Using the flies looks like a good method. In cup quantities, have you researched how many cups of pupae would be needed per/area of sq ft?
I saw no mention of what quantity to use on their page.
Wow, 120 degrees! It hovers around 90-95 here for the hottest part of our summer, but our humidity is maxed out at 80%+ most of the summers, so using misters or swamp coolers wouldn't be feasible here.
I'll use the paneled roof with the 5' base being screened in and add fans if necessary to move the air a bit.
I plan on selling all of my produce at $1 per/pound regardless of type. That will be my largest advertising factor and selling feature. You bag it, I weigh it and the price is $1 per/pound for everything, all growing season.
Like I was saying before, our winter is only about a month long here, so I'll be able to use artificial lighting to supplement natural daylight hours, and grow for most of the year.
My whole purpose for the paneled roof is to keep rain from diluting the reservoir solutions and protecting the equipment and crops from falling limbs.
The entire area here has to be enclosed with screen. The Florida insects are unbelievable. They can take a crop down to stems in a couple days if massive insecticide isn't used or having greenhouse crops protected by screening.
We have one grasshopper here that gets up to 5 inches long and looks like a dinosaur. I've seen only one of these grasshoppers take an entire tomato plant to stems.
Roofed and screened is the only option here in Florida. That or even a complete solid greenhouse with ventilation.
I live in the middle of a swamp of old growth trees and natural foliage. The Oxygen/CO2 exchange is so huge that the plants will thrive using natural ventilation with the screening.
I'll just have to bite the bullet on the costs of setup. The profits per/sq ft will be great, even at my reduced pricing, and the annual repair/maintenance costs will be minimal. Getting it up and running this spring will be my utmost priority.
Watch for lots of pics here in my upcoming project thread.
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