Good Wood?

A

Acro

Cerambycidae
What are the forum's thoughts on using decayed wood and leaves from:

Southern magnolia

Sweet Gum

Live Oak

American Sycamore

 
Oak is commonly used but I was hoping for a little more in a response.
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Have you used live oak specifically? What about the others trees mentioned? What specifics might make the other trees inferior to live oak?

And shoot, you just choose live oak because it's your name!
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Thanks for the link Oak, that makes a few things clearer. (High Five!)

I would still like to hear if anyone has thoughts or experience about using Southern magnolia, Sweet Gum, and American Sycamore, please post.
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Sweet Gum and American Sycamore might work, but I don't think Southern Magnolia is good, as most insects avoid it, maybe due to the chemicals inside it.

A good way would be to set up 3 different containers and test it.

 
LarvaHunter said:
Sweet Gum and American Sycamore might work, but I don't think Southern Magnolia is good, as most insects avoid it, maybe due to the chemicals inside it.

A good way would be to set up 3 different containers and test it.
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I was thinking about testing it as well. Although I would set up 5 containers, with one mixed.

Where did you get the info about insects avoiding Southern Magnolia?

 
I saw the tree has very few pests at na.fs.fed.us

I also read somewhere else all different chemicals that it contains.

 
I thought I read some where that people could use maple as well. People, including myself have even found larvae inside of pine trees! I have found larvae of Phileurus truncatus in rotting long leaf pines and once in a cypress pine.

 
Greatwun,

I've read that using maple, pine, and cypress (at least in captivity) will cause larvae to take 2ce as long to pupate. Also, that the adults may emerge small and/or sickly.

But that's just what I've read. Of course it will not apply to all beetle species and it is very likely that some will do better with wood/leaves from those trees.

If you experiment with those trees, please let the forum know how it works out!

 
Acro said:
Greatwun,

I've read that using maple, pine, and cypress (at least in captivity) will cause larvae to take 2ce as long to pupate. Also, that the adults may emerge small and/or sickly.

But that's just what I've read. Of course it will not apply to all beetle species and it is very likely that some will do better with wood/leaves from those trees.

If you experiment with those trees, please let the forum know how it works out!
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It's interesting that you mentioned that because all the larvae that I collected from the cypress pine died. On nights that dropped below 40 degrees F some would come to the surface, shrivel up and die. This occurred for over a month until all cypress pine specimens died. Maybe they did not acquire enough nutrients to make them strong to survive the cold. Which makes me wonder why the parents would have ever chosen to lay the eggs in the dead cypress pine. But I did also collect a batch from a rotting long leaf pine and they made it to adulthood just fine.

 
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