Abstract
This study examined the impact of diet protein and carbohydrate percentages as well as moisture on the immature development, survivorship, and resulting adult longevity and egg production of the black soldier fly, Hermetia illucens (L.) (Diptera: Stratiomyidae). Moisture impacted development and corresponding life-history traits more than protein:carbohydrate content; larvae were unable to develop on diets at 40% moisture. Larvae fed diets at 70% moisture developed faster, grew larger, and required less food than those reared on diets at 55% moisture. Larvae reared on the balanced diet (21% protein:21% carbohydrate) at 70% moisture developed the fastest on the least amount of food and had the greatest survivorship to the prepupal stage. Adult emergence and longevity were similar across treatments, indicating immature life-history traits were impacted the most. The control (Gainesville house fly) diet was superior to the artificial diets for all parameters tested. These differences could indicate that other constituents (e.g., associated microbes) serve a role in black soldier fly development. These data are valuable for industrialization of this insect as a “green” technology for recycling organic waste, which can be highly variable, to produce protein for use as feed in the livestock, poultry, and aquaculture industries, as well as for bioenergy production.
Highlights
IntroductionIn the year 2000, approximately 49% of the world population lived in cities and generated more than three million metric tons of waste (e.g., household items, food waste, packaging, ash) on a daily basis [1]; by 2025, this number is expected to double
As the human population increases, so too does the amount of waste generated
What is truly unique about this species is its ability to successfully colonize a wide variety of resources ranging from bananas [5], swine remains [6], human remains [7,8] and fish offal [9], to food waste [10,11,12], as well as human [13] and livestock feces [14,15,16]
Summary
In the year 2000, approximately 49% of the world population lived in cities and generated more than three million metric tons of waste (e.g., household items, food waste, packaging, ash) on a daily basis [1]; by 2025, this number is expected to double. The FAO estimates 1.6 Gtonnes of food waste were generated worldwide in 2007, which accounted for approximately one third of global food production, and this waste occurs at all stages from production to consumption [2]. In addition to taking up space in landfills, contributing to the spread of pathogens, and the production of noxious odors, food waste is the number three contributor of global CO2 production and produces more than double the CO2 produced by all ground transportation in the United States [2].
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