Flushing BSF larvae down toilet for benefit of septic tank??

[GeorgiaGirl]

I have a lifelong habit of wildly ridiculous ideas, so bear with me.

We have a septic tank, not sewer. We plan to live here for decades, and the thought of having all that waste accumulate in one big ol' tank under the ground skeeves me out a bit.

I've been observing how diligent the Black Soldier Fly larvae are in my compost pile, and I've heard they feast on manure, too.

So, um, how crazy would it be to flush a few larvae down the toilet... on the theory that any that survive to reach the septic tank would have a field day decomposing all that waste (and therefore making it so that it won't fill up as fast), reproduce to form even more #2-eaters, etc.?

I have no idea what a septic tank is like on the inside so this is probably a kook-ball idea, but I just had to ask.

[Zofiava]

I really have no idea, but I have to tell you that I love the way you think

[Zofiava]

I really have no idea, but I have to tell you that I love the way you think

[GeorgiaGirl]

LOL thanks... (I had someone tell me one time, "I'd love to live inside your brain for just ONE day! ) I think I'll try it (although I don't know how I'd find out whether it worked or not)!!

[a0c8c]

Probably won't work. There's too much water in a septic tank, and not enough dry enough areas for maggots to survive. I see a slight chance of it working. There is however, strains of bacteria you SHOULD add to your septic tank that will break down all the wast for you. With the right bacteria, you should only have to clean you septic tank every 10-15 years. You'll of course, have to be careful abotu which chemicals get flushed, as they can easily kill off your good bacterium.

From: http://www.diylife.com/2007/07/30/bacte ... m-healthy/

"Let's talk dirty. I mean real dirty -- like sludge and scum dirty. ... I'm talking about the complex, bacterial interactions that take place deep within the bowels of your septic tank.

This typically isn't something the average homeowner likes to think about, but if you ignore the health of your septic system, you're going to find yourself up a certain kind of creek (quite literally) without a paddle. ..."

[a0c8c]

Then again, some other's claim you don't need anythign added at all:

http://www.shelterpub.com/_shelter/ssom_additives.html

"Do I Need to Use an Additive in My Septic sSystem to Keep It Working?
A homeowner does not need to add a stimulator or an enhancer to a septic tank that is designed, operated, and maintained properly—naturally occurring bacteria are already present within human fecal matter. ...

Chemical additives, such as caustic hydroxides and sulfuric acid, should never be added to a septic system. Adding these products will destroy the bacterial population in the septic tank, change the permeability characteristics of the soil absorption system, and may cause groundwater contamination. ... "

[GeorgiaGirl]

Thanks, a0c8c... after finding a cross-section diagram of a septic tank and seeing how much water is in there, I kinda thought the little critters wouldn't be able to live in there. Me being me, I'll probably still flush a few (if I can get over the heebie-jeebies of what they look like) just for kicks.

I do flush Ridex once a month or so and we're careful not to use bleach or other harmful chemicals when cleaning... so maybe the bacteria are happy digesting all that crap without any larvae help!

[Homeschoolmomma]

No No NO!!! Do not do it!
I came to this forum trying to find a solution for the black soldier fly larvae IN my septic tank.
The larvae crawl up the pipes and out the toilet to hatch, and hatch in the clean water of your toilet. Nothing like having guests over and while the are using the facilities one of these disgusting buggers floating up into the bowl and start wriggling as they attempt to metamorphosis from larvae to fly!

I have been trying to kill these things for months and the pest control people have been no help. The next step is to get the septic drained, cleaned and sanitized.

DO NOT DO IT!!!!!!!!!!

[rainbowgardener]

I don't know if you noticed that the previous posts were from 2009, so whatever happened has happened.

But welcome to the Forum and thanks so much for sharing your experience; I'm sure it will be valuable for someone.

I do have BSF larvae in my outdoor compost pile and that is fine. But in the past I lived where we had an indoor composting toilet. Apparently some BSF's found their way into that. The first I was aware of it was when I had company over for lunch and there was a big black BSF adult crawling on the inside of the dining room window. I did NOT want to tell them, "oh, that must have just flown out of our composting toilet!" I pretended I didn't see it until everyone left!