CATDOLL : CATDOLL: How the Golden Cicada Became

1. How did the golden cicada become

The larvae of golden silkworms were infested by a fungus in the soil. The fungus grew and the larvae died.

2. How are cicadas formed?

The larvae of cicadas live in the soil, sucking the sap from the roots of plants, weakening the tree, causing the branches to die, and affecting the growth of trees. The larvae of grasshopper cicadas live in the soil all their lives. When they are about to emerge, they drill out of the soil surface at dusk and at night, climb up the tree, and then hold on to the bark, molt and emerge. At the end of June, the larvae begin to emerge as adults, with a maximum lifespan of about 60 to 70 days. In late July, female adults begin to lay eggs, and the peak period of egg laying is in early and mid-August. Most of the eggs are laid on branches that are 4 to 5 mm thick. When female adults lay eggs, they first pierce the bark with an ovipositor, insert the ovipositor into the branch tissue, create a claw-shaped egg hole, and then lay eggs in the wood. There are 6 to 8 eggs in each egg-laying hole. There are as many as 90 cicada eggs on a branch. In areas where this insect is seriously infested, it is common to see dry branches and branches all over the tree by the end of autumn. The eggs laid will hatch in mid-June of the following year. After the larvae hatch, they fall from the branches to the ground and then burrow into the soil. The larvae live in the soil for several years and molt five times. When the spring is warm, the larvae move upward to suck the juice from the roots of plants. When autumn turns to winter, they go deep into the soil to avoid the cold. The bodies of young larvae are mostly white or yellow, very soft, and the forehead is significantly swollen. The bodies of old larvae are harder, yellow-brown, and the wing buds are very developed. There is a molting line from the top of the head to the center of the metathorax, which is the cracking line when the larvae emerge. When the upper body of the cicada is free, it hangs upside down to spread its wings. At this stage, the wings of the cicada are very soft, and they are spread through the body fluid tubes in them. The body fluid tubes are used to stretch the wings by the pressure of the liquid. When the liquid is pumped back into the cicada's body, the spread wings have become hard. If a cicada is disturbed during the process of spreading its wings, the cicada will be disabled for life and may not be able to fly at all.

3. How does the golden cicada grow?

Golden cicada is also known as grasshopper cicada, cicada turtle, cicada monkey, etc. The nymph of golden cicada (cicada turtle) has extremely high nutritional value and unique taste. The newly unearthed nymph contains the highest protein, which is a rare high-protein, low-fat game delicacy. According to the "Chinese Materia Medica", grasshopper cicada has the functions of clearing and strengthening yang, quenching thirst and promoting fluid, protecting lungs and kidneys, resisting baldness and inhibiting cancer. The cicada shell is rich in chitin, isoxanthopterin, erythropterin, adenosine triphosphatase, cough hoarseness, sore throat, urticaria itching, red eyes, tetanus, infantile epilepsy, crying at night, etc. Therefore, some people predict that cicada will become an important green health food in the future. Due to environmental destruction and tree felling, the living environment of grasshopper cicada nymphs has been severely damaged, and artificial indiscriminate capture has led to a serious depletion of nymph (cicada turtle) resources. In terms of demand, the demand in large cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou alone is more than 100 tons, and the market gap is quite large, and the market price is getting higher and higher. Artificial breeding of cicadas has a bright future. Artificial breeding of cicadas has the following advantages: (1) Wide range of resources. There are many poplars, fruit trees and other trees in rural areas, and the land resources are rich. (2) Cicada eggs can be purchased from professional breeding farms or collected by yourself. (3) The breeding time is shortened. The breeding time for indoor ponds and plastic greenhouses is 8-10 months, and the breeding time for eggs in the field is 1.5 years after natural breeding. (4) There is no need for feeding and management. Cicada eggs will suck the juice of tree roots when they are buried in the soil. (5) High efficiency. There are 2,000 eggs per square meter, and each egg costs 0.1-0.2 yuan. The income per square meter is 200-400 yuan. If the breeding does not affect the growth of crops on the ground, only 50 square meters of cultivation are needed per mu, and the income will be more than 10,000 yuan. (6) The product is popular. Restaurants, hotels, and refrigerated food factories will come to our door to order goods. Our center provides cicada eggs and frozen cicadas all year round. The purchase volume is large and the price is favorable.