Culture-Independent and Culture-Dependent Characterization of the Black Soldier Fly Gut Microbiome Reveals a Large Proportion of Culturable Bacteria with Potential for Industrial Applications.

Black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) are fast-growing, resilient insects that can break down a variety of organic substrates and convert them into valuable proteins and lipids for applications in the feed industry. Decomposition is mediated by an abundant and versatile gut microbiome, which has been studied for more than a decade. However, little is known about the phylogeny, properties and functions of bacterial isolates from the BSFL gut.