As long as it finely ground, any cereal will work for substrate. I couldn't access any wheat bran a couple weeks ago, and I really needed something to change out some of my meal worms into. I went into my pantry and found a box of Cream of Wheat and a box of oat bran. I dumped one box into one tray and the other box into another tray, and the mealies have done fantastic.
Yes, you can use rolled oats, but for the larvae, you should grind them up fine in a food processor. Rolled oats the way they come are perfect for the beetles, however. I like them because I use a screened bottom in their tray and the rolled oats don't filter through. Fine bedding ends up emptying the beetle tray leaving the beetles high and dry. But if you don't have an egg collection tray under a beetle tray to catch the eggs as they filter down, beetles are happy with any form of substrate.
The reason you want fine substrate for worms is because they need to be able to move easily though it, and they have a harder time with rolled oats in their original form.
Yes, bake any new grain in a 300F oven for half an hour, letting it cool in the oven after you turn it off. Grain mites can develop in any untreated grain and believe me, they are no fun, though they're harmless.
Yes, you can use rolled oats, but for the larvae, you should grind them up fine in a food processor. Rolled oats the way they come are perfect for the beetles, however. I like them because I use a screened bottom in their tray and the rolled oats don't filter through. Fine bedding ends up emptying the beetle tray leaving the beetles high and dry. But if you don't have an egg collection tray under a beetle tray to catch the eggs as they filter down, beetles are happy with any form of substrate.
The reason you want fine substrate for worms is because they need to be able to move easily though it, and they have a harder time with rolled oats in their original form.
Yes, bake any new grain in a 300F oven for half an hour, letting it cool in the oven after you turn it off. Grain mites can develop in any untreated grain and believe me, they are no fun, though they're harmless.
