author(s)
Evans M Nyakeri, Henry JO Ogola, Fred A Amimo and Monica A Ayieko

abstract
The black soldier fly has become an important insect in bioconversion activity. However sustainable use of the insect is now dependent on the development of efficient artificial rearing systems. The concern however is on the scarcity of information on Black Soldier Fly rearing in general and on specific aspects of the production chain in particular such as use of baiting attractants for adult oviposition. The current study compared baiting efficiency of different attractants on the black soldier fly females in an effort to search for an optimal baiting material. Tested materials included cow manure, mixture of fruits (pineapples, bananas, watermelon and avocado), commercial sweet scent, fish and frass tea. The performance of a baiting material was evaluated in terms of mass of eggs laid on an oviposition medium. The study reports that for the strain of Black Soldier Fly (BSF) used in the study, fresh cow manure consistently attracted the highest oviposition of eggs followed by frass tea while sweet scent was the least effective. Results from this study can be used to improve the efficiency of BSF egg-trapping which is a necessity of successful black soldier fly production in captive environments.