Maggots evolve from flies. They are fly larvae, usually from the
common housefly. When flies lay eggs, the eggs hatch into maggots before they
metamorphoses into flies. Maggots are also called grubs and can grow between 4
to 12mm in length depending on their stage of growth. Some maggot range from an
off-white colour to a light brown, though some can be yellow or reddish colour.
Maggots or larva metamorphose from flies. The fly of this larva are
from black soldier fly. The black soldier fly (BSF) is a harmless fly and does
not transmit diseases unlike the house fly.
The high cost of animal feed is a major challenge for farmers.
Research has shown that maggot meal of black soldier fly can be an excellent
replacement for fishmeal or soybeans meal which are the main ingredient in
animal feed. Maggot meal can be blended with other feed ingredient and use to
feed fish, poultry birds, pigs, guinea fowl and other animals.
Maggot farming has become a rising aspect of farming because of its
immense benefit to livestock and crop farmers all over the world. Most
livestock farmers like fish and poultry now purchase a large number of maggots
either dry or fresh and add them to their livestock feed or feed them directly
to the animals. Maggot is a major source of protein and other natural nutrients
that animals need to perform their daily activities. There are few businesses
producing maggot meal in Africa; the most popular one is Agriprotein in South
Africa.
Maggot farming currently is not too competitive like sago worm
because most people are not aware that it’s possible to farm maggots and make
money from it, talk more about making millions. The truth is that it is
possible if you do it correctly.
Maggot is high and rich in Protein, Lysine, Calcium, Potassium,
Phosphorus, Magnesium, Copper, Zinc, Fatty Acid, Amino Acids and iron
nutrients.
Benefits of maggots.
1. Serves as
feed:
Maggot is an alternative to feed fish. It is used to feed various
poultry animals like chicken, turkey and duck etc. Maggot also serves as an
excellent replacement for fishmeal in feed production.
2. Useful for
waste management:
It is a potential solution to waste management on the farm because the
waste is the raw material to produce maggots.
3. For
fertilization:
Maggot provide fertilizer for crop production.
10 Steps
involved in starting maggot farming.
Step 1:
Get any plastic open container. Size should be according to quantity
of maggots you want to make.
Step 2:
Get any substrate that are non-smelly like rice bran, wheat offal,
maize shaft, etc. These materials serves as bedding and substrate for the flies
to lay their egg.
Step 3:
Mix some quantity of water with sugar or molasses allow the mixture
to stay for 24 hours covering it in a cool dry place.
Step 4:
Mix this water mixture with any substrate you have chosen till it
forms a mesh don't water log the substrate...And leave the plastic containing
the substrate in an isolated place so no much disturbance.
Step 5:
After 3 days you will notice lots of flies around the plastic
containing the substrate, but before then make sure daily you wet the mixture
by sprinkling water to make the content to remain in a mesh form.
Note once the content is dry…Flies will only eat from the substrate
and not lay eggs. This will cause the system to produce very little or no
maggots.
Step 6:
After 5 days you will notice lots of white clutches of materials at
different part inside the mesh mixture this are flies eggs at beginning of day
6. Close up the open part of the plastic with a mosquito net so that nothing
goes in or out of the system, while sprinkling of water daily is important.
Step 7:
Remember that the plastic should be kept in a cool place some level
of shade like under a plantain or banana trees or any trees that form some
level of shade, to avoid direct sunlight heating up the system, which could
mess it up.
Step 8:
Harvesting can start from day 7 till day 12 depending on the size of
fish or animal you want to feed them with you can harvest by getting salt in
warm water in a bucket; usually maggot will stay under the layers of the
substrate so use a Parker to get out the first layer.
Then get the maggots with the substrate and pour them in a different
container, containing warm water and salt.
NB: From day 6,
you will start to notice lots of maggot formation though small in nature. To
make them big, you can sprinkle bakers’ yeast, it grows them faster.
Step 9:
Maggots will float up and the substrate will sink down you can use a
sieve to separate the maggots from the water.
Step 10:
Maggots can be fed live to animals like fish, poultry etc. Or they
can be sun dried , grounded and mix with your feed formula replacing costly
soya thereby reducing cost of your feed and still having high profit margins.
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