Larval Development Period and Conversion Efficiency of Black Soldier Fly Larvae (Hermetia illucens L.) Reared on Vegetable Waste Fish Offal Substratesr Rain Heart Daligdig (1) Mark Anthony Mana (2) Fernand Fagutao and Richelle Niepes(4)
Mindanao State University at Naawan
Abstract
The utilization of organic wastes as substrates for black soldier fly larvae (BSFL), Hermetia illucens L., offers a potential approach for converting biodegradable waste into valuable larval biomass. This study evaluated the effects of different vegetable waste and fish offal substrate mixtures on the larval development period and conversion efficiency of BSFL. Three substrate treatments formulated at a ratio of 2:2:1 were evaluated: Treatment 1 (cabbage waste, kangkong waste, and fish offal waste), Treatment 2 (squash waste, tomato waste, and fish offal waste), and Treatment 3 (carrot waste, radish waste, and fish offal waste). Each treatment was replicated six times and arranged in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD). Data were analyzed using one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), followed by the Tukey HSD test to determine significant differences among treatment means at a 5 percent significance level. Significant differences among treatments were observed in larval development period and conversion efficiency. Treatment 2 exhibited the shortest larval development period at a mean of 20.33 days with a standard deviation of 0.52 days and the highest efficiency of conversion of digested substrate (ECD) at a mean of 55.98 percent with a standard deviation of 1.98 percent. These findings indicate that a substrate composed of squash waste, tomato waste, and fish offal at a ratio of 2:2:1 provides favorable conditions for faster larval development and more efficient conversion of digested substrate by BSFL. The results demonstrate the potential of appropriately formulated vegetable waste and fish offal mixtures as substrates for improving BSFL production while facilitating the biological conversion of organic wastes.
