Maggot farming is the act of growing

maggot A maggot is the larva of a fly (order Diptera); it is applied in particular to the larvae of Brachycera flies, such as houseflies, cheese flies, and blowflies, rather than larvae of the Nematocera, such as mosquitoes and crane flies. En ...

s for industry. It is distinct from

vermicompost Vermicompost (vermi-compost) is the product of the decomposition process using various species of worms, usually red wigglers, white worms, and other earthworms, to create a mixture of decomposing vegetable or food waste, bedding materials, and ...

ing, as there is no separate composting process occurring and maggots are used to consume flesh, rather than

earthworm An earthworm is a terrestrial invertebrate that belongs to the phylum Annelida. They exhibit a tube-within-a-tube body plan; they are externally segmented with corresponding internal segmentation; and they usually have setae on all segments. T ...

s to consume plant-based materials.

Species used

A variety of species can be used, including the black soldier fly. Due to convenience, fly species are often used which are indigenous to the area of cultivation.

Method of cultivation

When using indigenous fly species, one tactic (employed by the Songhai Center in Benin) is to simply dump

offal Offal (), also called variety meats, pluck or organ meats, is the organs of a butchered animal. The word does not refer to a particular list of edible organs, which varies by culture and region, but usually excludes muscle. Offal may also refe ...

or meat that has exceeded the sell-by date in concrete bins. The bins are then covered with

chicken wire Chicken wire, or poultry netting, is a mesh of wire commonly used to fence in fowl, such as chickens, in a run or coop. It is made of thin, flexible, galvanized steel wire with hexagonal gaps. Available in 1 inch (about 2.5 cm) diameter, ...

to prevent any large animals from feeding. Then, flies deposit eggs on the offal and meat, and maggots hatch and consume it. After that, the bins are filled with water, so the maggots start to float (separating themselves from any leftovers). The maggots are then harvested and the leftover is discarded or further processed (e.g., bones can be ground to

bone meal Bone meal is a mixture of finely and coarsely ground animal bones and slaughter-house waste products. It is used as a dietary supplement to supply calcium (Ca) and phosphorus (P) to monogastric livestock in the form of hydroxiapathite. As a slo ...

). An alternative method can be seen used more commonly in small scale applications, such as two trash bins stacked on top of each other. The bottom bin having a large hole cut on top, while the top having smaller, filtered holes on the bottom. Food (waste) is then inserted and left into the top bin, where the flies will lay their eggs and produce maggots, shifting and separating into the bottom bin.

Use of the maggots

The maggots are often sold and used as animal feed: in particular, for

fish Fish are Aquatic animal, aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack Limb (anatomy), limbs with Digit (anatomy), digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and Chondrichthyes, cartilaginous and bony fish as we ...

, chickens,

pigs The pig (''Sus domesticus''), often called swine, hog, or domestic pig when distinguishing from other members of the genus '' Sus'', is an omnivorous, domesticated, even-toed, hoofed mammal. It is variously considered a subspecies of ''Sus ...

, and ducks. AgriProtein, a British company specializing in insect protein production, is pushing for more international business, claiming to hold the potential to shift the fish feed market away from energy expensive fish farming. They can also be sold as

fishing bait Fishing bait is any substance used to attract and catch fish, e.g. on a fishing hook. Bait items are both selected from and placed within the environment to achieve enhanced prey capture success. Traditionally, fishing baits are natural fish foo ...

. It is also possible to extract insect fat, protein ( for human consumption), and chitin. AgriProtein claims to produce over three thousand tons of fatty-acid oil as a byproduct and sixteen tons of frass, or fly droppings per plant, which can be used as a valuable fertilizer.

References

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External links

Case 101

Case 2

Songhai Center Benin
Insect farming Waste Food and the environment Biodegradable waste management

Species used

Method of cultivation

Use of the maggots

See also

References

External links