Brewing substrate in poly mesh bag

K

Kevinswither

Pupa
Is it possible to brew substrate in a poly bag outside? I am planning on making a large amount of substrate outside and I live in Phoenix.

 
Yes, although you are using another method to ferment substrate (bag vs. container), the other preparations still remain the same (amount of flour/wheat bran, water, yeast, saw dust). If the bags are not ventilated then it is important to mix the substrate daily to equally distribute heat and moisture in order to avoid mildew and anaerobic condition.

 
And what consistencies of substrate would be needed for stags, flower beetles, rhino beetles and giant ones? I don't have the book and searching the forum resulted in only mainly vague answers.

 
When you squeeze some substrate between your fingers there should only be enough water that does not drip down as water droplets. Be mindful of substrate balls as those are indication of you putting too much water and flour/wheat bran. The level of decay depends on the species of beetles you are trying to breed. You may need kinshi for stags, but not all apparently. Dynastids may have their own preferences of the level of decay of the substrate so you will have to achieve that through multiple process of fermentation.

 
For stags do I just brew it once and inoculate with kinshi for both genders? And would the high end be good for allomyrina dichotoma and the lower end for chalcasoma/hercules beetles? What about flower and goliath beetles?

 
No it's not as simple as that since you need to know what type of kinshi is used for what species of stags since they have preferences and the result may be lethal if you were to use the incorrect type of kinshi. I do not understand what you mean by high end and low end. If you are talking about the level of decay then generally speaking, A. dichotoma larvae are not as picky as larvae of other rhino species like the ones you mentioned above. Like I have mentioned before, each species of beetles have their own preference on the level of decay of the substrate, you will have to experiment and make observations in order to find out. What others have done to their own species may not prove to be as effective towards your own species so it's all trial and error. I would suggest you start with the US natives and Japanese rhinos instead of some of the exotics like C. atlas or Dhh. As far as flower beetles and Goliath beetles, they too have their own preference and honestly speaking, Goliath Beetles are rather difficult to breed.

 
I am meaning by high and low end as in consistency of substrate and grade of substrate. As for kinshi, what types are there? Could I prepare large quantities of it?

 
There are other already made substrate sold by beetle venders in which their products are made with high quality materials if that's what you're asking by the grade of the substrate. However, you can't really find them here in the US so you'll have to purchase them overseas and they're usually expensive. Bugsincyberspace has pretty good hardwood substrate though! As for the consistency of the substrate, as long as it's not saturated with water and flour/wheat bran, you should be fine. I do not have extensive knowledge on the types of kinshi since I'm not a stag breeder but I'm sure you can find more information online. You could make large quantity, but the preparation, maintenance, and cleanup will be rather troublesome.

 
I am waiting on a package of beetle substrate from overseas. Sorry if I asked too many questions.

 
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Not at all! That is why we're here on this forum, to ask questions and understand more about everything that goes into beetle hobby!

 
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