Q&A: What happens if the flies escape?

Let us start with saying that the chance of flies escaping a modern commercial black soldier fly farm are minimum. A commercial farm has air-conditioned rooms which have the ideal conditions for the BSF. So, there is no urgency to escape. At the same time in this climatized room the flies grow in so-called love cages; these are also closed cages which are only briefly opened once a day for harvesting.

Having said that, suppose they do escape. There it is important to know that an adult fly doesn’t eat. The BSF only eats in the stage of being a larva, when being a fly the BSF is unable to eat. They will only require some moisture. Why is this important? Because the general public associate’s insects, meaning also BSF, with the insects they know. Like the housefly who likes to sit on your food or the wasp which is attracted to your sweet ice cream. The BSF will not do this because there is no need to eat.

Further the adult fly only lives for 8 days. This all makes the BSF completely harmless for the environment.

In addition, instead of having to worry about the BSF farm, it is the other way around. A BSF farm you have to work with high hygiene standards because you want to keep possible competition of the BSF like the housefly away.