Artificial light source combined with functional microorganism improves reproductive performance of black soldier fly
Open accessAbstract
Black soldier fly (BSF, Hermetia illucens ) has been recognized as a promising insect species for sustainable conversion of organic waste into valuable biomass. Many studies have focused on the use of BSF larvae to improve the recycling of organic waste. However, few studies have been conducted on the reproductive efficiency of BSF adults. In particular, the major problems with artificial systems are directed oviposition and the poor oviposition rate due to inadequate sunlight. This study aimed to address the bottleneck by developing an effective artificial source and finding effective attractants. Results showed that our homemade artificial light significantly enhanced the number of BSF eggs and elevated the egg hatching rate compared to commercial artificial light. Simultaneously, the isolated strain of Trichosporon asahii BSFL‐2 can induce gravid BSF females to oviposit and the combination of homemade artificial light with BSFL‐2 resulted in a notable increase in the number of eggs collected in the BSF adults rearing system. Analysis of the gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry results and experimental validation showed that 2,5‐dimethylpyrazine produced by BSFL‐2 strain was able to attract gravid females to aggregate and oviposit. This study demonstrates that the use of effective artificial light source and attractant is a crucial element in addressing the bottleneck of efficient indoor reproduction of BSF.
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Inadequate larval nutrition in BSF can generate smaller males with shorter sperm.
“Although inadequate larval nutrition in BSF can generate smaller males with shorter sperm (Zhang, Henawy, et al. 2025)”
From Beyond the Black Box: Reproductive Strategies of the Black Soldier Fly as a Model for Bridging Evolutionary Biology and Applied Entomology (2026) · cites this paper as Zhang, Henawy, et al. 2025
The Discussion (page unavailable) mentions nutritional supplements for BSF adults, while the Results and Conclusion address artificial light and oviposition. Searches for larval nutrition, male size, and sperm length found no passage in our copy addressing whether inadequate larval nutrition produces smaller males with shorter sperm. (LLM, conf=0.75)
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Cited by
Sorted by citations
Lemke, N. B., & Puniamoorthy, N. (2026) · Evolutionary Applications · doi:10.1111/eva.70249 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
- Authors
- Zhang, Y., Henawy, A. R., Rehman, K. U., van Huis, A., Cai, M., Zheng, L., Huang, F., Ding, X., Lei, H., & Zhang, J.
- Affiliations
- Huazhong Agricultural University (CN)
- Cairo University (EG)
- Islamia University of Bahawalpur (PK)
- Laboratory of Entomology Wageningen University & Research, Droevendaalsesteeg Wageningen the Netherlands
- Wuhan Jintai De Biotechnology Co., Ltd Wuhan China
- Corresponding author
- Zhang, Jibin
- ORCID
- Venue
- Insect Science
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2025-05-01
- Volume
- 33
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 1581-1592
- ISSN
- 1005-295X (ISSN-L)
- 1672-9609
- 1744-7917
- PMC
- PMC13441017
- OpenAlex
- W4410039234
- Cited by
- 1
- References
- 1
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1
- FWCI
- 0.75
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- research.wur.nl
- Licence
- Locations
- Insect Science (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Socio-Environmental Systems Modeling (submittedVersion)
- PubMed Central (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (2662022SKYJ006, 2662023DKPY003)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Insect Science › Insect Utilization and Effects
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Insect Science › Insect behavior and control techniques
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurobiology and Insect Physiology Research
- Keywords
- Hermetia illucens, artificial light sources, Trichosporon asahii, oviposition, egg production, 2,5-dimethylpyrazine, attractants, organic waste conversion, egg hatching rate, functional microorganisms
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Diptera, Female, Light, Oviposition, Reproduction, Simuliidae
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