Have you every wondered about the life cycle of your pet's favourite live feeder? We often get questions about why Obie’s BSFL are darkening in colour, or when they will turn into flies.
The life cycle of the black soldier fly undergoes five distinct stages (egg, larval, pre-pupal, pupal and fly) over 45 days.
Larval Stage: The larval stage is when your Obie's BSFL are harvested and packaged. Black soldier flies remain in larvae form for approximately 14 days before they begin to pupate. You will notice large BSFL will begin to darken and enter their prepupal stage quicker than the smaller sizes of Obie’s BSFL as they have met their minimum nutritional requirement.
The black soldier fly larvae has five instar stages. Each instar is a phase when the larvae sheds its exoskeleton.
- 1st instar: Obie’s smalls
- 2nd - 3rd instar: Obie’s mediums
- 4th - 5th instar: Obie’s larges
Pre-pupal & Pupal Stage: If you've ever noticed your Obie's BSFL begin to darken and become less active, they have begun their pre-pupal stage. They will progress to a full pupae within a few days of this stage beginning. As pre-pupae and pupae, Obie’s are still a nutritious treat for your pet and will stay in this stage for about 14 days before they emerge as flies.
Fly Emerges: After a black soldier fly larva pupates, it emerges as a fly. Black soldier flies are completely harmless - they don’t sting, bite, or carry disease and many pets love to hunt them!
Fly Mates: When flies are a few days old, if the conditions are ideal, are they will begin to mate. This mating period generally lasts a few days before the female lays her eggs.
Fly Lays Egg: In this part of their life cycle the female black soldier fly will lay her eggs to begin the life cycle again.
Egg Incubation: Black soldier fly eggs will incubate for three days before they hatch into larvae.