The historical spread of the Black Soldier Fly, Hermetia illucens (L.) (Diptera, Stratiomyidae, Hermetiinae), and its establishment in Canada

The Black Soldier Fly, Hermetia illucens(Linnaeus), is a synanthropic, polysaprophagous fly native to the Neotropics, but now found in every zoogeographic region following decades of spread throughout the warmer parts of the world. In the last few decades there has been considerable interest in usin...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of the Entomological Society of Ontario 2015-01, Vol.146, p.51-54
Main Authors: Marshall, S A, Woodley, N E, Hauser, M
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Diptera
Hermetia
Hermetia illucens
Hermetiinae
Stratiomyidae
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:The Black Soldier Fly, Hermetia illucens(Linnaeus), is a synanthropic, polysaprophagous fly native to the Neotropics, but now found in every zoogeographic region following decades of spread throughout the warmer parts of the world. In the last few decades there has been considerable interest in using larvae of H. illucens for organic waste control, composting, and as animal food supplements. It has been studied as an agent for manure control (Sheppard et al. 1994), for controlling house fly infestations in chicken production (Furman et al. 1959, Sheppard 1983), and as a food supplement for fish (Bondari and Sheppard 1981) and swine (Newton et al. 1977). More recently, there has been considerable interest in using H. illucens as an agent for composting (Lalander et al. 2015). An internet search on "Black Soldier Fly" demonstrates that this use is reaching a household level.
ISSN:1713-7845