Entomology - Maggot harvest

My maggot self harvester works.

Which is nice.

I found a stack of lines radiating out from the collector on the table.

I'm guessing that means its been working pretty well for the last 12 hours or so.

Working well, except for the "not letting them get away" bit. So I can enjoy a few extra flies over the coming days.

I think it's safe to assume we all knew that was going to happen.

The ramp even worked, although it has to be said that this particular maggot is actually using it to go back down.

It must have changed it's mind.









But eventually it seems, the little beasties find their way to the exit, and drop down into the container of   horrible tasting breakfast cereal that I gave them.

I dusted the wall of the orange collection container with flour, and that seems to have stopped them escaping, but who knows.

What this does mean is that I can make a better device that's sealed where it should be, and make some  fish food out of stuff that would otherwise go to landfill.

The stink factor was essentially zero, so no problems what-so-ever about doing it in a suburban back yard. From more than six inches away, there was no detectable smell at all. Basically you had to put your nose to it, and we had some very hot, dry days, some hot humid days, and half way through I added a stack of water, so it wasn't stink free because it was dry. (I added water because the dead fish was starting to turn into a dried fish, and wanted to keep it fly friendly)

And they were big and healthy looking.

This one, just big.

It's one of the escaped ones that was foolish enough to escape my cereal feed lot. I watched it being kissed by a black house spider, as it stumbled into it's web.

The upshot of this was a very obedient maggot who was happy to stand still on a ruler for as log as it took to get a nice photo of it's length.

Thanks nature.


The perfect house warming present for a fishing buddy, has got to be a lifetime supply of fresh maggots, via a lovingly hand crafted, self harvesting, suburban suitable, stink free, maggot growing, fish head recycling, bait farm. And I have just such a fishing buddy, who recently relocated to a place where you cant buy maggots for bait, and he just bought a boat.




120 Things in 20 years - Turning fish heads back into fish, with entomology and a maggot harvester.

Entomology - I made maggots

I'm now the proud owner of some maggots.

I hope the people who own this house that are dropping tomorrow to do some repairs, appreciate maggots.

I'm guessing they will.

Who wouldn't?

I even moved them up close to the house so they can best enjoy them.

Actually the fish doesn't stink at all. You can smell it if you get up close to the opening, but that's to be expected.

We've had a few very hot days here, so if ever there was a time it was going to stink, I'm guessing the last few days would have been it.

They look like this.

They seem huge. Much bigger than other maggots I've seen. I'm still holding out hope that they might be black soldier fly, rather than the common house fly.

The maggot farm acts as a trap, so I can tell what's visited, and don't see a black soldier fly, but there's a chance it could have dropped eggs and escaped. Or that it is in there somewhere dead among the fish bits.

Either way, I guess I'll know soon, because if my harvester works I'll be able to get a better look, and take some measurements.

Delicious!