Cricket Farming vs Black Soldier Fly Farming: Comparing the Two
Search for insect farming content and you'll find black soldier fly (BSF) content everywhere. It dominates the media, attracts venture capital, and gets covered in every sustainability publication. Cricket farming quietly does something BSF rarely does: commands a 3-5x price premium in human consumption markets.
That gap matters. And it's why cricket farming vs black soldier fly farming deserves a real comparison, not just a summary of which insect is more "sustainable."
This guide covers what actually drives profitability: margins, markets, and how hard each operation is to run.
TL;DR
- Cricket farming quietly does something BSF rarely does: commands a 3-5x price premium in human consumption markets.
- Cricket protein, when sold into human food markets, commands a 3-5x premium over BSFL protein for equivalent quantity.
- Cricket FCR of 1.7-2.1 is genuinely impressive compared to conventional protein sources.
- Feed cost per pound of output is manageable when dialed in. A well-run cricket operation at 50-100 bins can generate meaningful revenue with a manageable capital base.
- An outbreak spreads to 100% of a colony within 5-7 days without isolation.
- Crickets also require tight temperature management (85-90°F) and consistent humidity.
- BSFL have a faster grow-out to harvest at the larvae stage: 4-6 weeks depending on feedstock and temperature.
TL;DR Verdict
| Factor | Cricket Farming | BSF Farming |
|---|---|---|
| Protein price (human market) | $8-$40/lb | $3-$10/lb |
| Primary market | Feeder + human food | Animal feed + fertilizer |
| FCR | 1.7-2.1 | 1.5-2.0 |
| Time to harvest | 6-8 weeks | 4-6 weeks (BSFL stage) |
| Odor | Moderate | High (waste feedstock) |
| Regulatory burden | Moderate | Moderate-high (waste use) |
| Disease risk | High (AdDNV) | Low |
| Startup cost | Moderate | Moderate-high |
BSF has a slight edge on FCR and speed. Crickets have a massive edge on price per pound in food markets. The right choice depends entirely on which market you're targeting.
The Core Difference: Who's Buying
This is the crux of the comparison. It shapes everything downstream.
BSF larvae are sold primarily into the animal feed market, aquaculture, poultry, pet food. The buyer is usually a large processor who values volume and price. Margins are thinner at the farm level. BSF frass (called frass or digestate) also sells as fertilizer, which adds a second revenue stream, but it doesn't dramatically change the economics.
Cricket protein, when sold into human food markets, commands a 3-5x premium over BSFL protein for equivalent quantity. That pricing difference doesn't disappear when you scale, it's structural. Human food regulations, allergen labeling, and brand positioning create a barrier that maintains the premium.
If you're targeting bulk commodity animal feed, BSF may be the better fit. If you can access the human food supply chain, cricket farming wins on revenue per pound.
Cricket Farming: Strengths and Challenges
What Works
The human food market is real and growing. Cricket flour is now sold in mainstream grocery chains, protein bar brands use cricket powder as an ingredient, and food tech companies actively seek consistent farm-level suppliers. The market infrastructure exists.
Cricket FCR of 1.7-2.1 is genuinely impressive compared to conventional protein sources. Feed cost per pound of output is manageable when dialed in. A well-run cricket operation at 50-100 bins can generate meaningful revenue with a manageable capital base.
Feeder crickets provide a parallel revenue stream. Pet stores, reptile supply companies, and fishing bait distributors buy in volume. This market is less glamorous but reliable.
What's Hard
Acheta domesticus densovirus (AdDNV) is the industry's biggest operational risk. An outbreak spreads to 100% of a colony within 5-7 days without isolation. Biosecurity protocols aren't optional, they're the difference between a profitable quarter and starting over.
Crickets also require tight temperature management (85-90°F) and consistent humidity. This means real investment in climate control, and real ongoing electricity costs.
Black Soldier Fly Farming: Strengths and Challenges
What Works
BSF larvae are remarkable composters. They can be raised on organic waste streams, food waste, manure, agricultural byproducts, which dramatically reduces feed cost. If you can secure a consistent waste feedstock supply, your input costs are near zero. That's a genuine structural advantage.
Disease risk is substantially lower than with crickets. BSF operations don't face the equivalent of AdDNV. Colonies are resilient.
BSFL have a faster grow-out to harvest at the larvae stage: 4-6 weeks depending on feedstock and temperature. Higher throughput means more cycles per year from the same infrastructure.
What's Hard
The odor is notable. If you're using organic waste as feedstock, the smell is real and must be managed. This affects facility location options and neighbor relations.
The waste handling regulatory environment is complex. Using food waste or manure as feedstock triggers state and local waste management regulations in many jurisdictions. Navigating those permits adds cost and time.
The market ceiling at the farm level is lower. Unless you're selling directly to premium aquaculture operations or pet food brands, bulk BSFL protein is priced as a commodity.
Market Comparison: Where the Money Actually Is
Human Food Market (Crickets Win)
The human edible insect market is projected to reach $1.5B in North America by 2030. Cricket flour and whole dried crickets have a meaningful head start. EU Novel Food approval, growing consumer acceptance, and established brand partnerships mean farm-level suppliers can command real prices.
BSF has limited traction in human food markets outside Southeast Asia. The regulatory path in the US and EU is longer. This may change, but today it's cricket territory.
Animal Feed Market (BSF Wins)
For aquaculture and poultry feed, BSF has more established supply chain relationships and regulatory clarity. The scale of buyers in this market is also larger. If you want to sell tons, not pounds, BSF has better infrastructure.
Fertilizer Market (BSF Has an Edge)
BSF frass (digestate) has strong fertilizer value and established buyers. Cricket frass is increasingly certified as an organic fertilizer input in US states, but BSF frass is more advanced in this market.
Who Should Farm Crickets?
Cricket farming is the better choice if you:
- Want access to human food markets and premium pricing
- Can manage strict biosecurity and temperature control
- Have existing connections to pet stores, reptile supply chains, or food brands
- Are in a location where waste feedstock sourcing is impractical
- Want a more compact, odor-manageable operation
Who Should Farm Black Soldier Flies?
BSF makes more sense if you:
- Have access to a consistent organic waste feedstock (reducing input costs dramatically)
- Are targeting bulk animal feed or aquaculture markets
- Operate in a rural location where odor management is less constrained
- Have capital for a larger-scale operation from the start
- Want lower disease risk and more resilient colonies
Can a Farm Run Both?
It's possible but rare in practice. The infrastructure requirements, feedstock management, and regulatory frameworks are different enough that most farms specialize. That said, some diversified operations use BSF for waste processing and composting revenue while running a separate cricket line for the food market. Good farm management software is what makes that kind of complexity manageable.
FAQ
Which insect farm is more profitable: crickets or black soldier flies?
At the per-pound level, cricket farming is more profitable when you can access human food markets. The 3-5x price premium over BSFL protein is structural, not cyclical. However, BSF operations can achieve profitability at lower per-pound prices through dramatically reduced feed costs when using organic waste feedstock. Your market access determines which model pencils out.
Is black soldier fly farming easier to manage than cricket farming?
BSF is generally more forgiving operationally. Lower disease risk, more flexible temperature requirements, and less noise make it simpler to manage day-to-day. Cricket farming demands tighter environmental control and stricter biosecurity, but the payoff is access to higher-margin markets.
Can a farm run both crickets and black soldier flies?
Some diversified operations do both, but it's uncommon. The management systems, odor profiles, and regulatory considerations are different enough that most farms specialize. If you're considering both, start with one species, reach operational stability, then evaluate adding the second with dedicated space and separate management systems.
How does CricketOps help track the metrics described in this article?
CricketOps provides bin-level logging for the variables that drive production outcomes -- feed inputs, environmental conditions, mortality events, and harvest results. Rather than maintaining these records in separate spreadsheets, you can view performance trends across bins and over time to identify which operational variables correlate with better outcomes in your specific facility.
Where can I find industry benchmarks to compare my operation's performance?
The North American Coalition for Insect Agriculture (NACIA) publishes periodic industry reports with production benchmarks. University extension programs in agricultural states, including the University of Georgia and University of Florida IFAS, occasionally publish insect farming production data. Industry conferences hosted by the Entomological Society of America and the Insects to Feed the World symposium series are additional sources of peer benchmarking data.
What is the biggest operational mistake cricket farmers make in their first year?
Expanding bin count before achieving consistent FCR and mortality targets in existing bins is the most common and costly first-year mistake. At 5-10 bins, problems are manageable. At 30-50 bins, the same proportional problems represent much larger financial losses. Most experienced cricket farmers recommend holding expansion until you have three consecutive production cycles hitting your FCR and mortality targets.
Sources
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) -- Edible Insects: Future Prospects for Food and Feed Security
- North American Coalition for Insect Agriculture (NACIA)
- Entomological Society of America
- University of Georgia Cooperative Extension
- Journal of Insects as Food and Feed (Wageningen Academic Publishers)
The Bottom Line
BSF gets more press. Crickets make more money per pound. That's the core of this comparison.
If you have access to cheap organic waste and want to play in the animal feed market at scale, BSF is a legitimate business. If you're targeting the human food supply chain or the established feeder cricket market, cricket farming offers better margins and a more developed buyer base.
Either way, the farms that win are the ones tracking their production data rigorously. You can't improve what you don't measure, and in insect farming, FCR and feed cost per pound are the numbers that determine whether you're profitable or not.
Get Started with CricketOps
The practices covered in this article are easier to apply consistently when they are supported by organized production data. CricketOps gives cricket farmers the tools to track what matters -- by bin, by batch, and over time. Start your next production cycle in CricketOps and see how organized data changes the way you manage your operation.