Recycle waste

[Philibugman]

I have a colony of Zophobas morio, and about each 8 Months I remove 1/3 of the excess of digested wood waste made by the larvae. Can this wonderful material be use to raise of breed other beetles?

After sifting the powder-like waste and removing any live or dead Zophobas, I add sufficient water to bring the mixture to a dough-like consistency. Then, I packed it up in a plastic shoe box container and let it dry. The result is a brick that can be carved with a hard object. I have also used some of these digested unmixed waste as mulch for potted plants.

Note: I keep Z morios in a 60 gallon octagonal tank without any other kind of substrate other then their own digested wood, up to 4 inches deep, and logs of dried rotted wood.

 

[Dynastes]

If you only feed them rotten wood it's possible the frass could still have food value. Have you tried feeding it to something else?

 

[Philibugman]

If you only feed them rotten wood it's possible the frass could still have food value. Have you tried feeding it to something else?

Besides wood they also have carrots, potatoes,Agar-Agar jelly, Oats, Roach chow mix(ferret pellets, chicken feed, Oats, Fish flakes, and grounded cuttlefish bone).

After mixing the frass with sufficient water to make it pliable to a brick shape I let it air dry solid. Then with a fine saw it can be cut into smaller sizes and shapes.

The dermestid beetles love it. The adults lay eggs in it and the larvae carve a labyrinth of tunnels digesting it as they tunnel. Isopods also seem to eat it.