Can someone give me a good process and ingredients to use for making good substrate? I'm kindof getting tired of ordering mine frm Taiwan and was looking for an alternative?
try collecting rotten oak and leaves from the wild if you can, and crush them up with a spade or your hands. I sometimes use processor. Or, If you don't have rotten oak available, you can buy Traeger Grill Oak Pellets and ferment them with flour and yeast.
Also...in addition to what Oak said, look for rotting oak trees and look towards the roots..if you see the bottom of the tree and it appears to be a mixture of "dirt like substrate" and is very soft that is jackpot. That is a very good rearing soil it contains valuable nutrients for larvae and is very finely grained so it allows them to easily digest it. But try to freeze or bake wild substrate in order to eliminate any possible threats. Also, when you use leaves you want the leaves UNDER the freshly fallen. Meaning you want the ones near the ground since they have been sitting and nature has allowed due process for the best amount of nutrients to gather.