Flies Could Be Used as Feed

Mississippi State University’s Insect Rearing Center received $100,000 from a Spanish scholar to create a building specifically for rearing black soldier flies.

The flies, native to the Southeast U.S., could provide a solution to dealing with large amounts of waste while generating a feed product. They also are not a known pathogen, don’t bite or sting, and are not a nuisance, according to MSU researchers.

The flies are 40 to 45 percent protein by dry weight and consume agricultural waste. When dried and milled, they make high-protein meal for livestock, poultry and aquaculture consumption.