Commercial Biopod

[GaryD]

Hi Craig,

My unit is into full production now - probably not populated densely enough yet, but am getting probably a couple of hundred crawl off each morning.

One occasions that will become a couple of thousand......particularly out of the larger unit.

I estimate that they are eating about 10KGs or so of food each day at this point.
The bio-conversion aspect of BSF is vastly under-rated. That's 10kg per day that would be stinking up some landfill otherwise. Now, it's being turned into high quality chicken or pig tucker.....or bio-diesel.

There is no odor from the bin until it is turned over - i guess once the grubs are into full swing the stuff will not have time to go rotten.

Don't speak too soon......there will be times when your stomach will nearly turn.

Gary

[Fwoor]

Don't speak too soon......there will be times when your stomach will nearly turn.

Gary

Gary,

Whilst I don't doubt that your unit stinks, I am not convinced that this will happen to every unit. To put forward a particular reason for my sceptasism I would propose that bacterial colonies will vary from unit to unit. I am a firm believer in not making assumptions on small sample sizes and conversely accepting proven (even if subjective) results from larger sample sizes.

[GaryD]

Hi Fwoor,

I am a firm believer in not making assumptions on small sample sizes and conversely accepting proven (even if subjective) results from larger sample sizes.

So am I. I've been around a few of these things and some had less of an odour about them than others. Mine goes through stages where the odour it gives off is yeasty and almost sweet (like now when it's got some spoiled bananas in it)......but other times it's really on the nose.

My unit has been cleaned and re-started several times (usually because I've moved it around) and I've experimented with a variety of feedstuffs.

It depends a lot on what you put into it.....fish and meat scraps will really send it off.......but, at the end of the day, the process is "putrefaction"....and it will give off odours.

I've found that my BioPod is better having removed the plastic leachate bottle on the bottom of the unit. It now just drains into the soil below the 'Pod. The leachate, said to be a powerful attractant for the female BSF (has the opposite effect on female humans) is really strong.

Gary