spring-2021---
At the end of May, 2021, the status of the bamboo Snow is as follows:
The CCBS has installed temperature and humidity monitoring equipment and computer monitoring including reporting to a cloud based server to show current and historical data.
The sticks cut last year are dry and currently non-productive. An attempt is underway to see if the insect activity can be revived. Currently they still produce no Snow, save one or two producing trace amounts.
The purchased river bamboo is stacked horizontally and while the resulting bamboo snow is of poor quality (discolored with black fungus), They seem to be an excellent storehouse of continually emerging adults. This is the eastern container.
Newly cut bamboo is split and put in this container are seeing adult dinoderus actively crawling and boring after only a single night. These are all in the early stages of production. Complete and total conversion at the fastest rate would require 90 to 120 days.
The other container is where last year’s sticks and the newly harvested stick are hung in bundles for maximum airflow, and Snow falling underneath can be easily monitored and harvested.
However, up to May 31, there has been no major production of Snow. In 2020, the major production did not happen until early October. The year 2021 is much more promising.
The new air cooler is excellent at adding water vapor to the air, and the humidity log for the past several days shows this. Earlier attempts with towels, sprays or mists had failed.
We are months ahead of last year’s skimpy production and, with care, will have a continual harvest of Bamboo Snow.
The Curing Room
Inoculated bamboo is moved from the hatchery into the curing room where the humidity and temperture are controlled so that there will be a never ending supply of hungry Dinoderus
The Hatchery
Sande Kemokai inspects existing bamboo to see if adult Dinoderus Minutus have started to turn the bamboo into precious Bamboo Snow wow more!