maggots-black-soldier-fly-larvae-in-bokashi-compost
Lisa Beccacci asked 10 months ago
I noticed what I think is black soldier fly larvae. So I get my bokashi pre compost and bury it in a large flower pot and cover it with soil. What I’m noticing is that after a month or so the bokashi is all broken down and I’m left with a soil like substance. but I’m left with loads of hard shell like dead insects it looks like. A lot on the top of the pole too not just when you dig down They are definitely dead. Then I dug into a more recent pile and I saw the larvae in various states of living from younger to older I think. Really loads. I have loads in my compost bin too which is a mixture of a normal old school compost and some bokashi mixed underneath. What I want to ask please, I’ve looked online and people say the larvae are good and breakdown the waste so hopefully I’m good there but I’m left with a huge amount of the shells of the dead larvae after that seem hard and dry. Do they still make a nutritious soil? They don’t seem to break down or if they do very slowly. Do they contain nutrients?
Nick Kiss answered 1 year ago
This is not normal. Three suggestions: 1) make sure your bokashi bran is still fresh and viable, 2) make sure that the soil you are burying the bokashi precompost into is “live” soil. Do not use store bought soils as these are sterile. We need life at this stage to do the final breakdown of the precompost. Any garden soil that plants are growing in will do. 3) be sure to break up and mix the precompost into the soil a little bit before burying it. This will help prevent rotting.
