One of our readers recently sent us a message. She explained that she has been finding a lot of black larvae in her bathroom. She knows that if she can reduce the moisture in her bathroom the larvae might be less attracted to the environment. However, since she lives in the Philippines (which is an extremely humid country) she isn’t sure of an effective way to dry up the bathroom. She didn’t send a picture of the larvae, but said that they look like black soldier fly larvae. Finally, she explained that there are no professionals to take care of the infestation, so she would appreciate any tips we can offer.

We don’t have a picture to confirm that what she is dealing with is indeed black soldier fly larvae, so we will just have to take her word for it! Black soldier fly larvae (or BSFL for short) are black or dark brown colored worm-like organisms. They have round, segmented bodies that grow to be about 3/4 inch long. For our readers who aren’t familiar with these larvae, here is a picture:

Black solider fly larvae are getting a lot of attention lately because of their association with composting. These larvae are excellent decomposers! They eat and break down food waste, food scraps, dead animals, and manure. After eating, they return high levels of nutrients back to the soil and environment. Some farmers and gardeners even have BSFL colonies for the sole purpose of composting!

So, if our reader keeps discovering these in her bathroom, we think there is some decaying organic substance present that they are feeding on. We suggest that our reader investigate the entire bathroom in search of their food source. We recommend that she empty her trash can, and clean the actual trash receptacle. She can also wipe down all the surfaces in her bathroom to deter other specimens from visiting.

To conclude, a reader found black larvae in her bathroom, which she believes are black soldier fly larvae. We hope thoroughly cleaning her bathroom will get rid of these specimens.

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