Frequently Asked Questions

Black soldier fly is very different from the common housefly. In terms of size, colour and appearance, the adult black soldier fly is similar to the organ pipe mud dauber wasp and its relatives.

Black soldier flies are not a pest to human because unlike houseflies, adult black soldier flies have greatly-reduced sponging mouthparts and can only consume liquids or do not eat at all.

They do not regurgitate food along with digestive enzymes like houseflies therefore they do not spread diseases.

Besides, black soldier flies are not attracted to human habitation or foods and do not fly around as much as houseflies. This is because they have less expendable energy due to their limited ability to consume food as adults.

Also, they do not bite or sting and are very easy to catch and relocate when they get inside a house as they do not avoid being picked up.

Black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) are the larvae of the black soldier fly, Hermetia illucens.

They help to compost organic waste or convert organic waste into high quality animal feed. BSFL are among the most efficient animals at converting feed into biomass which can be used in many industries in a truly sustainable way.

BSFL is used as a popular feeder insect for exotic pets, pet reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates, and other insectivores due to their high nutritional value and low maintenance needs.

They are the only larva/worm/grub that are near the ideal calcium phosphorus ratio which helps with calcium absorption and utilization.

Besides, BSFL can be used as feed in poultry farming and aquaculture as well as food for human consumption.

Also, they can be used to produce grease for the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries to replace other vegetable oils.

Not only that, BSFL can be used to produce chitin which is used in shipping as an alternative against biofouling. In farming, chitin is used as a soil amendment to improve soil fertility and protect plants from pests, pathogens and diseases by boosting plant’s immune response system.

Furthermore, they can be used in bioremediation to remove harmful heavy metals from biomass.

Black Soldier Fly Larvae (BSFL) go by many different brand names. BiovaeGrubs™ are the ones we have here at Biovae.

BSFL are also commonly known as Phoenix Worms®, CalciWorms®, ReptiWorms™, NutriGrubs™.

All are the same species of Black Soldier Fly known as Hermetia illucens.

Although it may seem that different companies have different brand names for the same Black Soldier Fly Larvae (BSFL) and are selling the same BSFL product, this is definitely not true.

The most important fact to know is that not all BSFL products are the same because no other brands can feed the same diet as ours and so their BSFL’s nutritional value will not be the same as ours too.

What makes our BiovaeGrubs™ BSFL different?

1. BiovaeGrubs™ BSFL are almost odourless unlike other brands which smells awful (verified & reviewed by our own customers).
2. BiovaeGrubs™ BSFL have the ideal calcium to phosphorus ratio (2.5:1) unlike other brands which are either too high or too low, making them unsuitable to be fed as a sole ration.
3. BiovaeGrubs™ BSFL are naturally high in protein and calcium, low in fat, very nutritious and safe to be fed as a staple food daily.
4. BiovaeGrubs™ BSFL have a longer shelf life than other brands as we limit the number of larvae in each cup/container so that they are not too packed and therefore can last longer.
5. BiovaeGrubs™ BSFL are raised locally in Malaysia and fed with 100% probiotic-treated plant-based diet without any food waste or kitchen waste to ensure the highest BSFL quality.
6. BiovaeGrubs™ BSFL are bred and farmed completely indoors in a controlled environment preventing attacks of pests and minimizing land usage.
7. BiovaeGrubs™ BSFL are all natural, 100% non-GMO, chemical free and no preservatives or additives are added.
8. BiovaeGrubs™ BSFL are freshly harvested daily to ensure you receive the freshest BSFL from us that can last longer.
9. BiovaeGrubs™ BSFL comes with our special packing substrate that can be easily removed and smells good unlike other brands which are difficult to remove and foul-smelling as they use a soil type media as their substrate.
10. BiovaeGrubs™ BSFL are tested by an award-winning independent laboratory periodically to ensure our BSFL premium quality are met and guaranteed.
11. We always include an additional 10% of BiovaeGrubs™ BSFL ordered for free to ensure satisfaction.
12. We strive to provide premium quality BSFL at an affordable price so that more pets can benefit from the goodness of BSFL.

Not only that, our own customers have informed us that some other brands’ BSFL

• smell terrible and disgusting
• are wet and difficult to remove from the substrate
• turn into flies quickly
• do not last as long as our BiovaeGrubs™ BSFL
• do not have the quality of our BiovaeGrubs™ BSFL

Yes of course! 

BSFL are one of the best feeders for insectivorous and omnivorous pets.

They are low maintenance, sanitary (clean & free from pathogens), quiet, odourless and wiggly in such a way that is very appetizing to many reptiles, amphibians and other insectivores to trigger their feeding instinct.

Not to mention, they are very nutritious and are naturally high in calcium.

If BSFL are provided on a regular basis, you do not even need to dust any calcium supplements on your superworm, mealworm, cricket, or other feeder insects because the amount of calcium in our BSFL is more than sufficient to support your pet’s healthy growth.

Also, BSFL require minimal care only as they do not need to be transferred into larger containers and do no need to be fed with any food to keep them alive.

Bearded dragons, geckos, chameleons, hedgehogs, sugar gliders, hamsters, frogs, birds, chickens, fish, turtles, skinks, salamanders and other insectivores.

Dried BSFL are also suitable for the above-mentioned pets as well as cats and dogs.

Yes! They can replace dubia roaches, mealworms, crickets and superworms.

Your BiovaeGrubs™ BSFL will arrive in small plastic cups or a rectangular plastic container together with a special packing substrate.

Remove only the portion needed for feeding and keep the rest in their original containers at room temperature. Leave the lid open to allow ventilation.

Keep in mind that BSFL are capable of stacking on top of each other when the quantity is large.

Please do not place too many BSFL in each container or food bowl.

Feeding-Grade BSFL can usually last for about two (2) weeks at room temperature before turning into pupae.

If you plan to use them for more than two (2) weeks, store them in a wine cooler or beverage chiller between 7 – 13 degree Celsius (°C) in order to allow them to go dormant.

Another inexpensive alternative is to store the cups of BSFL in a cooler box and place a frozen bottled water inside the cooler. Once the ice in the bottle has melted, replace it with another frozen bottled water to continuously keep the temperature low so that the larvae will remain dormant and last longer.

Do allow the BSFL to revive under room temperature for about 10 minutes before feeding them to your pet.

Keep in mind that refrigerators are too cold for BSFL and may end up killing them. Do not store BSFL in the fridge.

We cannot guarantee their survival if you do store them at temperatures below room temperature.

For best purpose, use them within three (3) weeks.

The best way is to sift the BSFL with our Biovae™ Sieve which is available in our online store.

Alternatively, if you have a used strainer or colander, you may use it to separate the BSFL from the packing substrate.

The packing substrate is an organic material which is safe and harmless even if you do not remove it off completely and if your pet accidentally eats it.

For babies, to support their active growth in the first year, their protein source especially live feeder insects should not be restricted.

The rule of thumb is to feed as many larvae as your baby wants within 10-15 minutes and feed two or three times per day.

For adults, they do not require much protein as their growth has slowed down or stopped therefore the number of larvae per serving will be lesser.

The actual number of larvae to feed will depend whether other feeder insects are served and also your pet’s appetite.

Just ensure that both the larvae and the food bowl are completely dry.

BSFL will be able to crawl and climb on any surface they come into contact with when they are moist or wet.

Our No-Escape Ceramic Food Bowl which is available in our online store is the most suitable food bowl to use when it comes to feeding BSFL to your pet. 

The inwardly curved rim on the inner top ring makes it difficult for the larvae to escape as they will fall back down into the bowl when they managed to reach the top.

No! Usually an ammonia smell coming out from the BSFL container is caused by a dead larva or multiple dead larvae.

Please remove any dead larvae from the container as soon as possible and leave the container open for a few hours to allow the smell to disperse.

You may replace the lid and cover the container once the smell has disappeared.

The other larvae are still perfectly fine to feed.

This happens usually when your pet is over-excited with the new feeder and are not chewing the larvae when eating.

The larvae were not digested because your pet’s teeth did not pierce through the larvae and their gastric juice could not breakdown the larvae.

To overcome this problem, provide only a few larvae for each serving, or better still use a pair of tweezers and hand-feed the larvae to your pet so that they will eat slowly and chew properly.

The issue will normally go away on its own after your pet has gotten used to the food and starts chewing properly.