Five Stages or Phases of Maggot's Metamorphosis
To start maggot cultivation is fairly easy. Maggot has a fairly rapid metamorphosis phase. Classified into five stages, the following is the metamorphosis phase of maggot:
 |
| Five Stages or Phases of Maggot's Metamorphosis |
- Egg
BSF flies reproduce in a fermenting environment. The mating of male and female flies will produce eggs. Parent maggot can produce maggot eggs between 400 to 800 eggs. It takes about 4 days for the maggot eggs to hatch into instars.
– Instars (larvae)
At this stage, the instar does not yet have a perfect mouth for consuming its food, so it requires soft-textured food. Body length can reach 2.5 cm and 0.5 cm wide with a beige or blackish color along the body. The instar life span is about 14 to 16 days. This instar is known as maggot.
– Prepupa
The third phase of maggot development is the prepupa which is the transition from instar to pupa. In this phase, maggot is suitable to be used as animal feed for fish, be it for poultry or fish livestock.
- Pupa
Pupa is the final phase of maggot growth or can be said to be the cocoon phase. It takes between 2 to 3 weeks for the pupa to turn into an adult fly or maggot.
– Adult BSF Flies
After passing the developmental phase from egg to pupa, the next stage is growth into BSF fly. In this phase, adult maggot flies spend their time only to mate with the aim of reproducing and adult BSF flies do not look for food because their food source comes from fat that comes out of their own bodies.
With the various benefits obtained, maggot cultivation can be used as a side business field because it does not require special treatment or technical care. Anyone can develop maggot cultivation, including breeders because it can reduce spending to buy quality animal feed.
Besides being able to be used as animal feed, maggot can be sold so as to increase income. The benefits obtained can be multiplied from this effort. Financial benefits can also be obtained by developing Maggot as a business.
Food sources for maggot are not difficult to obtain because they come from garbage or organic waste. Especially during a pandemic like now, maggot cultivation doesn't hurt to try because it can be done at home.