Anyone who has reared the beetle larvae has probably wondered at least once about how to store the substrate.
The correct way to store fermented substrate is as follows.
📌 Store in the shady place and below 80°F.
📌 Store the substrate in a storage box with a breathable seal or non-woven fabric to prevent the entry of pests.
📌 Our store's substrate products come with a breathable seal, so you can just seal the cut area with tape.
📌 If you do not plan to use fermented substrate for more than two weeks, storing it in the freezer is the best option.
It can be stored in the freezer for more than 6 months.
To use it again, just let it unfreeze naturally and then remove the gas for about 3 ~ 7days.
🔎 There is also a way to dry the fermented substrate,
There is a possibility that re-fermentation may occur during the process of adding water for reuse.
Now let's find out what happens if you store fermented substrate in the wrong way.
Photo from 'SCULLJET's Arthropod' korea naver blog
🚩 What you can see in this photo is the substrate that has turned orange color.
This is called “Deterioration due to re-fermentation”,
Orange deterioration usually occurs when the substrate has been stored with excessive moisture and high temperatures with limited air circulation.
So, it occurs frequently in summer when the temperature is high and humid.
This is like keep feeding spoiled food to your larvae, so it is recommended that any fermented substrate exposed to this condition be discarded immediately.
Photo from 'Moon' korea naver blog
🚩 Light brown deterioration also usually occurs when the substrate has been stored with excessive moisture and high temperatures but with smooth air circulation.
The substrate becomes very dry due to moisture evaporation due to deterioration.
Partial evaporation of moisture is caused by the movement of larvae and adults within the substrate.
it is also very common on Kinshi.
Therefore, some believe that contamination occurs as larvae move between the substrate and the kinshi.
In this case, the fermented substrate can be re-fermented to use,
but all insects must be removed from the substrate.
Fermenting substrates pose a risk of asphyxiation as their temperature rises and gases are released.
