Shade of Eclipse
Fresh Imago
The composition of "processed forest products" varies greatly on region, so think about what sorts of trees you most frequently see being trimmed and cut down around your area. Bedding found in poultry litter is usually coniferous softwood such as pine since it's aromatic and repellent for many insects, making it unsuitable for use.
You do not need soil unless it's a species that requires soil-like substrates like those that are found in sandy environments. Most of the beetle larvae we rear do best if they are kept in a substrate that is 100% edible to them. Coconut coir that is fairly indigestible and inorganic soil components and additives are fillers that are entirely unnecessary and will do more harm than good. Peat is similarly unnecessary as it does not add nutrients and will further acidify the substrate.
If you are fermenting your own substrate, you need nothing but wood and a source of sugars--preferably starches instead of simple sugars. You won't need to add microbes, not even yeast, since it'll naturally get seeded by whatever is in the air. You can add a small amount of gypsum as a source of calcium in the substrate
If you are making your own substrate from rotten materials you can find, you only need to find some nice, rotten pieces of wood that you're able to crumble apart with just your bare hands and old leaf litter. Soak it in some boiling water for an hour or cook it to kill off any potentially harmful organisms that may be living in or on the wood and the leaf litter, crumble it into fine pieces with your hands or some other method, and it's pretty much ready for use. For Lucanidae, you can skip the leaves and use just the rotten wood. For Scarabaeidae, add a very large amount of non-aromatic deciduous tree leaf litter that's already started to break down. More leaves the better and in some cases, you barely need any wood as long as you have a good compost made up entirely of suitable leaves.
You do not need soil unless it's a species that requires soil-like substrates like those that are found in sandy environments. Most of the beetle larvae we rear do best if they are kept in a substrate that is 100% edible to them. Coconut coir that is fairly indigestible and inorganic soil components and additives are fillers that are entirely unnecessary and will do more harm than good. Peat is similarly unnecessary as it does not add nutrients and will further acidify the substrate.
If you are fermenting your own substrate, you need nothing but wood and a source of sugars--preferably starches instead of simple sugars. You won't need to add microbes, not even yeast, since it'll naturally get seeded by whatever is in the air. You can add a small amount of gypsum as a source of calcium in the substrate
If you are making your own substrate from rotten materials you can find, you only need to find some nice, rotten pieces of wood that you're able to crumble apart with just your bare hands and old leaf litter. Soak it in some boiling water for an hour or cook it to kill off any potentially harmful organisms that may be living in or on the wood and the leaf litter, crumble it into fine pieces with your hands or some other method, and it's pretty much ready for use. For Lucanidae, you can skip the leaves and use just the rotten wood. For Scarabaeidae, add a very large amount of non-aromatic deciduous tree leaf litter that's already started to break down. More leaves the better and in some cases, you barely need any wood as long as you have a good compost made up entirely of suitable leaves.
