Tasty Grubs 1lb Dried Black Soldier Fly Larvae Bag Made in USA

These were delivered today. I mixed a handful with some dried mealworms to give my five hens their last treat of the day. Now that the weather has cooled and is often cold, I like giving them treats that provide protein and they love mealworms.First time I'd given them these and the girls gobbled them up along with the mealworms.If they cost less, I'd order them regularly. For now, I'll stretch them by mixing them with dried mealworms.These are lower in protein than dried mealworms are and cost a lot more.When I started giving my five hens dried mealworms as a treat, I was purchasing smaller bags of roughly a pound each.Since then, I've started purchasing larger bags from various sellers, but shipped by Amazon.My most recent purchase is an 11 pound bag for $59 which works out to less than $5.50 per pound.It's disappointing that none of the mealworms are products of the US and they all appear to have China as their source.My girls are pretty spoiled, but I have to watch my money too.

Having never ordered this type of insect before, my review may not be the best to read. However, I have some pictures below that may help you in purchasing this item.I have a small collection of rodents I raise for a local, non-chain, pet store. I like to suplement their diet with fruit, vegetables, and various forms of protien. In one of the pictures, I am holding both Kaytee Wild Bird Food mealworms, 17.6 oz bag sold on Amazon. I am used to buying freezedried mealworms and crickets to feed as treats, and to help my mother rodents recover from birthing large litters. The rodent shown birthed 19 young (before and after photos).These Dried Black Soldier Fly Larvae (DBSGL) are more moist than freeze dried bugs. They have 9% moisture (as seen) whereas the freezedried mealworms have Moisture (max.)...5%. You can feel the difference when handling these insects. They also have more substance to them. The mealworms are like puffed wheat in comparison. I would think that the protein would be higher, but it is the fat content. DBSFL: Fat 31% / Mealworms: Crude Fat (min.) 25%. The DBSFL have 36% protien, whereas the mealworms have Crude Protien (min.) 47%.These insects must also be processed differently. The mealworms ingredients is only Mealworms. The DBSFL bag states that there is Phosphorous; I am unsure if this us a naturally occuring element with these insects, or if this was part of the drying or preserving process. Best to ask the company Online at tastyworms.com.I can attest that degu, rats, mice, ASF, and hamsters(teddybear and robo) all saw these DBSFL as something special. None were left in any bowl, burried in any corner, or pushed aside.I know that there is a chicken on the bag, and these products are both marketed towards farm and wild fowl, however, the rodents found them as tasty as their feathered friend apparently find them. I know that box turtles, tortoises, and lizards (bearded dragons) also find dried insects to be a treat even if they are accustomed to eating live ones. These DBSFL do have an odor - it is not repulsive like one would imagine with fly larvea and what they typically eat, but it is an insect type odor, like a tank of crickets might emit.The bag is sealable, and should you live in a more humid climate, I might store these in the freezer during more humid months. They have the feeling of moisture that leads me to believe that they could possibly mold if not kept in the proper humidity level, sealed, etc. These will definately attract pantry moths as well - the meal worms do, and so must be kept sealed and in a sealed container.I hope this review has been helpful since this is my first time even seeing these insects. The animals inducate a five star as did the condition of the insicts theselves: whole, firm, moist, and fresh.

My bearded dragons love black soldier flies. When I buy them as live feeder insects, the dragons eat them in any stage of their development: as larva, in cocoon, or as flies. One of my beardies particularly likes when they have cocooned, but haven't yet emerged as a fly. I think he likes the crunchiness of it. With that in mind, I thought these would be a good option, as I wouldn't have to worry about going through them fast enough to avoid them dying off.Since they don't move, my challenge was to introduce them in a way that would cause interest. What worked for me was sprinkling them on top their daily salad, with some added worms(I switch out a mix of hornworms, silk worms and butter worms), to hopefully confuse the silly dragons into thinking that the dried larva was moving. It eventually worked, and now they usually gobble them all up.Someone once commented on the smell, and honestly, I think they smell like roasted sunflower seeds. Definitely not a foul odor, and not even that strong. I wash my hands after and am just fine. (Really, we could eat these if we wanted, they would be a great source of protein!)

I purchased these for my chickens, as a less expensive option to another brand of grubs...chickens don't know the difference, right?? Wrong. My flock isn't as interested in these as the other brand, in fact - they often become disinterested in the grubs and don't finish what I give them. Less expensive purchase price, yes, but un-eaten grubs are a waste of my money.

This stuff is Chicken Crack! I was feeding my laying hens Tasty brand dried mealworms mixed in with their daily scratch treat mix and started to notice calcium issues, very thin eggs shells. An educational note about the calcium depletion issues associated with feeding dried mealworms came with my recent order along with a sample of these Tasty Grubs so I gave them a try. At first, my chickens weren't so sure about them, but they have taken to them with the same fervor that they did with the mealworms. I mix a big handful of the grubs with a small handful of the mealworms into a fortified scratch mix and add a tiny scoop of Avi-Cal Plus powder to the mix and my chickens have never looked better and their egg shells are perfect. They need to sell the grubs in larger sizes though because I'm going through a 1lb bag a month. My girls wait with unbridled anticipation every morning until I head for the shed to make their treat mix and they always eat the grubs and mealworms first. I've never seen chickens run so fast, lol!