Black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens; Diptera: Stratiomyidae) as feed: life history traits across organic substrates

Poor organic waste management poses significant public and environmental health challenges in many developing countries. The black soldier fly (BSF; Hermetia illucens L.) offers a solution by converting organic waste into high-value protein as BSF larval meal for animal feed. This study investigated the effects of five different organic wastes (mixed fruits, mixed vegetables, green cowpeas, rapeseed cake, and bakery waste; chicken feed as a control) on the growth and life-cycle parameters of BSF. Results showed that exposure to a high-protein diet was associated with a high intrinsic growth rate. On the other hand, mixed fruit waste and mixed vegetable waste led to a stable increased growth rate with higher larval weight, while rapeseed cake resulted in poor larval performance. BSF adults emerging from bakery waste-fed larvae survived the longest. This study highlights that an instar-specific feeding regime may be needed to maximize both the intrinsic growth rate and the final larval biomass in BSF. • This study explored the effect of various organic wastes on BSF's biology. • A high-protein diet was associated with a high intrinsic growth rate • The final weight of BSF larvae was higher in mixed fruit and vegetable wastes. • Instar-specific feeding of BSF larvae may be needed to obtain better larval biomass.