Black Soldier Flies

Types of Use

Larvae are harvested to produce human food and animal feed

Species Impacted

Hermetia illucens

Total Animals Impacted

190B to 300B

Key Welfare Considerations

• Black soldier fly larvae are currently being raised as a novel protein and as a replacement for fishmeal.

• Larvae are killed by freezing or shredding.

• Larvae often die prior to being killed from drowning or disease.

Organizations

The Insect Institute
The Society for the Protection of Insects

Further Reading and Resources

• Abraham Rowe (Rethink Priorities): Insects Raised for Food and Feed: Global Scale, Practices, and Policy

• Welfare considerations for farming black soldier flies, Hermetia illucens (Diptera: Stratiomyidae): a model for the insects as food and feed industry