Black soldier fly from pest to ‘crown jewel’ of the insects as feed industry: an historical perspective

An historical overview of the black soldier fly is given and how the appreciation of the insect developed from being harmful to beneficial. The change occurred in 1980, initially for their role in forensic entomology and later when it was realised that the insects can be used both for recycling organic waste streams and for providing nutritious feed for production animals. Now the number of publications on the black soldier fly is increasing exponentially, while more companies focus on its commercial use.