Dying Plants in the Space

Those insects are black soldier flies. They are feeding on some of the dead plants and are attracted to the HID lamp.

I’m not saying we want them buzzing all over the area, but they are a beneficial insect that seeks out composting vegetation. Their wasp like appearance is a mimicry that they have evolved to but they are harmless and can’t bite or sting. If we were to contain them in a small composting area, their larvae are used to feed fish and reptiles. There is lots of stuff on how to do that and some folks culture them for that reason. Also, they somehow prevent housefly infestation and are used in some greenhouses, etc to kill off these and other flying insects.

If we get rid of the dead vegetation, they will go away. They only live about 3 days and won’t be able to propogate.

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