Working inventory of public web resources about black soldier flies (Hermetia illucens), focused on articles, photos, maps, and manuals—and whether we can download and serve copies on bsfproject.com with attribution, at no cost, without special permission logistics.

Our house rule: prefer same-origin hosting of free-licensed media. When redistribution is unclear, link only.

This page’s prose is ours (CC BY 4.0). Upstream works keep their own licenses.


Decision cheat sheet

License / situation Host a copy on our origin? Notes
CC BY 4.0 (or BY 3.0/2.0) Yes Credit author + link + license. Commercial OK. Matches our guides/media stance.
CC BY-SA 4.0 Yes (unmodified or adapted carefully) Credit + license link. If you adapt the file, your adaptation must stay ShareAlike-compatible.
CC0 / Public domain Yes Still good practice to credit the source page.
CC BY-NC / NC-SA / ND Usually no for our use NC blocks commercial/franchise contexts we care about; ND blocks edits. Prefer link-only unless legal review says otherwise.
“All rights reserved” / no license No Link only (fair use is narrow and not a hosting strategy).
ResearchGate / Academia.edu downloads Assume no Platform ≠ permission. Use the publisher’s open license page instead.
News / blogs / Instagram / Facebook Assume no Link or get written permission. CDN URLs expire and often forbid hotlinking.
GBIF / iNaturalist occurrence data Data: often yes; photos: check each Dataset licenses vary (CC0/CC BY common for data). Media have per-observation licenses.

Logistics we avoid: paid stock, emailing rights desks, NDAs, “editorial only” photos.

Best free hosts for us (start here)

1. Wikimedia Commons (photos, diagrams, maps)

2. Wikipedia (articles)

3. Open-access scientific articles

Prefer publishers that stamp CC BY on the paper—always read the article license line.

Work License Host? Why it matters
Pazmiño-Palomino et al. 2022 (BDJ) CC BY 4.0 Yes Modelled global suitability maps (current + future RCPs).
Maquart et al. (France + worldwide records) Check publisher Only if journal PDF is CC Do not rip from ResearchGate if the paper isn’t OA.

4. Practice manuals

Work License Host?
Eawag Sandec — Black Soldier Fly Biowaste Processing (2nd ed.) CC BY 4.0 Yes — mirror under resources/manuals/

Global distribution map for “native insects”

Short answer: yes — we can host a free map with attribution and no permission email.

Ready-to-host (simple range map)

FileDistribucio hermetia illucens.png
AuthorJllPons
LicenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Host?Yes

Caveat for copy: This is a species distribution / recorded-range style map. Caption as global distribution, not “native range only,” unless a specialist source draws that distinction.

Stronger scientific option

Use Figure 1 from Pazmiño-Palomino et al. 2022 (CC BY 4.0): occurrence records + potential current/future distribution.

Tank and bin build guides (curated links)

Linked from the tank design article as reference—not endorsement. Extension and media builds stay link-only; open manuals may be mirrored when license allows.

Source Scale / style Host copy? Notes
Eawag BSF handbook (2nd ed.) Facility crates, larveros Yes (mirrored) CC BY 4.0 — primary operational reference.
IWMI practical guide (2024) SME startup manual Link only CGIAR open access; verify terms before mirror.
Low-tech Lab wiki Domestic wooden box Link only (CC BY-SA on wiki) Nomade des Mers expedition tutorial.
SDSU / Purdue / SARE 18-gal tote + PVC ramps Link only Extension lineage; ramp angles 30°–35° called out.
Open Source Ecology PDF Grub tub PVC ramps Link only License unclear on OSE wiki.
Grit / Gardening Australia Media DIY bins Link only Gutter or PVC at ~36°–45°; ABC PDF on their CDN.
ProtaPod BioPod Plus Commercial dual-ramp bin Link only Manufacturer page only—no product photos without permission.

Other sources (link-first unless licensed)

Source Typical content Host copies?
GBIFOccurrence pointsExport under the dataset’s license; cite GBIF download DOI.
iNaturalistPhotos + observationsPer-photo license. Only mirror CC BY / BY-SA / CC0.
BugGuideIDs, photosMixed; link unless file says otherwise.
University extensionHow-tosUsually all rights reserved → link.
Commercial BSF companiesMarketingNo without written license.
YouTubeTalks, farm toursEmbedding may be OK; downloading usually not for redistribution.
Social postsFlyers, reelsNo CDN hotlink; save only if you own copyright.

Recommended mirror queue

  1. Commons distribution map (CC BY-SA 4.0)
  2. 2–4 Commons photos (adult + larvae + frass)
  3. Eawag BSF handbook PDF (CC BY 4.0)
  4. BDJ 2022 paper PDF + selected figures (CC BY 4.0)

Everything else: catalog as link-only rows in the attribution ledger until a clear free license appears.

Traceability-first implementation status

Now implemented:

Pending mirrors (link-only in catalog): Khaekratoke 2022 (PeerJ), Sideris 2021 (MDPI), Beesigamukama NFE companion (MDPI).

Policy reminders