What size does the entrance need to be in a plastic tote “bio-pod” for native adult flys to enter? A Purdue BSFL publication has conflicting sizes. First, the publication says to use 1" PVC pipe; but then it says to use a 1" circular saw to cut holes for the PVC pipe. 1" PVC has an outside diameter of 1.3", so a 1" hole obviously will not work for 1" PVC. On the other hand, 3/4" PVC has a 1" outside diameter. So which is the correct PVC pipe size? 3/4" PVC or 1" PVC? i.e., What size hole do the flies need? Remember, the pipe size is (roughly) the inside diameter, not the outside diameter.
Or perhaps either size will work equally well…?
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Alvin, we have grown BSF in all sorts of containers from 55 gallon barrels split in half to 5 gallon buckets to wooden boxes to old pots and pans to empty bleach bottles. My advice is don’t sweat the small details. Most any size hole will work. We never think about the size of the fly. We think about the size of the bird that would like to eat the larva. So we make the hole small enough that the birds cannot get in to feast on the larva. My experience is BSF growing is not at all a technical project. It’s sort of difficult to do it wrong. Blessings in your adventure.