Sterilizing Substrate and Leaves

[Beetle Time]

I’m not sure if this is where its supposed to be because this is my first post, but I’m putting it here anyway. I have a lot of downed ash trees in my yard due to the Emerald Ash Borer and I was wondering how do you disinfect the rotting wood and leaves? Do you even disinfect the wood and leaves? I haven’t been able to find a definite answer, so any advice is appreciated.

 

[Lebenet]

Personally, I don't sterilize the substrate : in it, have naturally many tiny invertebrates such as collembols, who exercise competition on mites and other undesirables ; this undesirables are here, but in a few number, and can't totally invade the substrate.

 

[Ratmosphere]

Boil or oven. Freezing almost never works in my experience. 

 

[JKim]

Even if you dump it in the water for couple to a whole week, it doesn't seem that pests inside the wood drown to death... What I don't get is... maybe wood doesn't absorb the water to the very (wood) core enough to get wet inner side to drown the pests?? In case of leaves, as long as you haven't sprayed any pesticides, just use as it is.

 

[Boris The Beetle]

I would say not to sterilize your substrate unless you plan on maintaining extremely clean or sterile conditions going forwards - which you really can't once you introduce a larvae to the substrate. If you sterilize your wood/leaves, you're not only killing undesirable organisms but also killing DESIRABLE and beneficial microorganisms like fungi that would break down the lignin in wood/leaves.

I would ONLY sterilize if you plan on inoculating the substrate with fungi (ie. mushroom cultivation) to break down the wood/leaves.

 

[midori]

I'm new to all of this but in The Complete Guide to Rearing the Eastern Hercules Beetle, Orin McMonigle recommends drying collected leaves or rotten wood "in the oven in a shallow tray at two hundred fifty degrees Fahrenheit for two hours." He says it makes it both easier to crush and kills other little "stow a-ways" that could be harmful to the larvae. He does also note elsewhere, as other people have pointed out here, that "[m]ost small animals found in unsterilized substrate do not hurt the grubs." I have my rotting oak (picked up only the stuff so far gone that it was tearable by hand) in the oven right now just because I don't want anything too icky in my substrate.