Air Flow Key to Ensuring Black Soldier Fly Larvae Thrive as A Sustainable Food Source
Published:21 Dec.2021 Source:Georgia Institute of Technology
Black soldier fly larvae devour food waste and other organic matter and are made of 60% protein, making them an attractive sustainable food source in agriculture. But increasingly, black soldier larvae are dying before they reach livestock facilities as animal feed.
Georgia Tech researchers, recognizing the culprit is the collective heat generated when the maggots eat in crowded conditions, have found that delivering the right amount of airflow could help solve the overheating issue. Their findings were published this month in Frontiers in Physics as part of a special issue on the "Physics of Social Interactions."