Alabama Wigglers

Black Soldier Fly

2010-08-28T21:34:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,
We now have Black Soldier Fly Larvae or BSFL. The future of composting is here. It's called Grub Composting. Composting with soldier fly grubs couldn't be any easier. The grubs eat almost EVERYTHING. Don't want to wait 6 months to a year for compost? Have the red wigglers pretty much wiggled out? Tired of dealing with acidic beds/bins? The soldier fly larvae will digest anything within 24 to 48 hours. Here is a picture of a female I took.

Here is a photo of the soldier fly larvae I took also.

The larvae are 42% protein, 34% lipids(fats), contain amino acids, minerals, and high in calcium making them excellent feed for chickens, frogs, geckos, snakes, lizards, fish, etc. The fly larvae have roughly the same value as Menhaden fish meal valued at over $1,200 per ton.The fly larvae go through 5 instars or stages. It takes 102 - 105 hours for the eggs to hatch. It will only take 2 weeks for the soldier grubs to reach maturity under ideal conditions. The larvae are so tough, it takes 2 hours for them to die when submerged in rubbing alcohol. If food is slack, the larvae will hibernate whereas worms will simply die. Here's my latest video of the grubs actively feeding:

If you like to fish, you'll love black soldier fly larvae. Fish love the soldier grubs. Grubs are the only bait I use these days. A good day at the pond.

If you want to try Grub Composting, here's a link to the website: Black Soldier Fly Larvae. Next time we'll talk about making egg strips for the females to lay eggs on.

Red Wigglers & Nightcrawlers Basic Worm Bin

2010-01-23T08:32:00.000-08:00

The basic red wiggler and nightcrawler worm bin should be about a 12 gallon plastic tote to start with for 1 lb of worms. You can also use a black mortar tub from Home Depot or Lowes. I like the mortar tubs, and I don't drill holes in them. The tubs are 28"L x 20"W x 6" deep. It's better to have more surface area than depth due to the oxygen needed by wigglers & nightcrawlers. These earthworms require more oxygen than a burrowing worm. People are always throwing away things that could be used as a worm bin. The blue bin is a tub I found. Drill some 1/4 inch holes in the bottom to allow for ventilation and drainage. If you want, you can use the lid to put the bin on to catch any residue that may exit, and use a piece of cardboard to lay over the bin. Cardboard tends to breathe better than plastic with holes drilled in it. I have tried the plastic lids with holes, and still had condensation forming on the underside with worms wanting to crawl due to the moisture. If you don't want to drill holes in the bottom, add a little gravel to allow for drainage. If you take this route, you can install a small pvc faucet towards the bottom to drain off any excess. Use this liquid to feed to your plants. Click on the photos for an enlarged closeup view. In one photo, you can see the compost being created from newspaper, and also many earthworm cocoons. Here's the link to our website: Alabama Wigglers

Red Wigglers and Nightcrawlers Starter Series

2010-01-20T13:43:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone,
We are going to start a 6 to 8 part series on the basics of getting started with your composting worms for the home. Worm composting, or vermicomposting, is something that's fun for the entire family to do. Plus, recycling your food scraps, paper, cardboard, and anything else worms will eat is being kept out of the landfill. The starter series will include types of earthworms(red wigglers and nightcrawlers), earthworm bins, bedding material, earthworm food, earthworm breeding, worm cocoons, and worm castings(poop) or compost. Stay tuned. You can visit our website at: www.Alabama Wigglers.com