By Emily Cabrera
Oftentimes, researchers will tell you they are looking for a silver bullet. A single solution to a highly complex problem.
For vegetable entomologist Saumik Basu, the search for that elusive solution has led to an unlikely insect that could come surprisingly close.
Despite their intimidating name, black soldier flies aren’t aggressive. These gentle, beneficial insects don’t swarm, bite or sting, and they don’t damage crops. While their name comes from the adult fly’s upright posture and dark appearance, it is their voracious larvae that have gained the attention of researchers and agriculturalists.
Black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) larvae are remarkably efficient decomposers, capable of turning a wide range of organic materials, including food scraps and animal waste, into valuable agricultural inputs. And they work fast. In just two weeks, about 1 pound of newly hatched larvae can devour more than 16 tons of waste, converting it into roughly 1 ton of protein- and nutrient-rich compost.
The larvae themselves are also rich in protein and fatty acids and can potentially be used as an ingredient in animal, poultry and aquaculture feed.
At the University of Georgia’s Tifton campus, Basu and postdoctoral researcher Abdul Jalloh are exploring how those established benefits could be harnessed to support more sustainable agricultural systems.
Source : uga.edu