Eggs or larvae can be purchased or, in warm weather, native females can be attracted to a rich source of food for egg laying. At hatching, small larvae eat crop residue or organic wastes and can be kept in plastic tubs. Temperature requirements for production are 27–30°C temperature [65]. In 4–6 wk, the larvae begin to turn black and mature into prepupae. They develop a chitinous exoskeleton. They stop eating and their mouth parts change into hooks, which they use to migrate upwards away from their food source in order to pupate [65]. This behavior can be used for self-harvest, with ramps directing larvae to a vertical drop and collection area; however, not all the prepupae self-harvest. Mechanical separation of larvae from their food substrate and frass may be more efficient [65]. Mechanical separation, such as sifting, also allows harvest of young larvae before they develop an exoskeleton. Some of the prepupae can be allowed to turn into adult flies in order to perpetrate the colony.