Black Soldier Fly

Black Soldier Fly

Hermetia illucens

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
at Davao City

In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%

28 Verified sightings at Davao City
306 In all 26 parks From 2019 to 2026
October Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Black Soldier Fly

Hermetia illucens, known colloquially as the black soldier fly, is a widespread fly of the family Stratiomyidae. Black soldier fly larvae are commonly utilized in composting systems due to their ability to rapidly break down food waste. In recent years, H. illucens has increasingly been gaining attention because of its hyperaccumulation of protein and fats via consumption of renewable substrates.

This species is native to the Neotropical realm, but in recent decades has spread across all continents, becoming virtually cosmopolitan. It is present in parts of North America and Europe, including the Iberian Peninsula, southern France, Italy, Croatia, Malta, the Canary Islands, and Switzerland, and on the Black Sea coast of Russia in Krasnodar.

It can also be found in the Afrotropical realm, the Australasian realm, the east Palaearctic realm, the Nearctic realm, North Africa, Southern Africa, and the Indomalayan realm, including South Asia such as India and Pakistan.

The adults of H. illucens measure about 16 millimetres (5⁄8 in) long. These medium-sized flies have a predominantly black body, with metallic reflections ranging from blue to green on the... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Henri Pittier National Park 🇻🇪 Venezuela
~20%
2 Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
3 Ostional Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
4 Masaya Volcano National Park 🇳🇮 Nicaragua
~10%
5 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
6 Piedras Blancas National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
7 Tortuguero National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
8 Sierra Nevada National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~10%
9 Yasuní National Park 🇪🇨 Ecuador
~10%
10 Taroko National Park 🇹🇼 Taiwan
~10%
11 Cumbres de Monterrey National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
12 Garden Route National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
13 Cévennes National Park 🇫🇷 France
~10%
14 Daintree National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~10%
15 Manu National Park 🇵🇪 Peru
~10%
16 Springbrook National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~10%
17 Tijuca National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
18 Iguazú National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
~10%
19 Braulio Carrillo National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
20 Table Mountain National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
21 Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
22 Saguaro National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
23 Parque Natural Metropolitano 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
24 Pyrénées National Park 🇫🇷 France
<5%
25 Great Smoky Mountains National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
26 Galápagos Islands 🇪🇨 Ecuador
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Cần Thơ 🇻🇳 Vietnam
~50%
2 Davao City 🇵🇭 Philippines
~40%
3 Raipur 🇮🇳 India
~40%
4 Monrovia 🇱🇷 Liberia
~40%
5 Thrissur 🇮🇳 India
~40%
6 Goiânia 🇧🇷 Brazil
~40%
7 Nanchang 🇨🇳 China
~30%
8 Tiruppur 🇮🇳 India
~30%
9 Thiruvananthapuram 🇮🇳 India
~30%
10 Tasikmalaya 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~30%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Black Soldier Fly in Davao City?

Likely

About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Black Soldier Fly sighting in Davao City on a given day, based on 28 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 3rd most-seen of the 52 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Black Soldier Fly in Davao City?

October and November

In those months about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Black Soldier Fly in Davao City on a given day, against under 5% in December, the lowest month.

What time of day is best to see a Black Soldier Fly?

Between 11 am and 2 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Black Soldier Fly sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Davao City the best place to see a Black Soldier Fly?

2nd of 147

Of the 147 cities where we can rate Black Soldier Fly sightings, Davao City ranks 2nd at about 40%. The best odds are in Cần Thơ (Vietnam, about 50%).

Which relatives of the Black Soldier Fly live in Davao City?

Same order: Diptera

The closest relatives of the Black Soldier Fly that you can see in Davao City (order Diptera, Flies) are Bathroom Moth Fly (about 40%) and Telostylinus lineolatus (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Black Soldier Fly sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Black Soldier Fly is recorded against all the insects logged in Davao City (28 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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