Flake soil outside all year long...

[HerculesKabuterimon]

Last summer I made two batches of twice fermented flake soil using this process:
Starting with 20 lbs of oak pellets, I added water and 5 lbs of whole wheat flour and fermented outside in my composter turning/mixing each day for 4 weeks. Then I added another 5 lbs of whole wheat flour and followed the same process for another 4 weeks. This process created 1 batch of flake soil suitable for raising my rhino beetles through pupation. I created two batches following this process and attempted to start a third at the end of the summer, but by week 3-4 of the third batch it started getting colder at night in August here in northern USA so I wasn't able to really get it heated up like it needed. So basically I got lazy and always intended to remove it and maybe use it for stag beetles but it stayed out there all year long, through the fall, winter and spring until now (mid-June).

Now to my question... Based on how it looks to you, is it possibly even better for rhino beetle larvae than my regular twice-fermented process? Or is it possibly too "digested"? It is very dark but it passes the smell test, no funkyness other than a slight hint of feet like I am used to with flake soil. At the very least I can keep it for breeder boxes rather than for raising larvae. Just curious to get y'alls thoughts. Thanks in advance!

 

[HerculesKabuterimon]

For what its worth, my research suggests this is perhaps almost "black soil" and probably excellent for Dynastes. Thanks for all the replies lol. Still interested in any thoughts though.

 

[Ratmosphere]

I think it may be too digested if it's been out that long.

 

[HerculesKabuterimon]

I think it may be too digested if it's been out that long.

I don't know if you've ever seen Daniel Ambuehl on YouTube, but this swiss gentlemen I believe makes his in a woven sack in the garden in contact with these soil all year. Mine was sitting in a tumbler. I feel like its gotta still be good for Dynastids at least.

 

[JKim]

The substrate in the picture seems rather deteriorated. Smell and see if it smells like normal. Might be bad idea to use it as is. Dry it completely, and try ferment it again. Normally, leaving it outside for months to year(s) is okay before the fermentation, and it actually degrades the raw substrate, making the fermentation much easier, especially those wood pellets that has large chunks... such as Bear Mountain wood pellets. Have you ever tried using Trager Grills oak pellet? The TG brand wood pellets are extremely fine grained compared to any other brands I've ever seen or used.

 

[HerculesKabuterimon]

The substrate in the picture seems rather deteriorated. Smell and see if it smells like normal. Might be bad idea to use it as is. Dry it completely, and try ferment it again. Normally, leaving it outside for months to year(s) is okay before the fermentation, and it actually degrades the raw substrate, making the fermentation much easier, especially those wood pellets that has large chunks... such as Bear Mountain wood pellets. Have you ever tried using Trager Grills oak pellet? The TG brand wood pellets are extremely fine grained compared to any other brands I've ever seen or used.

Thanks for the input! I described the smell in the post. It smells rather earthy and no bad smell really. If you deem it "deteriorated", why would I ferment it again? It fermented at least once before I lost track of it and ignored it for many months. I also do not think it ever really became anaerobic because its was in a composter tumbler which has a lot of holes and is elevated off the ground. So it would have been able to get moist from the weather but not flooded or saturated since excess is able to leave.

In regards to the brand, I used Pit Boss oak pellets which seem commonly available at many walmarts. I have not been able to find any other brands selling oak pellets unless I pay an exorbitant amount of money purchasing online. It seems Traeger does not make pure oak pellets anymore, at least not available in the northeast. I have only been able to find Traeger pellets which are mixed with other things like hickory, cherry, and oak all in one bag. I have actually made many 20 lb batches using this Pit Boss brand with good success doing twice fermentation for dynastids and single fermentation for lucanids. Animals were raised to good size but I am trying to understand why you think its not ideal. Are you saying you don't like the particle size? I have attached a photo after it has been drying for the past many weeks. Have you tried using the Pit Boss brand to compare directly to other brands?