In America, red oak is more prevalent and cheaper, however I do not think it is as desirable for our beetle production as white oak or beech. However, some manufacturers in Japan say that the advantage of beech is it degrades and also gets used by mycellium much faster than oak, perhaps owing to the fact that it is slightly less dense than oak. In America, beech is not often used for flake soil production due to its unavailability in the wood pellet form people like to use. Within Japan the two types of hardwood most often used is a type of white oak and beech. Even then, this is highly unadvised – do not blame me for any deaths! However, theoretically it is possible for these compounds to eventually degrade, which I am guessing will mean it will have a much longer fermentation period, because it is also possible to ferment softwoods to the point where certain hardwood loving mushrooms like Pleurotus can grow on them. You really would not want your beetles to be eating this stuff. Due to these reasons, it is also not recommended to grow mushrooms or kinshi with softwoods. For example, oil from pine trees have many antifungal, antimicrobial, and insecticide properties. This is due to many reasons, it is very unsuitable for both insects and the fungus they highly depend on in the wild. In contrast, I really do not recommend you to use softwood trees for the production of flake soil, these are gymnosperms like pine trees. Despite the prevalence of rhino beetles naturally ovipositing into palm trees, I would not recommend them within a general formulation for rhino and stag beetles for optimal growth. Interestingly enough, genetically speaking, palm trees, the family Arecaceae which are all monocots, are not very related to oak trees and other hardwood, which are all dicots. However, many species like Xylotrupes gideon and other rhinos with the common name coconut beetle are commonly found within rotting coconut trees instead. The majority of rhino and stag beetles have larvae within hardwood. Too long? Basically, I personally think white oak is the best, but red oak, beech, and most hardwood are good too! Stag beetles possess the enzymes required to digest lignin, but even then an unfermented substrate is unsuitable The tough biopolymer prevents the beetle larvae from consuming the nutritious biopolymer cellulose. ![]() This substrate is useful for keeping adults and making other substrates, but it is nutritionally inadequate for any beetle larvae. This type of substrate is simply just raw sawdust. A how to guide on making flake soil for rhinoceros and stag beetles!
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