scholarly journals Effects of dietary protein and carbohydrate on life-history traits and body protein and fat contents of the black soldier fly Hermetia illucens

2019 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 148-159 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karol B. Barragan-Fonseca ◽  
Gerrit Gort ◽  
Marcel Dicke ◽  
Joop J. A. van Loon
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Dietary Protein ◽  
Life History Traits ◽  
Black Soldier Fly ◽  
Hermetia Illucens ◽  
Body Protein

Impact of age, size, and sex on adult black soldier fly [Hermetia illucens L. (Diptera: Stratiomyidae)] thermal preference

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
N.F. Addeo ◽  
C. Li ◽  
T.W. Rusch ◽  
A.J. Dickerson ◽  
A.M. Tarone ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Thermal Gradient ◽  
Life History Traits ◽  
Animal Feed ◽  
Mass Rearing ◽  
Thermal Preference ◽  
Black Soldier Fly ◽  
Hermetia Illucens ◽  
Surface Temperatures ◽  
The Impact

Population growth and rapid urbanisation have increased the global demand for animal feed and protein sources. Therefore, traditional animal feed production should be increased through the use of alternative nutrient sources. Insects as feed are beginning to fill this need. One such insect is the black soldier fly, Hermetia illucens L. (Diptera: Stratiomyidae). However, to more effectively mass produce the black soldier fly, a better understanding of its thermal biology is needed. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of age, size, and sex on adult black soldier fly thermal preference. The thermal preference of adult black soldier flies was determined by exposing flies to a thermal gradient with a range of surface temperatures and monitoring their positions over time. An aluminium plate was used to create a linear thermal gradient where surface temperatures ranged from ~15-60 °C. Flies were distinguished by age (1-d-post-emergence vs 7-d-post-emergence), size (large vs small) and sex (male vs female) to assess whether thermal preference differed by specific life-history traits. Thermal preference for 7-d-post-emergence adults was significantly lower (19.2 °C) than 1-d-post-emergence adults (28.7 °C), respectively. Similarly, small adults selected significantly cooler (21.1 °C) temperatures than large adults (26.9 °C). No significant differences in thermal preferences were found between sex, regardless of age or size. In fact, males and females had similar thermal preference of 23.8 and 24.2 °C, respectively. This study reveals that multiple life-history traits of adult black soldier fly affect their thermal preference, and thus should be taken into consideration by mass rearing facilities to optimize production.

Visualising the nutritional performance landscapes for the black soldier fly, Hermetia illucens (Diptera: Stratiomyidae)

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
D.A. Cheon ◽  
T. Jang ◽  
K.P. Lee
Keyword(s):  
Body Weight ◽  
Life History ◽  
Dietary Protein ◽  
Adult Emergence ◽  
Lean Body Weight ◽  
Nutritional Requirement ◽  
Black Soldier Fly ◽  
Hermetia Illucens ◽  
Carbohydrate Concentration ◽  
Significant Divergence

The black soldier fly (BSF), Hermetia illucens (Diptera: Stratiomyidae), has become one of the most economically important insects that can be a sustainable replacement for traditional feed for swine, poultry, and aquaculture. Despite its emerging importance, studies examining the nutritional requirement of BSF have been scarce. Here we used nutritional geometry approach to determine the separate and combined effects of dietary protein and carbohydrate content on multiple life-history traits and body composition linked to fitness in BSF. BSF larvae were reared on one of 32 chemically defined diets that varied in protein-to-carbohydrate ratio (P:C=1:16, 1:8, 1:4, 1:2, 1:1, 2:1, 4:1, or 8:1) and in protein plus carbohydrate concentration (P+C=60, 120, 180, or 240 g/l). Females developed more slowly into larger adults than males, but two sexes responded to dietary variation in protein and carbohydrate in a similar manner. The topography of the nutritional performance landscapes mapped for all measured traits differed significantly from one another, with the optimal P:C ratio being 1:1.71 for preadult survivorship, 1:1.56 – 1:1.11 for development time, 1:3.36 – 1:3.16 for body weight at adult emergence, and 1:1.83 – 1:1.40 for growth rate. Significant divergence in nutritional optima among these components of fitness indicates that the occurrence of fundamental life-history trade-off can be mediated by macronutrient intake. The index representing the preadult performance of BSF had a nonlinear relationship with dietary protein, with the peak centred at the intermediate P:C ratios of 1:1.43 – 1:1.37. The optimal P:C ratio was 1:2.12 – 1:1.70 for lean body weight and 1:14.14 – 1:10.82 for lipid content. Our results highlight the importance of the balanced composition of dietary protein and carbohydrate for optimising BSF performance and have implications for enhancing the mass production of this beneficial species.

scholarly journals Effect of protein and carbohydrate feed concentrations on the growth and composition of black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) larvae

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 193-199 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.J.A. Beniers ◽  
R.I. Graham
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Dietary Protein ◽  
Life Stage ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Nutritional Composition ◽  
Dietary Carbohydrate ◽  
Black Soldier Fly ◽  
Hermetia Illucens ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Impact

Black soldier flies (Hermetia illucens) can be used for a wide range of applications, from screening their anti-microbial properties, entomophagy through to waste management. Although the use of black soldier flies for these purposes has been widely studied, mass-rearing black soldier flies is still in the preliminary phase. This study focussed on the nutritional composition of black soldier fly larvae over the course of their life history, and the impact of manipulating dietary protein and carbohydrate on the growth and composition (protein and fat) of the larvae. Larvae were collected every 24 h over the course of this life-stage to test for differences in composition. To test the effect of dietary protein and carbohydrate differences, larvae were fed 25 diets with varying concentrations of protein and carbohydrates. Overall, the composition of larvae changed very little over their life history, with the higher concentration of protein mostly observed in the earlier instars of the larvae. The pre-pupal stage reduced the fresh and dry weight of the larvae, whereas the ash concentration was very stable throughout their life history. Both dietary protein and dietary carbohydrate had a significant effect on the fresh and dry weight of the larvae, but dietary protein was a stronger indicator of larval fresh and dry weight than dietary carbohydrate. Larval composition was also influenced by the feed-type, with heavier larvae producing significantly more fat than the lighter ones.

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

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fangchun Yang ◽  
Jeffery K Tomberlin
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Life History Traits ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Biomass Conversion ◽  
Scale Production ◽  
Black Soldier Fly ◽  
Alternative Protein ◽  
Industrial Level ◽  
Insect Biomass ◽  
Larval Number

Abstract As global food demand is increasing along with human population growth, there is a greater need for alternative protein sources. Insect protein, especially the larvae of the black soldier fly, Hermetia illucens (L.) (Diptera: Stratiomyidae), has become a key approach for solving this issue in part due to its ability to convert organic waste into insect biomass with minimal resource (e.g., land, water) requirements. However, most information utilized to develop industrial production of this species is reliant on data generated from laboratory-scaled studies. Unfortunately, scaling these data to an industrial level potentially is not linear resulting in over, or under, estimating production. In this study, we compared selected life-history traits of larval black soldier fly produced at benchtop (e.g., 1 liter container with 614 larvae) and industrial scales (e.g., 29.5 liter container inoculated with 10,000 larvae). Larvae were provided a single feeding (2 g/larva) in each treatment. Significant differences in the mean larval weight (24.7%), survivorship (−28.2%), and biomass conversion (−2.7%) were determined between benchtop and industrial treatments. These results indicate larval number and the associated container size are important factors to consider when designing a black soldier fly factory. Furthermore, caution should be taken when applying data from laboratory studies to industrial scale production systems as the values potentially are not linear.

Impact of Larval Competition on Life-History Traits of the Black Soldier Fly (Diptera: Stratiomyidae)

2019 ◽  
Vol 112 (6) ◽  
pp. 505-510 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brittny M Jones ◽  
Jeffery K Tomberlin
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Development Time ◽  
Life History Traits ◽  
Larval Density ◽  
Adult Emergence ◽  
Adult Longevity ◽  
Larval Competition ◽  
Black Soldier Fly ◽  
Waste Products ◽  
The Impact

Abstract The black soldier fly, Hermetia illucens (L.), is economically important due to its use in waste management and as an alternative protein source for livestock, poultry, and aquaculture. While industry promotes mass production of the black soldier fly, little is known about the impact of larval competition on development time, resulting immature and adult weight, or adult longevity. The goal of this research was to examine the life-history traits of black soldier flies when reared at four densities (500, 1,000, 1,500, and 2,000 larvae/4-liter container) provided 54-g Gainesville diet at 70% moisture (feed rates of 0.027, 0.036, 0.054, and 0.108 g) every other day. Results were as expected with the lowest larval density (500) producing heavier individuals (by 26%) than the greatest larval density (2,000) across all life stages. In addition to weights, larvae reared at the lowest density developed 63% faster than those reared at the greatest density. In regard to pupal development time, those reared at the lowest larval density developed 3% slower than the greatest density. A 21% difference between the two extreme densities was found in survivorship to prepupal stage, with the lowest larval density having the greatest survivorship (92%) compared with the greatest larval density (70%). All densities displayed over 90% adult emergence rates. Such information is vital for optimization of the process of converting waste products to protein at an industrial scale with the black soldier fly.

scholarly journals Life-History Traits of the Black Soldier Fly, Hermetia illucens (L.) (Diptera: Stratiomyidae), Reared on Three Manure Types

Animals ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 281 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chelsea D. Miranda ◽  
Jonathan A. Cammack ◽  
Jeffery K. Tomberlin
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Feed Rate ◽  
Life History Traits ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Control Diet ◽  
Poultry Manure ◽  
Dairy Manure ◽  
Animal Production ◽  
Black Soldier Fly

Structural changes and growth of animal production systems have resulted in greater volumes of manure. Current manure storage methods pose a potential environmental threat. Lessening these issues is a key concern for the animal production industry. The primary aim of this research was to evaluate black soldier fly (BSF) performance when fed poultry, swine, or dairy manure at different rates (18 or 27 g/2 d until 40% prepupation). The results indicated that larvae fed with the control diet (Gainesville diet) were the heaviest (+31–70%); however, for other life-history traits, those fed the higher feed rate of poultry manure produced comparable results to the control. Larvae fed more resource, regardless of manure type, weighed more as larvae (+3–9%), pupae (+22–48%), and adults (+18–42%), developed faster (up to 3–4 d), had a higher percentage reach the prepupal stage (+2–16%), lived longer as adults (+1 d), and converted more resource to biomass (up to 1% more) than those fed at the lower rate. Yet, no difference was detected in dry matter (DM) reduction across feed rate for a given manure type. Based on these results, all three manure types can be digested by black soldier fly larvae, thus demonstrating their potential for waste management.

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