This Little Bug Could Save Our Planet’s Farmland

Amaze Lab

The Black soldier fly, specifically its larva, are pretty amazing. They are capable of consuming pretty much any organic material and transform it into nutrient-rich fertilizer also known as frass.

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00:00This is a black soldier fly, and its larvae are pretty amazing.

00:07They're capable of consuming pretty much any organic material and can transform it

00:11into nutrient-rich fertilizer, also known as frass.

00:14But why is that important?

00:15Well, our planet is currently dealing with a soil crisis.

00:19According to the American Center for Nutrition, 33% of Earth's soil is considered degraded

00:23or derelict of the nutrients needed to grow plants.

00:26That's where these little bugs and their larvae come in.

00:28They're capable of consuming upwards of four times their body weight in organic material

00:33every day, leaving behind much-needed frass, producing it at a rate much faster than traditional

00:38composting.

00:39This byproduct is still in its infancy.

00:41However, experts say that the cost-benefits of switching from traditional fertilizers

00:44could be huge, as those exist within a volatile market.

00:48With Pat Crowley, CEO of Chapel Farms, one of the agricultural organizations studying

00:52the effectiveness of the insects, saying about it,

00:55Ultimately, at its core, we cannot survive without insects.

00:58Natural ecosystems cannot flourish without the insects as a part of them.

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