Evaluation of survival rate, growth performance, and organic waste treatment capacity of Black Soldier Fly larvae (Hermetia illucens) on three different organic waste substrates
This study was conducted to evaluate the growth performance, survival rate, and organic waste treatment efficiency of Black Soldier Fly (BSF) larvae (Hermetia illucens) on three common organic substrates: kitchen waste (NT1), vegetables and fruits (NT2), and fish entrails (NT3). The experiment followed a completely randomized design with three treatments, each treatment replicated three times, and a stocking density of 2,000 larvae per tray. After a 12-day trial (larvae aged 17 days), BSF larvae reared on fish entrails (NT3) achieved the best growth performance, with a final weight of 240,43 mg/larvae and a length of 22.67 mm/ larvae, significantly higher than those in NT1 and NT2 (p<0.05). The survival rate of the larvae remained high, ranging from 85.33% to 90.67%, with no statistically significant differences observed (p> 0.05). Regarding organic waste treatment efficiency, the highest waste reduction (69.99%) and the lowest Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR) of 4.27 in NT3, demonstrating the superior bioconversion capability of BSF larvae on high-protein animal – based by-product. In contrast, the vegetable and fruit group (NT2) showed the lowest efficiency across all parameters. These findings confirmed the potential of applying BSF for household organic waste management and sustainable animal feed production, contributing to the development of a circular economy in Vietnam.
