How To Make A DIY Soldier Fly Larvae Composting Bin

[@MrJramirex]

I love how you used some well-used tools, scrap lumber, and ingenuity to build a darn good-looking piece of furniture for larvae.

[@carolinablonde88]

I know this video is several years old, but thanks for making it and including the drill info. I have been using power tools my whole life and never knew that

[@GreenShortzDIY]

Thank you for watching.

[@smokymountainangoras]

Thanks for the great explanation between the drill and screw settings !!!

[@harlandsmith1788]

Popping P00​@@GreenShortzDIY

[@SkyGrowFarm]

The best DIY BSF compost bin I have ever seen. Thank you for sharing.

[@RudraNeupane]

I like the way you presented this project, sincerely and most likely without any retakes. You are clear about what you are going to do and you say it out exactly as it should be. Thanks for sharing your wisdom and skills.

[@GreenShortzDIY]

I appreciate that. Thank you for watching.

[@kimutairop2847]

Great design and build! I would put straw at the bottom of the composter to prevent blockage of the weep holes.

[@artemiswanderlust]

Guys like you embellish the DIY creative space. Great work!

[@GreenShortzDIY]

Thank you, Artemis. I appreciate the encouragement. Thank you for watching.

[@cathleendell8111]

I’m super excited about BSFL for my chickens! I am absolutely going to continue watching your videos to see the updated vid’s on this awesome DYI COMPOSTER! Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

[@inmate2790]

Great to see another GA based homesteader. Thx for sharing your work!

[@GreenShortzDIY]

Thank you for watching.

[@aaronblount3999]

Great video. Ever since the BSFL began to over run my vermicompost bin, I've started researching them, and am thinking about setting up one of these for them. I think they will be great at composting stuff I don't toss in the worm bin. Thanks for the video.

[@GreenShortzDIY]

Hi Aaron. That’s exactly how I discovered Soldier Fly Larvae as well. :-) they are now my favorite composter. Thanks for watching.

[@toewsrus]

Great build! Really, it's the first one I've seen that is easy, works well, right sized, and looks good. I've got a ton of old corrugated plastic signs that I'll put to use on this instead of the plastic trash cans. Thanks for taking the time to share.

[@GreenShortzDIY]

Thank you. I'd love to see how you incorporate the plastic signs. A create material to utilize, especially after election time. Thanks for watching.

[@kimbercollins6982]

This is an awesome design! Great work! I would like to see the sitting right in the chicken yard with the bottoms of the cans cut out so the chickens can eat as the larva self harvest. I would then attach one of those small trash cans to catch, the run off and I would keep a little bit of cardboard, or shredded paper, or leaves to soak that stuff up and put in my garden.

[@sheylamontoni9619]

That's quite an update on your larvae system. That's a neat design and I like how much detail went into it. Seems like it will fit your needs perfectly. Even though I'll probably not build it myself (we already have some composting methods in place), it surely was a great video to watch. In fact, if I hadn't read the comments I wouldn't be able to tell that this was more than 15min long. I always have fun watching your projects! Keep up the good work :)

[@GreenShortzDIY]

+Sheyla Montoni thank you. Soldier fly larvae composting isn't for everyone. :-) I appreciate that you said you had "methods" in place. I do think we need to approach composting in multiple ways. I'm glad the video didn't seem long. I try to speed things up when the details aren't necessary, but to be specific when they are. This one was definitely full of details. By the way, it's working really well. The harvesting method is catching a lot of pre-pupae. Makes me realize how many I was missing. Thank you for the comment and the kudos.

[@timothykeenan7570]

OMG! Had to “pause” to get ready to grab my first batch of spent brewer grains for my BSFL. Dude, caught a bit of ypu somewhere before; THIS is friggin’ awesome. Right down to the “bromance” with someone wise enough to give - & take - constructive feedback. Then I kep looking for ypur link to subscribe, gotta go get the grains & a taste of West Sacramento. I’ll be back!! Truly, this is great, & I’ve searched over 8 years & with my own bi-pod. This is JUST what I need as I “retire” & set up my “urban farm.” Super-duper clear! Thanks!!!

[@creemoweet]

This by far one of the best instructional builds I have seen on KZbin! I am currently researching aquaponics, BSFL seem to be a great food source for the fish. I also in GA so I know this build will work for me. Look forward to watching more of your videos. Keep up the good work! Mucho Thanks!!!

[@GreenShortzDIY]

+creemoweet thanks fellow Georgian! Yes! BSFL are perfect for an aquaponics food source. I'm going to try a simpler version of this build sometime this spring. My first version is always more complicated than needed. :-)

[@recca5957]

creemoweet 🙄🙄😸

[@KKIcons]

Where we used to live in Al, not so far from Ga, there were more soldier flies in the compost than anything else.....

[@dorisjeffers1044]

I have been on a binge of you videos this afternoon, all of the stoves and all of the compost ones! You are a very talented man! Thank you very much for sharing you time and know how with the rest of us!!! None were to long just good teaching!!!

[@GreenShortzDIY]

Thank you so much Doris! Thank you for expressing your appreciation. I am having a blast making these videos. I try to keep them as simple as possible, but with all the details needed. Plus a little of the reasons why I think people ought to make them. I've got a few more rocket stove videos in the works. Stay tuned...another binge may be in your future. I hope. :-)

[@LauraSmith-rs5fj]

I like your idea, it is a fantastic starting point. There are some features I would like to see though... Each side if it had a self actuated door where when the chicken steps on the foot pedal it would open the top. This would allow them to get the larva whenever they desired while keeping the larva otherwise contained. This would save the need to transfer the larva to them and the bin entire setup could also be kept in the same area they are. This would create a problem with your runoff collection though as you would not want that accessible to them. You would need to suspend the runoff collection with a hanging bucket, or use a catch and a pipe to get it out of the area accessible to them. With these changes it becomes a self sustainable system.

[@marceloamante2228]

I want to talk like you, clear, no hesitation, and the job you shown looks good and functional. I want to see the result and the way it actualy works! More power to you and i hope i can communicate with you someday.

[@lifebreadbakeryandminifarm2834]

Just a tip on bending the flashing. Use a small 2x2 or squared off piece of scrap. Align the wood with the line, start the bend by hand, then use a hammer to get it perfectly bent. Thanks for the tutorial! I have been wanting to collect BSFL for quite some time as they are quite abundant here.

[@GreenShortzDIY]

Thank you for the tip. Thank you for watching. Happy composting.

[@marceloamante2228]

I'm a Filipino by way! Your place seems so peaceful and relaxing!

[@tkcenterline1]

Wow awesome video. A must build. Being an old sheet metal guy. Folders work great for bending the sheet metal.

[@paulacunniffe4123]

Something helpful I find when bending stuff like that chute... is using a ruler. I can get a really sharp and clean fold-line. Love this project, thanks for making this video.

[@dontbanmebrodontbanme5403]

Excellent video! I would normally do it with wood as well, but since I had a 4’ Tupperware bin hanging around, I decided to use that. I knew from watching another video that I wanted to do a ramp and not pipes, like I’ve seen others do, because the BSFL doesn’t always use them, but couldn’t figure out how to seal the ramp to the wall. The bin walls are not completely flat, so the ramp doesn’t seal completely to it. I’ll use flashing, which I have a ton of lying around. One day I’ll build a custom, bigger one, but as you said, what I’m doing now is a good prototype.

[@Smugnug]

The best youtuber attitude so far iv heard this year 💚🙌😂😂

[@slc12312]

Amazing build and well thought out! I stumbled onto your BSFL videos while looking for a source for queen bees here in Thailand. My wife's family has half a dozen pigs with which I was going to try to use their waste in a small worm farm, with the worms to be used as chicken feed for the indigenous wild chickens Thai people raise. However, after seeing two of your videos, I think I've seen the light, so to speak, especially if BSFL are that high in protein. It is also a huge plus that they can eat meat as opposed to worms. Seeing as how the coldest temperatures here may get into the upper 50's in the cool season, this looks like it could be a 12 month source of chicken and fish food... and maybe even a protein supplement for the pigs.

[@GreenShortzDIY]

Thank you. I think you'll find the BSFL are an ideal composter for your intentions. The worm would have been consumed by the chickens more quickly than they could reproduce, whereas the black soldier fly larvae reproduce exponentially. In Thailand you should be able to raise them year round. The heat produced by the composting bin should keep the larvae pupating and hatching into adults. The adults might be a little slow to reproduce during your cooler months. I'd be interested to hear how that goes for you. As well as if the pigs will eat the larvae. By the way, my younger brother and his family live in Bangkok. Thanks for watching.

[@TallKulWmn1]

Your ingenuity & determination are admirable! Well done!

[@pegz.3959]

This is an awewome design. You put flashing on the sides as a lip but I had thought that the larva could not climb more than 45 degrees?

[@earthstrong7855]

I like your design

[@leesagar8651]

I'll never build this as 1lb of larva would last me 3 to 4 weeks of fishing so looking for smaller scale larva production but the build is impressive as hell. Great video!!

[@lornaj3310]

Impressive use of available materials. I think you're an engineer whether you like it or not.

[@munirahbakar4123]

At around the 35:30 mark it was mentioned that after the eggs been laid in the corugated cardboard, the cardboard would be transferred down to the compost pile. Actually you don't have to do that because once the larvae hatch, they'll migrate to the food source themselves. BUT it is a good idea to make it removable in case you need to change out the cardboard for whatever reason (eg. ruined by condensation). Personally, I don't bother with the cardboard anymore. The female BSF just lays her eggs around the inside lip of the composter cover/lid. Other people stick to the cardboard method because (1) they sell the egg-filled cardboard, or (2) they have separate set up for the adult BSF (a mating cage) and they need to move the eggs to the composting pile.

[@GreenShortzDIY]

Munirah, thank you for adding your insights to the conversation. I agree with your suggestions. I like having the cardboard separate for cleanliness, but that seems a little comical given the context. :-) I may have make a mating cage next summer to see if I can propagate some more soldier flies. It sounds like you have been doing this for a while. When did you start?

[@munirahbakar4123]

When did I start? Hmm...3-ish years. The first few tries only managed to sustain 1 batch of larvae (from a single egg-clutch) but once they pupate, I didn't have new maggots to keep the bin going. Lots of starts and stops. Thankfully I live in the tropics, so I could start back at any time of the year! Happy to announce that my current bin has been going for almost a year with new egg-clutch found everytime I feed them (2-3x/week). A bit of an advice on setting up a mating cage. Adult BSF mate during flight! So make sure it's big enough for them to do the deed.

[@solemandownunder10]

Can't say it better than anyone else here....SUPERB. I have been thinking about doing this for a long time and your build is not that complicated. I will build about twice your size as you advise. btw, has anyone told you look a bit like and even sound a bit like Alan from 2 & 1/2 Men......lol

[@GreenShortzDIY]

Thanks Ray! Definitely scale this thing up. I'll go bigger when I build this soldier fly composter again. One comment on the video had a good idea I thought might save you some time. +Theo Lubbe (see below) suggested I use some pond liner or heavy duty sheeting instead of the trash can. The flexibility of the material would allow for the drop in the center, ramping up to each end. It would also save the lacing up the middle step. Also would let you scale this however you needed to fit the liner.

[@GreenShortzDIY]

Can't say I've been compared to Jon Cryer. lol. I'll have to watch a few episodes to see. But, he's a cool dude, so I'll take it. :-)

[@solemandownunder10]

Yep Tom, I saw that comment & definately good value.....only question I have about that method is collecting the leachate .....maybe punch some holes along the center low point and cover over with shadecloth or weedmat ?

[@cheeahngau993]

Am new to bsf n your video has been very helpful to build my first bin.My profound appreciation n thanks

[@DJ-uk5mm]

Hey this is great. - you would make a great teacher - oh yes just realised. You already are a great teacher! Thanks for this excellent guide

[@GreenShortzDIY]

Thank you for the compliment, DJ. I appreciate it.

[@MadScienceHacksTV]

What a brilliant design! Thank you for sharing this. One question - Do you have any issues with house flies laying in your compost as well?

[@peergymp]

MAD Science Hacks, from memory, soldier flies are a more aggressive species and won’t let house flies lay eggs.

[@swen6797]

Yep, heard from others that BSFL eventually outcompetes anything that gets started with them.

[@TheJakeRobinson]

Very detailed instructions - thanks for the layman's approach to getting it done.

[@GreenShortzDIY]

Thank you for watching.

[@psychobunny32]

this is one of the nicest SF homes I have seen so far

[@GreenShortzDIY]

They prefer "condo." :-) Thanks for watching. Are you going to give composting with soldier fly larvae a try?

[@samanthanicholson9015]

I love this composter the compost tea comes out of the bottom? Do you have issues with mosquito larvae? I don't have the material to build one or how to. But thanks we learned a lot

[@saileshiemm2ondal433]

Great idea.your every detail discussion help us to easy understand.but I have one question to you about the production rate per day of this unt.Please give answer.

[@GreenShortzDIY]

I don’t have a good answer for that. It depends a lot on how much food is in the bin, the air temperature, how many larvae have hatched, and where they are in their lifecycle. There are lots of variables that make a production rate hard to determine. But, I also haven’t tried to measure either. Thank you for watching.

[@iLLuMNaTi]

Fantastic! One modification I would make is to use deck screws instead of drywall screws. Drywall screws are weaker and can break much easier than deck screws. Deck screws would be better over time also. Another change I would make is the lathe screws. Lathe screws are very smart because of the head size and shape, but stainless steel screws will be much better over time. The lathe screws, if I am not mistaken, are made of a tin or zinc alloy (which is soft) and are meant to be buried underneath concrete and therefore not exposed. I would use a truss head stainless steel screw with a phillips or combo drive. These two modifications are trivial considering what you have here. I have learned a lot from your video. You have great ideas! Thank you!

[@christopherfletcher5384]

I live in Austin maybe I can put a bin under the Congress ave bridge for my guano.💩💩 🤣 JK! In all seriousness I love your design I hope it works to your expectations!

[@munenewachira]

Great illustrations, am impressed & motivated. I must build one 👍🏽👍🏽

[@GreenShortzDIY]

Thanks for the compliments and for watching. Good luck with your build.

[@ryansevern8828]

excellent design skills, Thanks so much for sharing!!

[@taibhsear71]

30:10 - Why not cut them equal to start with? I made 12x10 shelf brackets by cutting diagonally from 2 inches in on each side. Then one side was 10 inches and the mirrored side was the same.

[@GreenShortzDIY]

True, I ended up sawing a little more here, but I needed both my long pieces (tall and short) to be ripped from the same 2x6. If the side pieces were even a half inch taller, one 2x6 wouldn't have been enough for both. Thanks for watching all the way to 30:10. Did you finish it out?

[@ILkaterlyn]

I guess it would cost so much for my handyman to help me do this that I might as well buy one Great video though I am looking forward to watching many of your creations… Thank you for helping us all

[@GreenShortzDIY]

Hi Kater. I’ve got a extra simple design planned for the Spring. Stayed tuned before you make your purchase. Thank you for watching.

[@amithbangera8549]

Marvelous! i like the Passion with which you have done this work. Good Job, Thank you for sharing the idea.

[@GreenShortzDIY]

Thank you for the encouragement, Amith. Thanks for watching.

[@JAK3THETUB3]

That's a great looking bin!

[@GreenShortzDIY]

+Jake this was a fun build. But I am going to make a simpler version too. My first go round is always more complicated, but it is fun to build intuitively.

[@rvcrhelpdesk6364]

If you use that straight edge to help you make your bend in the flashing, you’ll get a nice clean fold.

[@brendanwood5213]

Hey bud thank you for the video, gonna build a whole bunch in Joburg south Africa to feed my Aquaponics unit

[@GreenShortzDIY]

Excellent. You might look at how people have done large scale systems. Might be easier to make one really big one. Thank you for watching.

[@zubrismusic]

👏👏Great design and instruction. New subscriber. I appreciate the welding gloves 😅

[@reneebrown5598]

Could this be placed in a greenhouse for the winter and keep up some breeding?

[@GreenShortzDIY]

Renee, yes. If the greenhouse stays in the 70-80 degree F range, they should be able to continue to reproduce. The adults don’t have mouthparts, so they won’t chew up anything. They just reproduce. Thanks for the question.

[@JoesWife1000]

I've bred the flies in a 7x7 dome tent in my living room (in December). I now have gobs of larva and need a bin for them that I can keep in my garage until spring. Do you sell these? I can come and pick up. I don't have your mad skills.

[@GreenShortzDIY]

I actually have an extra one I don’t use. It’s not exactly the same as the one in this video…same concepts. It’s your’s if you want it. Are you near Atlanta, GA?

[@JoesWife1000]

@@GreenShortzDIY I just saw this reply! I built one with a tub and PVC pipes, using a drywall saw. We managed! ; ) I'm in Maryland, but may be in your area soon. I'll let you know! Thanks very much!

[@umeshbhardwaj5035]

Very good and creative video... Thanks a lot... God bless you.....

[@GreenShortzDIY]

Thank you, Umesh. Thanks for watching and your blessing.

[@tedstahl2411]

I love watching your videos, on your soldier fly larvae composter. Can you make one bigger for more compost?

[@innocentdaviduloko2654]

This maggot house really looking good 👍

[@Oomzilla]

You're absolutely awesome. Great output, great presentation. Educational as beep!!! Brilliant. Totally going to subscribe and learn! 😌

[@GreenShortzDIY]

Thank you, my friend. Thank you for watching.

[@hasanchoudhurymd]

Great educational video. Thanks. Regards.

[@solfeinberg437]

I'm not much of a woodworker. But, I think drilling straight into the end grain - vertically oriented relative to how the tree was oriented when it was growing - provides the weakest hold on the screw - easiest to pull out. I'm thinking put the boards on adjacent sides of the legs? Thanks for the video, by the way, I think I might use this as my example. We have chickens. We have vegetable scraps. We have neighbors with manure. We should be growing our own chicken feed!

[@GreenShortzDIY]

Yes! Grow you own chicken food! I think you'll be pleased with the amount of fly larvae you can generate. The chickens will love them too. I just made a simpler version of this bin. Similar construction of the box, but I use a tarp instead of the trashcan. Saved lots of time. Thanks for watching.

[@solfeinberg437]

Is there a video, yet, of the tarp construction? I'll search. You're welcome - thanks for posting

[@noctanol]

too fancy. way too many other practical, easier to build boxes out there. but I give you A for Effort and for the explaimation, presentation, clarity and everything. subscribed.

[@GreenShortzDIY]

+noctanol I'll concede. This was a complicated build. I do plan to be a simpler version of this Soldier fly larvae bin.

[@TheoLubbe]

Is there a reason you didn't just use a heavy duty sheet, like one would use for a pond/dam, over (instead of) the trash can? Doing that you could simply cut out an oblong octagonal shape, fold in at the corners to create the tapered shape and cut an opening at the center. For longevity's sake you could take two flat sections of PVC and make rings you rivet together with the drop sheet between them, maybe with a little bit of PVC cement for a distributed grip between said PVC rings and the drop sheet.

[@GreenShortzDIY]

Using plastic sheeting is a great idea. Even a rubber pond liner would be a good option. This project was prototype and I've thought of ways to do it differently, to make it simpler and better. I could certainly be larger. I do like to start with simple, easy-to-find, materials, just to make these composting project accessible to more people. I usually try to apply this to the tools as well. Although, I did use the table saw in this project, but it could be engineered out fairly easily. Thanks for sharing your ideas.

[@taibhsear71]

22:20 - Why not screw it down before trimming? That way if you make a mistake, you have slack to fix it. Cutting it away once it's fastened is way easier too.

[@GreenShortzDIY]

I can't argue with that. :-)

[@trevornyaga5253]

Excellent video,now how do you ensure procreation of the soldier fly? I didn't quite grasp how you handle the pupae..Also,is the compost any good for growing mushrooms?

[@anglakwatserongtisoy2904]

Hi..nice video I'm from Philippines 🙏🥰

[@GreenShortzDIY]

Thank you for watching. :-)

[@PeternakAbalAbal]

Thanks share DIY.. And then for next? How about larva BSF? Can see video?

[@matthewroderick4580]

Love the video! But, would it benefit more if you attached your worm composter to the bottom of your black fly composter, in order to be able to switch between the two when flies go dormant, or would larvae escape?

[@GreenShortzDIY]

I think it is better to keep the composting worms and the soldier fly larvae separate. They tend to compete when they are together and the worms usually lose. Thanks for watching.

[@LittleAussieRockets]

Yeah I'm definitely going to be doing something like this too. Thanks for the video

[@GreenShortzDIY]

You're welcome. I love your channel, by the way. Excellent videos.

[@Jndlove]

This is great if I have your skills of carpentry. Do you make a simplified version?

[@GreenShortzDIY]

I did make a simpler version. Search for “simple soldier fly larvae composter.” Thank you for watching.

[@ckafer1]

Did you ever redesign this? Wondering how it worked!

[@GreenShortzDIY]

Hi Chris. I've got the redesign on paper, but haven't built it yet. It will be one of my first videos in the new year. I'm working with the City of Atlanta to pilot a few of these at their food forest. So, the design will be scalable. Thanks for checking in. Happy Holidays.

[@stephenwhite5421]

@@GreenShortzDIY Any updates??

[@GreenShortzDIY]

I did a rebuild on this system to simplify. Search for “how to make a simple soldier fly larvae composting bin.” Thumbnail has “upcycled milk jug harvester”

[@LoWsDominios]

I think it is pretty mutch overcomplicated, but freaking cool nontheless. nice build and nice skills!

[@joeyhardin1288]

1/14/23 Thank you. God Bless and stay safe.

[@lokes2]

Thanx, I'm on it! Nice job. I had started some mealworms about 2months ago, but their life cycle is much to long. I still don't have any new pupa yet, just 1100 beetles.

[@GreenShortzDIY]

Cool! I haven't tried mealworms. Are they composters? Or is it about created a food source? I saw your other comment about chickens. Is that what you are feeding the mealworms to? Thanks for watching.

[@diggingwithdavid5732]

What would you think about putting the chatch basin on the 2 x6 and dill holes for the lava to crawl through?

[@silentecho8329]

Great vid! Just wondering if you had any problems with the larvae cutting themselves on any edges. I suspect some critters such as slugs would avoid a journey over the cut flashing because of this. Perhaps the larvae has a tough shield by the time they start to exit? If you did notice something to this affect, did they die early or attempt to find alternate routes or...?

[@GreenShortzDIY]

They seem to navigate the ramp pretty well without getting hurt. They are well armored with their segmented exoskeleton. Thank you for watching.

[@redzebra6688]

OMG you were reacting so awesome to that guys comment/tip, just awesome 👏 😎 SUBBED

[@ckafer1]

Nice design. I've been thinking about how to get away from the bucket type or the plywood type which cant possibly last long and have aesthetic issues. Looking toward to the simplified design in the spring!

[@GreenShortzDIY]

Thanks Chris. I'm still noodling on it right now and waiting for the soldier flies to come out of dormancy. Another few months here in Georgia. Where are you located?

[@ckafer1]

I'm in NC so a few more months here too.

[@ckafer1]

Any more thoughts on a new design? I am thinking about an enclosed rubbermaid tote idea. It would still look good from the outside, be removable for cleaning and require only a slot be cut on the bottom or side to harvest.

[@trinaija]

Can you feed the chickens solely on bsfl?

[@sheepdogsherlock1311]

How do you prevent young bsfl from crawling out. Mine kept using the moisture on their body to climb vertically.

[@logicmonkey1034]

I ended up building his previous version on my own just figuring what is needed. Saw this video and I guess great minds think alike x] though I will be building this version now and do worry this will be an issue .

[@matheusguifer]

Can you enable automatic captions for this please?

[@GreenShortzDIY]

Hi Matheus. I checked with KZbin on this, I think the video may be too long for the auto captioning to work. My apologies. Thank you for watching.

[@matheusguifer]

@@GreenShortzDIY Oh I see. Didn't know of this time limit. Thank you so much anyway. Wanna try BSF composting, started doing some research today.

[@GreenShortzDIY]

That was one of the reasons they said it might not be able to be captioned. I didn’t think the others applied. Let me know if you have any questions.

[@connectropy]

39:58 "Adaptive re-use for [an unintended] purpose is how I justify my pack-ratedness." 😊

[@swen6797]

Are you concerned with the LDPE not being food grade as you make food to use to make your food?

[@toroddlnning6806]

wouldnt it be smart to put it in an insulated box to regulate the heat during winter so you can keep the production all year?

[@sahana1430]

Beautiful idia brother

[@GreenShortzDIY]

Thanks for watching, Jianur. I appreciate the encouragement.

[@RooMonroe]

Excellent and simple

[@egy5724]

Nice little project.

[@GreenShortzDIY]

+E Gy thank you! It has been fun watching the soldier fly larvae compost.

[@itmemo8617]

Excellent work, bravo!

[@samanthanicholson9015]

I heard someone say grubs are good for composting. Inside a bag of bought composts there were a lot of cockroaches, it went back but what do you think about this? Which bugs are beneficial to compost?

[@bradcrawford7520]

I just saw your BSFL compost bin. My question is do you have to have a collection bin. Or can you just let them fall on the ground or a large piece of plastic for the chickens to eat as they fall. Also thinking about making one for above the fish pond, and I think I would want them to fall right into the water for the fish. Any thoughts.

[@GreenShortzDIY]

Hi Brad. Both concepts would work, but they tend to migrate out at night. That would be fine for the pond drop, but they’d have time to hide in the chicken run while the hens are roosted for the night. You could have them drop into a shallow container with steep sides. They’d just circle there until the birds wake up. One thing to remember, if the sides of the container get wet, they can climb out. Thank you for watching.

[@permacultura_tropicus]

definetely giving it a try ! great video

[@GreenShortzDIY]

+Cultivos Tropicus cool! One suggestion I've heard it the comments that would simplify the design for this soldier fly larvae composted is to use a rubber tarp or pond liner for the composting basin, instead of the trash can. I'm going to do a build like this in the Spring, but wanted to let you know if case you build it first. Thanks for your comment.

[@permacultura_tropicus]

Actually I came up with the idea of using 2 trash cans , join them both by the upper side (wide side) and let the narrow-bottom side facing out, this should allow an angle when they are set horizontally ( ) , cut the bottoms to make the exit ramps, and then cut a big central rectangle on top of both trash cans to open a working space , if the rectangle is 2 inches smaller than the total area of both cans, you will have a "outer" rim around them to prevent the larvae from escaping ....... hahaha I think a diagram will be better... sorry

[@mudithanyoman2482]

Very good job guys. I like IT.

[@tuanahamed1405]

I learn alot it was very clear...hope it will help my chicken s to feed...special home stay period corona.u cant go n buy feeds...

[@GreenShortzDIY]

Thank you, Tuan. I hope you can get one set up to feed your chickens. Stay healthy, my friend.

[@MarizamAbdullah-mq8id]

TQVVM, your SIMPLE & BRIGHT IDEAS HAS MAKE MY DAYS DIM (Do It Myself) from your DIY!!¡!¡!¡!...ha...ha...haaa.

[@83JustSomeGuy]

Just a tip for someone using this design - use wood for the lid. The choroplast is great because it is lightweight however, possums or raccoons will definitely chew on it and get through. This is the issue I have, hope this helps!

[@GreenShortzDIY]

Thanks T.K. Good tip. Thankfully, I haven't had that issue since I created this particular soldier fly composting bin. However, I have had something raid my bin in the past, when my BSFL bin was more make-shift. Thanks for watching.

[@83JustSomeGuy]

Absolutely! Thank you for the design! Glad yours is staying structurally sound. I'll likely just do wood over it so the plastic will make a great heat insulator. Luckily it's an easy fix!

[@GreenShortzDIY]

The wood might work just as well on its own. I used the plastic material on the BSFL bin since I happened to have some on hand to reuse. If I hadn't, wood would have been the likely alternative.

[@arcobalenonellorto8994]

how do I get the larvae, is it possible to buy them?

[@GreenShortzDIY]

I’ve seen them for sale on eBay. In my experience, they just show up for the goods. That can take a little time, especially later in the season like it is now. Leave a little of the compost left overs in your bin and it will attract more next summer. Thank you for watching.

[@pokerchannel6991]

Hi: do you think if I grind up the pupae and throw in soil as fertilizer, it would work? I am aksing because I don't want chickens or raise fish. I just want to compost the large amounts of free coffee grounds I get. I just want to harvest the pupae and grind them up in blender and spread on my soil. I know it is not ideal . . . but do you think it will work well enough as fertilizer and compost? Thx. I know I am asking you mostly to make an educated guess. My educated guess is that while it is not ideal, I think it might work well enough for my purposes (ie: just imagine grinded up pupae that breaks down in time to feed my soil. Thx.

[@GreenShortzDIY]

I’m not sure if the larvae will consume coffee grounds. I’ve added grounds to my bin, but I’m not sure if the larvae processed it, or it just mixed in with the residuals. If the larvae do process coffee by itself, then your blender method should work to build the soil. Thanks for watching.

[@nileshsohani2914]

Nice information

[@ConcernedMushroom]

did you find the drainage was adequate on this? those drainage holes seemed kind of small to me, but what an awesome job! This may be on my list of projects for this fall :) thanks!

[@GreenShortzDIY]

This black soldier fly composting unit has never produced a lot of moisture. Not enough to need to drain. My older bin-based composters did collect more moisture and had drainage issues. But, not this one. If you do have a collection of liquid you can always drill more holes. Thanks for watching.

[@matthewcassis6066]

Excellent video: not too much talk, lots of detail.

[@GreenShortzDIY]

+Matthew Cassis thank you. I am rarely a man of few words. It is good to know it is possible. :-) Thanks for watching.

[@jonathanpike6978]

How do I keep the larvae from crawling up and out of my catch basin? The plastic bucket I am using seems to allow them to crawl up the sides.

[@GreenShortzDIY]

Jonathan, It is about moisture. That is what enables them to climb. Do the sides of the bucket have condensation? Of so, improve the airflow to your bucket. Another thing I've seen people do is put a ring of the "loop" side of velcro around the top. They lose their grip trying to cross it. Let me know if either solution works.

[@yomama1254]

If you simply put the **substrate they are looking to cocoon up in, they'll stay put. ** which is dry but slightly rotted wood shavings basically.

[@williamjones6053]

I put wood shaving in mine ..like the kind you buy from the big box tractor Depot for a Lowe price ..about a inch deep ...toss whole thing to the chickens shavings and all ..every few months rake chicken run and put in garden beds ..perfect

[@loneforest6541]

u r a genius man bro 👍😀👍

[@GreenShortzDIY]

Thank you for the encouragement. 👊🏻👍🏻

[@rafaelpac]

Nice! Have you tried blending the leftovers before feeding them to the larvae? Would it make it easier for them?

[@GreenShortzDIY]

The soldier fly larvae are kinda like little blenders themselves. They don’t mind chunks of stuff. They are made to break it down. Composting worms prefer smaller pieces. Some people composting with worms do blend the food scraps for them. Thanks for the feedback.

[@samanthanicholson9015]

This is nice but how does it work?