larvae and the influence on developmental duration, survival, wet weight, pre-oviposition time, fecundity, and longevity were compared.ResultsDevelopmental duration of the larvae (16–21 days) and pre-pupae (8–11 days) differed significantly across the different diets. The developmental duration of the pupae (8.7–9.1 days) was not affected by diet. The larval (86–99.2%), pre-pupal (71–95%), and pupal (65–91%) survival rates varied significantly between flies reared on the different diets. The pre-oviposition time was similar for flies provided with water (7–11 days) and 10% sugar solution (8–14 days) or across the different diets. The mean fecundity per female ranged from 324–787 eggs and did not differ between females provided with water or sugar solution. However, the number of eggs laid per female varied significantly across the different diets when provided with water. The longevity of starved H. illucens adults was significantly lower (5 days) compared to those provided with water (11–14 days) or sugar solution (14–15 days).DiscussionThe implications of these findings as part of a quality control procedure for commercial production of high-quality H. illucens larvae as an alternative protein ingredient in livestock and aquaculture feed are discussed.

Smallholder farmers’ knowledge and willingness to pay for insect-based feeds in Kenya

“…A total of 307 pig farmers were interviewed: Kiambu (102), Nyeri (63), Kakamega (96) and Uasin Gishu (46). A total of 241 fish farmers were interviewed: Kiambu (29), Nyeri (68), Kakamega (75) and Uasin Gishu (69). Data were collected at the household level by trained enumerators using CSPro version 7.0, data collection software addressing the following aspects: socioeconomic characteristics of the respondents, their knowledge, attitudes, practices and acceptance of different insect species, availability of agricultural support services, feed use and distance to feed market (trader).…”

“…The use of insects as an alternative protein source is advantageous because they can be sustainably mass reared on various streams [27,28]. The black soldier fly (BSF) Hermetia illucens L. (1758) (Diptera: Stratiomyidae) and the synanthropic housefly Musca domestica L. (Diptera: Muscidae) for example, feed on organic side streams and produce nutrient-rich larvae that could be used as ingredients in animal feeds while helping to reduce waste on which the larvae are reared [23,29]. Insects contain 40-60% protein on a dry matter basis and have been found to be a suitable alternative to fishmeal and soybean meal in animal feed.…”

Comparing Selected Life-History Traits of Black Soldier Fly (Diptera: Stratiomyidae) Larvae Produced in Industrial and Bench-Top-Sized Containers

“…By using insects as the primary feed substrate, traditional materials (e.g., maize, soy) could be supplemented with insect protein or diverted directly to human consumption. Furthermore, some insects can be produced on materials of little to no human value, such as food waste ( Nguyen et al 2015 ), livestock manure ( Khan et al 2012 , Koné et al 2017 ), animal waste ( St-Hilaire et al 2007a ), and brewery waste ( Chia et al 2018 ).…”

The puzzling mitochondrial phylogeography of the black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens), the commercially most important insect protein species

“…One way or another, it appears likely that BSF will be able to increase its current range as global warming takes hold. We would suggest that urban populations will most likely spearhead the range expansion because they benefit readily available organic waste and benefit from higher temperatures in urban environments [32]. Range expansion may also be facilitated through population homogenization as more cultures are shared over long distances and escaped flies cross-breed with native or previously established non-native populations.…”

“…We documented that the distinct haplotypes of the commercial US breeding strain ( Fig Arguably, the most convincing evidence for human-mediated introductions come from specimens collected at latitudes that are unlikely to support breeding populations [13,29,30,31]. The lower threshold for BSF larval survival was observed to be 15-19 °C depending on study [32,33], and some Canadian BSF localities are unlikely to meet this requirement. Marshall et al [13] thus hypothesized that the annual occurrence of BSF in Ontario (Canada) is due to the disposal of unused fishing baits (larvae) by local fishermen or the accidental release of flies into nature by owners of pet reptiles.…”