Frontier Scientific Services’ Agriculture Division is pleased to report its participation in the University of Delaware’s annual AG Day 2019. As residents of Newark, DE and with several of our team members being alumni of the University, we were excited about the opportunity to participate in a such a well-attended local event.
Through our ongoing research initiatives with Hermetia illucens, the Black Soldier Fly, Frontier has begun a community outreach program where we strive to educate the public on the many benefits of this species, with a particularly focus on its ability to aid in the composting of common organic waste stream materials. As the world’s population continues to grow, an emphasis on establishing a sustainable food cycle, from production to disposal, has become a paramount concern. The biology of the Black Soldier Fly presents a uniquely positioned organism to aid in the composting of organic waste matter, from fruits and vegetables to more processed foods such as pasta and breads. One thousand of these larvae can compost 2.2 pounds (1 KG) of organic matter in a single week. The extraordinary speed of this process allows for efficient removal of this organic matter from the landfill waste stream, significantly lowering the overall amount of waste that will need to be processed on an annual basis.
Towards this end, Frontier registered for a booth at this year’s AG Day, an annual event hosted by the University of Delaware’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. AG Day focuses on all thing’s agriculture, from garden and horticulture plant sales, to animal science and insect education. In addition to educational pamphlets for adults and kids alike, Frontier brought with them an active larval composting bin. Attendees were intrigued by the wriggling mass of larvae that seemed to turn any fruit added into a uniform brown nutrient rich soil in a matter of a couple hours. To further harness this interest, Frontier sold BSF larvae for patrons to take home and begin a small compost pile of their own. The Newark community seemed to really respond to the concept of composting organic waste through use of a native and beneficial insect species. We plan to continue these efforts with future events to broaden our audience and hopefully increase participation in composting throughout our community and others.