Roughly 1/3 of the food we produce ends up in a landfill. Learn how to fight food waste using the black soldier fly! These incredible insects eat spoiled food and produce two amazing outputs: protein-packed larvae to feed animals and frass (insect poop) to supercharge your soil. Compared to traditional methods, composting with black soldier flies offers a much faster decomposition process, boosts beneficial microbes, and can handle a wider variety of waste, including meat and dairy. This class covers their fascinating biology and gives you the resources you need to decide if a black soldier fly setup is right for your home or farm. Class will include a demonstration of the set up so you will have all you need to get started.

Destiny Mann is a PhD student in the agricultural entomology lab at the University of Delaware. She holds a MS in Entomology also from UD. Her research has focused on reducing food waste by upcycling it into useful products with the help of insects. She enjoys sharing her research with her community from 4H camps to Master Gardeners to Mt. Cuba! Outside of her research, you will catch her continuously fighting to keep invasive plants off of her property.

This Mt. Cuba Center class takes place August 20, but online only attendance is available. Virtual class ends at 2:15, as the instructor takes the in-person students outside for a demonstration. All virtual registrants will receive a recording of the class with access to view the class for 30 days after the live session. Register at https://mtcubacenter.org/event/upcycle-food-waste-with-black-soldier-flies-online/