I was not aware that there was any furthur interest...(Listen people it is your comments, not just my own inspiration that developes this blog!!!!) Today at least one person said as much. Here are a few words (sorry no pics at the moment) about the great success that my BSF compost set up has had.
I collected about 50 pre-pupating larvae more than a month ago and put them into a glass jar with top punctured with holes. Checked every day there were no adult flies until a couple of weeks ago there were 5 adult flies. What is interesting is that they came out in the same day and there have been none in the month+ before and none since. There are light and warmth factors that must be regulating their transformation. Today I decided to collect all mature larvae from the bottom of my "butterfly cage" that housed the 10 gallon nursery pot full of months of kitchen garbage.(See my earlier entry in Sept. for pictures of the butterfly cage and compost container) I counted over 350 which I have added to the same glass jar I mentioned above. I dug my hands through the rich, moiste black, very well broken down kitchen garbage and I could see that there were more pre-pupal possibly in the hundreds especially near the top of the container(which would be dryer). There were very few of the immature larvae (cream colored) or any other insects for that matter!
It would be safe to suspect at this point that the BSF has more of a warm season/longer day length behaviour. I realize that this can be a dissappointment to finding the perfect kitchen garbage composter but I would offer this advice:
Most worms (talking about earthworms and redworms) do not like heat. Why not try keeping the wonderful composted stuff from the summer's harvest of BSF, add a good number of redworms (available in quantity from most smaller nurseries that offer organic plants and products for the garden), and keep adding your kitchen garbage. I'll bet that they will do a pretty good job until warm weather and longer days that bring on the BSF. At that point it is time to apply all that good compost along with the worms (and possibly remaining BSF pupae) to your garden! Just start over fresh with the usual coffee/tea grounds, vege & fruit trimmings and dinner leftovers and you will have BSF in no time! Just remember that the BSF seems to eat anything that humans, dogs, cats, or other animals eat...that is where they differ from our other good composters like the redworm, and the Fig beetle grubs who seem to be strictly vegetarian. Please note that there are grubs which are similar to the Fig beetle grubs which are quite harmful to the garden. At this time of year it is easy to tell the difference by the size and the unique back stroke way in which the Fig grubs move. You will find large numbers of Fig B larvae wherever there is decaying plant material...especially in a compost pile! The bad grubs you would find in the root systems of actively growing plants...such as your lawn! Both kinds of grub are mature right now. The small brown "June" or "May" beetle will appear in those months depending upon where you are and the degree of climate changes that we are experiencing. I am going to try one of those bug zappers this year because I know that they fly about at night and are attracted to lights. The Fig beetles are quite the opposite, being active in the sunny part of the day.
I am sorry to throw this beetle stuff at you without greater detail. I promise to be more specific at a later date on this subject! All that I know is that even people in IPM (Integrated Pest Management) have the wrong info about the Fig beetle as a pest. IPM is associated with the Dept of Agriculture and with the University of CA extension. I think it has more to do with people hating those huge irridescent beetles buzzing around their head after they have eaten something sugary like fruit or perhaps have had a beer or a glass or wine! That is the only reason that they do that!!! They have an incredible sense of "smell". I have done couple of brief experiments myself by placing myself upwind or downwind and watched them respond with incredible accuracy! They have gotten their name because some fruit like figs may get quite ripe or be slightly damaged while still on the tree. Once the yeast and bacteria start working all of the Fig beetles in the neighborhood will be there in no time at all! When they have had plenty to eat then they will mate and start hovering around your compost pile of areas of mulch that are moist.
That is all that I can muster for now! Always more later!
Michael/natureguy
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