What types of wood can be used for making fermented sawdust substrate?

The Mantis Menagerie

The Mantis Menagerie

Fresh Imago
Can any type of hardwood be fermented into wood flake substrate for rhino and stag beetles? I found sawdust bricks for sale at Tractor Supply, and I was told they should be primarily composed of oak wood but might also have maple, poplar, or beech in the mixture. Will these be safe for beetle larvae? Also, what about aspen chips like those that are sold for small animal bedding at pet stores? Can all of these woods also be used for kinshi? 

 
Generally you want to avoid using too much maple (my friend had a dynastes Tityus grub that took three years to mature, most likely because of the maple) and I don’t know about poplar. Oak and beech are the best woods for substrate, and Orin mcmonigle mentions in his guide that aspen wood for snake bedding can be rotted into edible substrate.

 
Traeger oak pellets seem to be the staple for most (unless there is a mill or something locally). They expand well/quickly and have no additives or adhesives. More importantly, they're pretty cheap. <$1 per pound.

 
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PowerHobo said:
Traeger oak pellets seem to be the stable for most (unless there is a mill or something locally). They expand well/quickly and have no additives or adhesives. More importantly, they're pretty cheap. <$1 per pound.
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How much substrate would one bag of 20lb pellets expand and ferment into? 

 
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