Tomer from Karkur

[GaryD]

Hi Tomer,

I agree. I've rarely seen anything quite so tidy......and I particularly like the approach to solids capture.

Gary

[Tomer]

Hi guys
again i apologize for my lethargic replies, i just don't get that much computer time these days
thanks for the warm words, i guess you summed it up correctly Gary - it's tidy. our goal was to make make something that was appealing, robust (as much as possible against the whims of teenagers) and 'experimental'. I wasn't sure if our water compensation system would work - there is a pump in the large rainwater pond that is connected to the toilet floats in the 3 fish tanks, so when water level goes down there is automatic inflow - but it's functioning and that is good news for us. Hope more of projects such as these come my way.. except from the scorching summer sun, it was fun to build.
a week ago we added 30 or so young wild Tilapia to 2 of the tanks, the third will host carps. wild Tilapia are an extremely sturdy bunch, but they will rarely grow over the 250-300 gr mark, and are mostly herbivores. in my systems i prefer the Nile Tilapia or the Jordan Tilapia, they are more sensitive to temp and water conditions but can grow to well over 500 gr, plus love a mixed diet of pellets, lettuce, duckweed & BSF larvae which i now have in the compost but still not in very abundant numbers.
what an amazing creature that fly is! i have attempted to construct a biopod to harvest them, but with very limited success. if you have any suggestions for me, that'll be great.

Dave, about the tanks - they are made here in Israel, by a company that is called Dolav (http://www.dolav.com). they are all over the world, probably in your part of the curry as well. they are very robust and last forever, only problem is the price - here they cost around 250 Aussie dollars, and are impossible to find second hand (they don't sell them till they crack..).

till the next

[GaryD]

Hi Tomer,

.

....what an amazing creature that fly is! i have attempted to construct a biopod to harvest them, but with very limited success. if you have any suggestions for me, that'll be great.

They are definitely an amazing creature.......my chickens go berserk over them when they are available. Tell me what you have done so far......and I'll attempt to fill in the gaps.

Dave, about the tanks - they are made here in Israel, by a company that is called Dolav (http://www.dolav.com). they are all over the world, probably in your part of the curry as well. they are very robust and last forever, only problem is the price - here they cost around 250 Aussie dollars,.....

Dolav bins can be bought in Australia. I think they are distributed from Sydney. (Try www.nayla.com ) They are like a mega bin but even more robust.

Gary

[Tomer]

Hi Gary
well, i took a 100 ltr plastic box, made ramps from Styrofoam at 40 or so degree angles leading to small exit holes. put an initial bunch of larvae from the compost bin, gave them something to dine on and waited. the thing is some managed to get out but not from the holes i made them, most just stayed inside till they perished.. if you've got some photos or sketches of a decent one, that'll be great.
i also believe they had i too hot' and as i understood they don't like it hot.. that couldn't have helped.
apparently someone in Israel has the import license of the original biopod, but they say they don't want to distribute until they produce a large initial stock for themselves in order to provide with the device. strange strategy if you ask me, but what do i know about business...
so - i'll be happy with any advice
thanks
T

[GaryD]

Hi Tomer,

About three years ago, I sat down to design a small BSF farming unit. This was prior to the appearance of the BioPod.

My design was a miniature variation on the concrete pits that the Chinese use in their large BSF farms. They comprised a large pit into which the BSF food is thrown with a ramp on one end. Once the larvae grew to self-harvest size, they'd just crawl up the ramp and drop into a collection chamber or channel.

Food Scraps are placed in the Growing Chamber. The female BSF lays her eggs and they drop into the growing chamber. Once they have matured, the larvae travel up the ramp and drop into the collection chamber.

Issues to be resolved:

• Where does the female BSF lay her eggs?
• How are the larvae harvested from the collection chamber?
• What do the drainage arrangements look like?

Larvae could be harvested from the collection chamber with a small stir frying shovel.
The lid of the Harvester needs to be fitted with a vent to control condensation and some means of allowing the BSF female to enter and lay her eggs.

The Harvester could be mounted on a Qubelok stand. The legs of the stand can be placed in plastic containers of water to prevent ants from invading the Harvester. A plastic ice cream container can be used to catch the leachate that drains from the unit.

This is far as I got with the alternative design. As fate would have it, the BioPod became available in Australia soon after I did the drawing that you see.

Interestingly, the manufacturers of the BioPod have come up with a new design to the one I have. They've called it the BioPod Plus. To be candid, I think it's a huge improvement over the old one.

There are some interesting similarities between the new one and mine.

Gary

[Tomer]

Hi Gary
as always, good as gold. seems simple and efficient. will go make one today, and keep you posted.
have you found the commercial design (the biopod plus) to give any extra advantage? ease of use, maintenance or xtra productivity?
thanks again
T

[GaryD]

Hi Tomer,

I just added the drawing to my last post. You can see the BioPod Plus.....here.

I haven't purchased the new model.....yet. I'm still trying to recover the cost of the original one. You have to grow out a lot of BSF larvae to equal the AUD$297 that I had to pay for it.

Gary

[Tomer]

hey Y'all
so a bit about the BSF situation..
lately I have managed 2 triumphs -
1. to grow a steady stock of BSF in a provisional IKEA based container & filling up the deep freeze
2. to get my wife so into it she runs before me to harvest! gotta love it when that happens
working on a new and improved model, a bit larger and more aesthetic
lots of fun
thanks for all the help there Gary

[GaryD]

Hey Tomer,

How clever is that?

Excellent innovation on your part.

You've certainly achieved something that I haven't if you've got your partner interested in BSF.

Jan looks at me like I'm the devil every time I even mention them.

Gary

[Tomer]

Hi Gary
thanks. it isn't a bad setup but it's a bit on the small side, plus the correct angle isn't easy to set. but it's working pretty much. the next generation is almost ready, being built inside a wooden crate, and with a neater collection box. seems like such a simple thing, a biopod, yet i find myself spending hours on end changing and turning and fixing and adjusting.. but they are a lively bunch, these critters
getting the mrs. into it was the definite coupe de grace for these little buggers.. she's on them like a french-man in a snail farm! fun to watch.
still having plant deficiencies.. that is surly my weakest link. just don't manage to find the perfect additive.. any secret grandma recipes??
btw - about your signature -
Bill Bryson quoted in his excellent "a short history of nearly everything" something similar regarding the acceptance of a new scientific discovery (and I paraphrase shamelessly) - first critics says that it cannot be true, then they acknowledge it is true but say it isn't important, and when the importance is obvious, they go on and give the credit to someone else..