Beetle shit

So I’m a teacher and I raise various arthropods in the classroom. I have close to ten pounds of Gymnetis thula poo from their larval bin. They feed on fermented and decayed hardwoods mixed in with top soil. Wondering if i can add it to my next grow. Similar to worm castings. Any thoughts?

This is all it is.

Dont see any way it could hurt. I'd use any frass too

Sounds like incredible microbial life to me

bam0813 said:

Sounds like incredible microbial life to me

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I’ve got it in a sealed container with some springtails and a bit of molasses. I’m new to growing but I’ve been using bugs and living soils for the school garden for awhile. Should be a nice addition. Thanks for the response.

That experience should carry over quite well for you

Be sure to make a control group and compare. Interesting to say the least. How many beetles and how much time does it take for 10lb of beetle juice?

nuskool89 said:

Be sure to make a control group and compare. Interesting to say the least. How many beetles and how much time does it take for 10lb of beetle juice?

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100 larvae will make 2-5 pounds in a month. When the larva are really young and small the yields are less but they grow so fast. The adult beetles eat rotting fruit mostly and have a very short lifespan in the adult stage. The larva are where the bulk of the frass come from. They are legal to keep in the US but the adults will fly when the temps are above 80f