How can I bake an entire bag of cypress mulch?

[rich_19]

I want to bake an entire bag of cypress mulch (the bag I bought it in). Is there something I can do to prevent the bag from melting or just simply make things safer for when I'm baking it. This will kill all the bugs and their eggs right? How much should the temperature be and for how long?

[V.hb]

hmm you have the big bag right?
I would imagine just using cookie sheets coated in foil would be ok.. thats how i do any bark i buy.. never tried cypress before.

250 for an hour worked on any bark ive done, but be cautioned of how dangerous baking anything can be!!

[Stockwell]

Personally I don't pretreat any substrate material. I use bark and branches directly from the woods. With bark chips and Cyprus you will however get small flys. These aren't injurious to herps but can be annoying when they fill your herp room.
One good method with mulch is to simply micro wave it. That boils it from the inside out and works fast. You could do that will bark pieces too, if you wanted too. You just have to be careful of anything with large pores that may contain water, and this can cause "blow ups"
Putting mulch, peat, or bark chips in a plastic bad with some holes punched in it, will work well
Make sure it cools down fully before using it of course.
PS
Cyprus mulch has killed a few snakes of mine and I no longer use it. I don't recommend any substrate with long chards(like tooth pics) as susbstrate for herps, if the herps are to be fed on it. It will stick to food and they will ingest it eventually and it can and will cause impactions and death.