CATDOLL : CATDOLL: How to breed earthworms?

How to breed earthworms?

Earthworms like to grow in dark, moist and soft soil, and like quiet environments without direct sunlight. They are usually nocturnal and come out from 6pm to 11pm to look for food, move around and mate. They have high medicinal value and are mainly used to set bones and tendons, promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis, reduce injuries and swelling, and relieve pain. Currently, exquisite foods made from earthworms have become popular in Europe and the United States.

There is no need for special conditions to breed earthworms, and the management is relatively extensive. They can be raised in ordinary idle houses, basements, balconies, and plastic greenhouses. Two groups of earthworm eggs can be raised in a house of 15 square meters. Its growth cycle is 8 months. Under normal circumstances, it can grow and develop above 20 degrees Celsius. The optimal temperature is 25 degrees Celsius to 35 degrees Celsius. It will enter hibernation below 13 degrees Celsius, and it will be frozen to death below 0 degrees Celsius. During the breeding process, the humidity of the space is 75% to 80%, and the humidity of the breeding soil is about 15%. Under normal circumstances, the breeding soil for larvae is slightly dry. As the worms grow up, the humidity gradually increases. As long as a certain temperature and humidity are reached, it can be raised all over the country. The staple food of earthworms is mainly wheat bran, supplemented with cornmeal, roughage, and various vegetables, leaves, fruit peels, etc. It can basically eat any feed that chickens eat. Watermelon peels in summer, pumpkins and carrots in winter are all its top feeds.

Earthworms mainly grow in built cement pools. The height between each layer of the pool is 40 cm. Glass strips or plastic strips should be attached to the edges to prevent escape. They can also be raised in plastic pots. It is best to keep them in plastic pots during the hatching period and before the fourth instar, so that they are easy to manage. The breeding soil used is mainly log sawdust, with 30% of soft humus soil and a small amount of sand, and it is sieved with a sieve with a pore size of 3-4 mm. The thickness of the breeding soil (including egg blocks) during hatching is 12-15 cm, and the thickness of the breeding soil for larvae is 5-6 cm. The thickness of the breeding soil for medium worms is 11 cm, and the thickness of the breeding soil for egg-laying worms is 15-17 cm. When feeding larvae, a feeding table can be used, and medium worms can be directly and evenly sprinkled on the surface of the breeding soil. Pay attention to the feeding amount, how much you eat, how much you feed, and there should be no residual food to prevent the generation of mites.

After 11-13 months of breeding, the egg-laying peak period has passed, and the weight of the female insects begins to decrease. They gradually die. At this time, you can choose a sunny day, use a sieve with an aperture of 8mm to sift out the earthworms, put them in boiling water to kill them, rinse them, and dry them in the sun for 3-5 days. If it is rainy, you should consider drying them. Its drying rate is about 40%.

There is no strict requirement for the number of fish to be raised, and it can be decided according to your own conditions. You only need to prepare the breeding soil and plastic pots. Each group of 7-8 plastic pots can be used for 3-4 months.

There are six major living habits that need to be mastered when raising earthworms:

First, they are non-social. Earthworms do not form families and will not kill each other just because they do not grow together. Under reasonable density conditions, earthworms of all ages can grow quietly and harmoniously.

Second, it is soil-dwelling. Earthworms like dark, moist, humus-rich, loose soil and do not like direct sunlight or cold climates. Third, it has incomplete metamorphosis. Earthworms go through three stages in their life: egg, nymph, and adult.

Fourth, they are omnivorous. Earthworms have a wide range of food, which can be divided into three types: refined, coarse, and green. Refined feed includes cakes, fish bone meal, meat, and animal waste; coarse feed includes wheat bran, corn, rice bran, etc.; green feed includes various vegetables, fruits, and edible plant leaves. Fifth, they are negatively phototropic. Earthworms are afraid of light and like to hide during the day and come out at night. They hide in the soil during the day and come out to forage and mate at night.

Sixth, temperature change. The growth of earthworms is greatly affected by temperature. In the wild, it takes one and a half to two years to complete a generation. When the temperature rises to 13 degrees Celsius in early April every year, they begin to emerge from the ground one after another, and the peak period of activity is from mid-May to late October. When the temperature drops below 15 degrees Celsius in late November, they enter a dormant state. Artificial breeding adopts temperature control and ripening to prevent them from dormancy, and with sufficient and reasonable food supply, a generation can be completed in 7-8 months.

What is it like to raise earthworms?

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Overview

Earthworm

Earth Turtle (6 photos)

Insects are wild insects. In the past, they were captured as a source of medicine. In recent years, due to the renovation of old houses, the wooden floors of oil houses and granaries have been replaced with asphalt and cement floors, and the elimination of the four pests and sanitation have been included in daily work, so the earthworm has lost its natural breeding place. Therefore, relying solely on catching naturally grown insects is far from meeting the needs of domestic medicine and export. In order to expand the source of medicine, many places in the country have carried out artificial breeding and achieved remarkable results. Artificially bred earthworms can reproduce in large quantities. Xinhua Agricultural Practice, which has been breeding earthworms for many years, has proved that artificial breeding of earthworms is a low-cost, high-profit, convenient management, simple equipment, wide range of food, strong reproduction, wide adaptability, and does not compete with grain and cotton for land, and does not compete with different crops for fertilizer. It is a sideline project that benefits both the country and oneself. It can be raised by collectives, families and individuals, and has great development prospects.

Breeding environment

The main artificially bred earthworm is the Chinese earthworm (Bupo1yphagasinensis Walker), which is mainly used for medicinal purposes and is distributed throughout the country. Artificial breeding of earthworms should be adapted to local conditions and be simple and make do with what is available. Depending on the scale of breeding, there are no restrictions on size and many forms. Breeding can be done in tanks, pits (ponds), pots, cabinets, boxes, etc.

The earthworm is an insect with incomplete metamorphosis. It has to go through three stages: egg, nymph and adult to complete one generation. It takes about one and a half to two years for a wild earthworm to complete one generation.

Bozhou Xiakang softshell turtle breeding environment

Half. In southern China, when the temperature rises above 10℃ in early and mid-April each year, they begin to emerge from the ground and move until mid-to-late November when the temperature drops below 10℃, and gradually bury themselves in the ground and stop moving to hibernate. Except for male adults, all other insect stages can hibernate. The egg-laying period of female insects is from early May to mid-November, with June to September as the peak period of egg-laying, and hatching begins in late June and early to mid-July. All eggs laid before mid-August can hatch in mid-November of the same year, while eggs laid from late August to before hibernation will not begin to hatch until late June or early July of the following year. The growth and development period of male nymphs is about 280 to 320 days, and that of female nymphs is about 500 days. The growth, development, egg-laying and reproduction speed of the Chinese softshell turtle are closely related to temperature, humidity, food, etc. The suitable temperature for its activities is between 15 and 35 degrees Celsius, and the most suitable temperature is 25 to 35 degrees Celsius. If it is lower than 0 degrees Celsius or higher than 38 degrees Celsius, it will cause a large number of adults and nymphs to die. The suitable relative humidity is 50 to 80%.

Physiological activities

Female insects can lay eggs one after another after mating once. Although they can lay eggs without mating, they cannot hatch. Female insects lay eggs about 7 days after mating, and then every 4 to 6 days. A female insect can lay 30 to 40 eggs in its lifetime. When the temperature is 26℃, the eggs need to hatch for two months, and when the temperature is 30 to 35℃, they can hatch in about a month. The newly hatched nymphs are white and look like bedbugs. They shed their skin for the first time after 8 to 12 days. When molting, they do not eat or move, and appear to be in a state of suspended animation. After 1 to 2 days, they resume activities and shed their skin every 25 days or so. Generally, male insects shed their skin 7 to 9 times in their lifetime, and female insects shed their skin 9 to 11 times in their lifetime, and grow into adults.

The ground beetle lives in the damp loose soil, is afraid of sunlight, and is commonly found in the moist, warm and humus-rich sweet potato cellars, kilns, stove feet,

Physiological activities of Chinese turtle

They lurk in the loose soil at the foot of warehouses and walls, on the pines near firewood piles, pig pens, cowsheds and stables during the day and come out at night to move around, forage or mate. The difference between male and female insects is that the second and third arcs of the three horizontal lines on the back of the chest are crescent-shaped, with an arc angle of about 700 for female insects and about 400 for male insects; there are four horizontal lines on the abdomen for female insects and six for male insects; there is a horizontal line connecting the tail filaments at the end of the abdomen for male insects, and the horizontal line is far from the tail filaments for female insects; when crawling, the six legs of male insects stand up and the posture is higher, while the six legs of female insects lie on the ground and the posture is lower. During the breeding process, it is necessary to identify male and female nymphs based on the above characteristics to facilitate the matching, mating and killing of male and female adults.

Capture method

One is to catch wild ones, and the other is to introduce them from other breeders.

Eupolyphaga sinensis

1) Artificial capture: At night, gently remove the accumulated materials where the earthworm lives or slowly dig up the loose soil where it often hides. When the earthworm is found, it can be captured by hand or in a wide-mouth bottle. If there is an egg case, it should also be collected together.

2) Bait trapping: Put fried and fragrant rice bran or bean cake crumbs as bait in a large-mouthed earthenware jar or other plain-walled container, bury the jar in places where earth beetles often appear. The mouth of the jar should be level with the ground, and a few pieces of rice straw or wheat straw can be placed on it. When the earth beetles come out to feed in the evening, they will smell the fragrance and crawl into the jar and will not be able to crawl out. Then you can take out the jar and capture the insects.

Introduction method

Earthworm breeding is a part of the breeding industry. Like other breeding and planting industries, certain principles must be followed to ensure the success of earthworm breeding and minimize economic losses. Referring to the experience of Hunan Yinong's large-scale hybrid earthworm breeding base, earthworm breeding must follow the following principles:

1. Regional principle The more advanced method of earthworm breeding is the three-dimensional constant temperature breeding method. This method has high economic benefits for earthworm breeding, but this is only for large-scale breeders. For customers who are just starting to breed earthworms, there is no three-dimensional constant temperature breeding if the earthworms are not yet there or are very small, so it is worth paying attention when introducing species.

When introducing species from the north to the south, the temperature in the north is low, so earthworms and their seeds stay in the greenhouse for a long time. However, the temperature in the south is higher, so the earthworms introduced from the north stay in the natural environment in the south longer than in the north. This requires an adaptation process, just like a plant that grows well in a greenhouse needs a period of adaptation when it is transplanted to the natural environment. Therefore, when introducing earthworms from the north to the south, the regional span cannot be too large. Generally, it can be divided into four regions: south of the Yangtze River, north of the Yangtze River to south of the Yellow River, north of the Yellow River, and West China.

The earthworms in the south grow in the natural environment for a much longer time than those in the north and have stronger adaptability. Therefore, there is no regionality when introducing them from the south to the north. It is like transplanting plants from the natural environment to a greenhouse. The plants can grow equally well.

2. Market principles When introducing earthworms, there is a big difference between the price and quality in the market. Some earthworm beginners actively introduce earthworms when they see low prices, thinking that this can not only breed more earthworms but also save money, but it should be noted that seed quality is the key. Some farmers also think that seeds with high prices and high recycling prices are good seeds, but we must pay attention to market principles. The market price of earthworms is more accurate when it is checked in the medicinal material market. Why are some recycling prices much higher than the market? This issue deserves the attention of beginners.

Therefore, when introducing earthworms, in addition to following the two principles of region and market, you also need to find down-to-earth large-scale earthworm breeders to introduce the species, which is the key to your breeding success.

Feeding method

To convert the wild earthworm into artificially bred one, it is necessary to arrange a set of breeding equipment and management techniques that are suitable for its biological characteristics in order to keep the insects alive and well. At the same time, through breeding practice and continuous improvement, the artificially bred earthworm can gradually achieve stable and high yields.

Feeding soil

The equipment needed to raise ground beetles should be adapted to local conditions and be simple and make do with what is available. Different equipment should be set up according to the number of insects to be raised and the conditions available. Some people build special houses and pits, some use empty houses and corners of walls to build pools (pits), and some raise them in tanks or cabinets. There are various sizes and forms. In general, they can be divided into four types.

1) Breeding tank: It is a kind of breeding equipment for small-scale breeding of earthworms. It is an ordinary tank commonly used in households. It can be large or small. Cracked tanks can also be used as long as they are repaired with lime or cement. The inner wall of the tank should be smooth to prevent the earthworms from crawling out. Generally, a tank with a diameter of 60cm and a height of 45cm is suitable. For the first time breeding, because the number is small, it is generally suitable to use a tank for breeding.

2) Breeding pit (pond): Generally built in the corner of the wall of the house, not occupying the main site, the pit can be large or small, one square foot, two square feet, three square feet, the longest can be 10 to 15 feet or longer, 2 feet wide, and the pit is divided into grids. Regardless of the size of the pit, the depth is about 0.8 feet. The bottom of the pit must be rammed flat and solid. The surroundings of the pit are built with bricks, 1 foot above the ground, and the total height is 1.8 feet. The inside and outside of the pit are brushed with lime or cement, and it is required to be flat and smooth, and the pit surface must be covered.

3) Underground tunnel: Underground tunnel is a way to solve the problem of breeding site. That is, use the underground of the house to dig a 0.8-foot-deep tunnel. The bottom of the pit should also be tamped and solid. The surrounding area should be built with bricks. The inner wall should be smooth. The length can be determined according to the needs or the size of the house, and the width can be determined according to the width of the installed cover. Every other fixed cover, make a 1-foot wide movable floor for feeding and inspection. The underground tunnel can also be divided into compartments for breeding. Take away the movable board before going to bed every night to let the earthworms come in and out freely. Such an underground tunnel can still be walked on during the day. In order to prevent predators such as rats and ants, the large and small holes in the door gaps around the house should be tightly blocked.

4) Feeding cabinet: Like a multi-layer rabbit cage, it is a three-dimensional multi-layer (2 to 6 layers, etc.) shape that resembles a cabinet, so it is called a feeding cabinet. This is the best way to make full use of the indoor space area, carry out large-scale breeding, and solve the problem of breeding site difficulties. Build a multi-layer feeding cabinet near the wall indoors. Except for one side near the wall, the other three sides or the bottom of each layer can be built into a rectangle with thin cement board or bricks. The plane area is 3 to 10 square feet, and it can be built into 4 to 8 layers. Each layer is 6 to 8 inches high. Each layer can also be divided into several small grids, and each grid should have a movable door for feeding and ventilation.

Breeding practice has proved that the average temperature of the multi-layer breeding cabinet is higher than that of the breeding pit, so the food intake of the earthworm is significantly increased, and the growth and development is also significantly accelerated. Therefore, the time required for the earthworm to complete a generation from egg to nymph to adult in the multi-layer breeding cabinet can be greatly shortened compared with that in ordinary pits, and the annual output is also significantly increased.

5) Bee and turtle joint breeding device: In the process of breeding earthworms, if the appropriate temperature and humidity can be controlled, the reproduction can be accelerated and the yield can be increased. To this end, according to the requirements that the optimum temperature for breeding earthworms is 25-35℃ and the relative humidity is 70%, the normal temperature (34-35℃) and relative humidity of about 80% in the beehive can be used to prepare a turtle breeding device and carry out joint breeding in the beehive. There are bottle-type incubators, frame-type breeding devices, and super-box-type breeding devices.

Bottle incubator: Use a wide-mouth bottle with a height of 23 cm and a mouth diameter of 16 cm (size is based on

Gold-edged beetle

The bottle cap is mainly used for egg sheath hatching. A layer of loose soil with appropriate humidity is placed at the bottom of the bottle. The unhatched egg sheaths picked out from the breeding pool are placed in the bottle and mixed with the loose soil. A small amount of feed is added to the soil surface. Check once a week to observe the hatching situation, take out the hatched nymphs and place them in a separate feeding device for breeding.

Frame feeder: Made of thin wood, the shape is the same as the frame feeder for raising bees. It is generally 24cm high, 48cm long and 16cm wide. In order to prevent the beetles from crawling out, a wire mesh cover can be added. It is mainly used for female turtles to lay eggs. Take the female turtles out of the breeding pool together with the breeding soil, put them into the feeder, and add appropriate amount of feed. The feeder should be separated from the beehive by a partition. Check it twice a week to observe the egg-laying situation, and add feed and water to encourage the female turtles to lay eggs.

Super-type feeder: It can be modified from a beekeeping super, 46.5cm long, 38cm wide, 58cm high, or a nest box. A thin wooden board should be nailed to the bottom of the super (it is best to use a metal plate that is easy to transfer heat and then cover it with a bamboo curtain). It is mainly used to raise nymphs, and can also be used to raise female turtles and egg sheaths. The super has a large capacity and is easy to manage. It can be used for large-scale breeding, but it must be used when the beehive is full and during the first honey flow period in early spring, when the outside temperature rises. For large-scale breeding, the super can be increased to expand the capacity.

The practice of joint breeding of bees and turtles has proved that there must be at least 5 frames of bees in a beehive to achieve the purpose of joint breeding and warming. In this way, the reproductive period of the earthworm can be shortened, that is, the completion of a generation can be shortened from the original three years to about two years, and the start of egg-laying can be advanced from the original May and June to March and April. The survival rate is significantly improved, the reproduction rate is much higher than that in the natural environment, the development speed is also greatly accelerated, and it has no adverse effects on the reproduction and production of bees.

6) Feeding soil: The quality of the feeding soil directly affects the adult of the earthworm, and is also closely related to its growth and development. If the feeding soil is not suitable, the insects may get sick or attract enemies such as mites. Therefore, when choosing what kind of soil to use for feeding, what season to use it, and how high the soil temperature should be, these are all basic conditions that must be considered. Generally, it is best to choose moist, soft, fertile soil with more humus as the feeding soil, such as garden soil, etc. This kind of soil is convenient for the earthworm to drill into the soil and drill out of the soil surface to feed. Local areas can also choose according to the specific local soil conditions. Some provinces such as Shandong and Jiangsu use sandy soil or yellow clay as feeding soil. Strongly sticky soil is easy to clump, which reduces the ambush range of the earthworm. At the same time, it will stick to the insect body, affecting crawling and development, so it is not suitable for use. Generally, it is better to take soil in winter, when there are fewer diseases, insects, and miscellaneous bacteria in the soil, which can reduce the damage to the earthworm. When taking soil, you can first turn over and break the soil layer, expose it to the sun for disinfection, and then use a sieve with a mesh size of 0.08×0.08 inches to sieve it.

Natural enemies of the earthworm

Remove clods and debris. The humidity of the breeding soil is generally 15-20%, and the moisture content in the soil is generally suitable. It should be determined by the hand that it cannot form a ball. At the same time, the humidity of the soil should also be different according to the solar terms, insect types, and equipment. Generally, it is slightly dry in winter and the rainy season, slightly moist in summer and autumn, slightly dry for small insects, slightly moist for large insects, slightly dry for breeding pits, slightly moist for the upper compartments of breeding tanks and breeding cabinets, and slightly dry for the mud that stores egg sheaths. When the breeding soil is found to be too wet or too dry, pay attention to find out the reasons and adjust it in time. When it is too dry, you can spray a small amount of water in the breeding soil or increase the amount of green feed. If it is too wet, you can open the window for ventilation and moisture dissipation or reduce the amount of green feed, etc. These are effective measures to adjust the humidity of the breeding soil. The thickness of the breeding soil is closely related to the age of the insects and the number of insects. Insects above the 9th instar, including adults, can drill to a depth of 30 cm. Nymphs are active at a depth of about 6 cm. The thickness of the breeding soil should be thicker if the number of insects is large, otherwise it should be slightly thinner.

In order to make the breeding soil loose and fertile, you can also add an appropriate amount of rice husks, fire ash, sawdust or fermented horse and cow dung, as well as bean shells, river mud, etc. But be careful not to use sewer mud or soil that has been applied with ammonia, pesticides, or alkaline soil for breeding.

7) Feed: Since the Chinese ground beetle is an omnivorous insect, there are many types of feed, which can be divided into three categories:

Concentrated feed: mainly the leftovers from grain and oil processing, such as wheat bran, rice bran, sesame cake, bean cake, cottonseed cake, and tofu dregs.

Powder residue (dried) etc. can generally be fed raw. They are more edible after being fried and fragrant, but do not fry them until they are burnt.

Green fodder: mainly fruits, vegetables, leaves, grass roots, etc., such as the skin and flesh of cucumber, winter melon and pumpkin, fruit branches and peels of pear, persimmon, peach, plum, orange, etc., sweet potato, sesame, castor, broad bean, pea, astragalus, cotton, green vegetables, cabbage, wild rice stem, lettuce, amaranth, cabbage leaves, as well as leaves of mulberry, poplar, willow, paulownia, fig, etc. can be fed, but care must be taken to keep them fresh and clean.

Animal feed: such as leftovers from pigs, cattle, sheep, chickens, ducks, geese, rabbits, fish, etc. from canteens and homes, which are generally fed cooked food.

Like other insects, the earthworm is a cold-blooded animal. Its growth, development, reproduction and other life activities are greatly affected by the external environment, especially temperature and humidity. In summer, the temperature is high, water evaporates easily, and the breeding soil is easy to dry. Once the temperature exceeds 35℃ or it is rainy, the temperature is high, and the humidity is high, special attention should be paid to cooling and ventilation. The windows should be opened in time to allow air circulation. If the breeding soil is dry, some water can be sprayed. In order to cool down, some ice cubes can be placed indoors if conditions permit, and more green fodder can be fed appropriately. Otherwise, the high temperature will cause a large number of earthworms to die. In winter, when the insects hibernate, attention should be paid to heat preservation. The temperature should not be lower than 0℃, otherwise the insects will freeze to death and the eggs will be frozen. The heat preservation method can be adapted to local conditions. For example, the doors and windows can be closed tightly, and it is best to hang straw curtains. The breeding pits and tanks should be covered (but there should be ventilation holes). Some wheat bran, grass clippings or about 20cm thick ash soil can be added to the surface of the breeding soil.

How many insects can be raised in a unit area of ​​breeding soil? This is a practical problem that needs to be solved in production practice. Earth beetles like to live in groups in the soil, so the breeding density can generally be larger. However, if the environmental conditions are unfavorable, the earth beetles will kill each other or eat the egg sheaths, so the density should not be too high.

Feeding should be done in a proper way, at a proper time and in a proper amount according to the age, season and development stage of the insects.

Earthworm

Generally, they look for food in the surface layer of the breeding soil, and the method of scattering feed can be adopted. Because the insects are mostly concentrated on the edge of the pit, more should be scattered around the pit and five fingers should be inserted into the soil for 2-3 cm to dig the soil several times to mix the feed into the surface layer of the soil. The first-instar nymphs are not yet able to eat green feed, so green feed can be added after the second instar. Nymphs above the fifth instar all come out of the soil to look for food, so a layer of rice husk can be sprinkled on the surface of the breeding soil, and a few pieces of plastic cloth or wooden boards can be laid on the rice husk as a food board, and the fine feed can be sprinkled on it. In this way, the earthworms come out to look for food, and there is no mud on the insect body when passing through the rice husk, which can keep the feed clean and avoid waste. Every 3-4 days, brush the plastic cloth once, which is good for the insect body. In the months with low temperature, you can feed once every other day. In the months with high temperature, feed twice a day, feed green feed in the morning and feed fine feed in the evening, keep the food fresh, and do not feed moldy feed. The insects' food intake decreases significantly before and after molting, and they stop eating completely during molting. At this time, feed less concentrated feed or no feed, and resume normal feeding after a large number of insect skins are found on the surface of the breeding soil.

The earthworm will eat the egg sheaths when it is hungry or in an unfavorable environment. To avoid this loss, the egg sheaths should be taken out in time and placed in a hatching pool or hatching tank for hatching. In the south, the first egg collection can be done in early May every year. The number of egg collections should not be too many, otherwise it will be detrimental to the development of the breeding insects. Conversely, the interval time should not be too long. First, as time goes by, the number of egg sheaths eaten will increase. Second, when the temperature rises to 30-35℃, the egg sheaths can hatch in about 30 days, so the time should not exceed 1 month.

In the rearing earthworms, males generally account for about 30% of the total. Experiments have shown that in female

Earthworm

Among the insects, 5% of the healthy males are sufficient to meet the needs of mating. Therefore, emasculation measures should be taken, that is, when the nymphs develop to 7 to 8 years old, the excess males can be removed and processed into medicine.

When raising ground beetles in groups, under normal conditions, the development of nymphs hatched at the same time to the adult stage will be very different. In order to make the insects develop normally and avoid unevenness, they can be raised in grades when they reach a certain stage. According to the age of the insects, they can be divided into ① 1-6 instar nymphs; ② 7-8 instar nymphs; ③ 9-10 instar nymphs; ④ adults. They can also be divided according to the size of the insects: ① sesame type, which refers to nymphs that develop for 1 to 2 months and are as small as sesame seeds; ② soybean type, which refers to nymphs that are 3 to 4 months old and are as big as soybeans; ③ broad bean type, which refers to nymphs that are 5 to 6 months old and are as big as broad beans; ④ thumb type, that is, adults, are as big as thumbs. Different breeding pits are set up according to different types (or ages). After such graded processing, the insect batches are clearer and develop more neatly, which is convenient for breeding and management.

In order to shorten the feeding period of Scolopendra subspinipes and increase the yield, some people have explored the use of molting hormone or juvenile hormone, and have achieved initial results. For Scolopendra subspinipes with a body length of 1.5 to 2.0 cm, an average of 1 μg of molting hormone per gram was fed, and the maturation period of male worms was shortened by 12.5% ​​and 19% respectively; if the above two hormones are used as ripening agents for nymphs over 4 years old, a generation can be completed in 14 months. The application of hormones is still in the exploratory stage. How to correctly grasp the dosage and timing of hormones, whether hormones remain in the body of the worms, and whether there are adverse effects on patients taking the medicine still need further research.

In some places, indoor heating is used to stop the dormancy of earthworms in winter, which can also promote their growth and development, but some people reflect that their physical fitness is weaker than that of normal dormancy and they are more susceptible to diseases. In short, there are many issues that need further research and discussion in the process of artificially raising earthworms.

The range of activity of the Chinese ground beetle is not large, but it has many natural enemies, including rats, ants, cockroaches, chickens, ducks, toads, frogs, flour mites, spiders, woodlice, etc. Among them, rats are the most harmful, followed by chickens, ducks, ants and flour mites. Prevention and control must be paid attention to during the breeding process.

Mice can climb high and dig holes, and they can get into any hole. They not only eat the ground beetles on the soil surface, but also eat the insects and a large number of egg cases within a foot of the soil. In winter, when other food is relatively scarce, they will dig holes into the pit to find food. In order to prevent and control rodents, when building a pond for breeding ground beetles, the bottom of the pond should be compacted with cement, the ground should be covered, and it should be checked frequently. Especially at night, if mice and rat holes are found, they should be caught and blocked in time, or they can be killed with rat-catching tools.

Ants can climb high and dig holes. As long as there is a small hole, they can crawl into the pit to cause harm. The ground beetle itself has a very strong stench, and the smell of dead insects is even stronger. The pit is often filled with dead male insects or is fed with animal food, which is easy to cause harm by ants. When the ground beetle has just shed its skin and turned into a white and tender nymph, it crawls slowly. If this nymph is discovered by ants, thousands of sesame-shaped nymphs in a hatching tank will all be dragged away within a few hours. Ants not only invade the ground beetle but also compete with the ground beetle for food. To prevent ants from drilling into the pond, some pesticides such as 6% wettable hexachlorocyclohexane powder or 5% chlordane powder can be sprinkled around the pond (tank). Ants found in the pit should be eliminated immediately. Meat residues can be used as bait to lure and kill them or they can be killed manually. If an ant nest has been built in the pit, it will be more troublesome, so it must be eliminated as soon as possible.

Mites are an important natural enemy of the earthworm. They are easily found in rice bran and wheat bran in summer and autumn, which can cause the feed to mold and deteriorate. The mites in the earthworm breeding tanks and pits are generally introduced by rice bran and other food. It may also be caused by the breeding soil not being disinfected or not being disinfected strictly.

Earthworm

The mites are brought in and spread. They reproduce quickly and in large numbers, which is very harmful to the ground beetle. Generally, mites parasitize on the back, abdomen, and leg roots of the ground beetle, which hinders the growth and development of the ground beetle, making the worm gradually weak, reducing the reproduction rate and often causing large-scale deaths. Polluting food and the environment causes the ground beetle to become weak, sick, and die. The principle of prevention is more important than treatment for the prevention and control of mite damage. Pay attention to checking the feed, and do not bring mites into the pond with the feed. Bran and bran can be fried before being used as feed. Feed in a quantitative manner and remove the remaining feed residues in time. The corpses of the ground beetle, the empty egg shells, etc. are the breeding places or parasites of mites. Strictly control the temperature and humidity in summer and the rainy season to eliminate mite damage. Carefully check the breeding soil, and be careful to avoid bringing mites into the pond with the breeding soil. Sun-dry the breeding soil before use. If mites have been found to have invaded the breeding pond, you can take advantage of the habit of the earthworms to hide during the day and come out at night. During the day, put some fried wheat bran, bean powder and other things on the food board to lure the mites. Take out the food board in the evening and treat it. After a few days of continuous luring, the damage can be reduced. When the damage of mites is serious, the breeding soil should be completely replaced. Sieve out the earthworms and pour them into dry fine sand and let them crawl for half an hour to wipe off the mites parasitic on the insect body. At the same time, roast the pit wall with fire once, which can completely eliminate the mites.

Spiders have a strong reproductive capacity. If they are not eliminated in time, spider webs will be seen everywhere in the corners of the breeding room. These spider webs are very harmful to the earthworm, especially to the winged male adults, who are often stuck in the spider webs and eaten by spiders, which also hinders management operations. The spiders can be swept down and trampled to death by manual cleaning. In addition, 25% chlordimeform 300 times solution can be sprayed twice a month to basically eliminate them all. Spraying should be done in the morning. All leftover food should be removed before spraying. However, spraying on the insect body has no effect on the earthworm.

The Chinese ground beetle generally does not have serious diseases, but if it is not managed properly or in the rainy season when the temperature is high, the humidity is high, and the insect population is high, it is easy to be infected with mildew, which can cause a large number of deaths in severe cases. When infected with mildew, the insect body surface is dull, the abdomen is dark green, the movement is sluggish, the body is thin and shrunken, and it does not come out to forage at night. Sometimes it crawls out of the pond and dies during the day, and some die in the soil. The cause of the disease is not very clear, and some people think it is caused by fungal infection.

When raising ground beetles, we should always do a good job of preventing diseases. When the temperature and humidity are too high, we should ventilate and cool down to remove moisture, keep the feed fresh, remove feed residues, insect shells and other objects frequently, keep the pool clean, and add a small amount of yeast tablets, oxytetracycline powder and other things to the feed to feed the insects, which can help digestion and promote the healthy growth of ground beetles to enhance their ability to resist diseases. In addition to the above diseases, sometimes the insect body shows symptoms such as swollen and shiny abdomen; green and yellow, loose feces, etc., some people call it big belly disease, sometimes the insect body is wet and sticky with mud, the edge of the abdomen is black, and the feces are watery and sauce-colored. These all endanger the normal growth and development of ground beetles. The cause is still unclear, but it is generally believed that it is caused by inappropriate feeding, too dense insect population, inappropriate temperature and humidity, and may also be caused by the invasion of pathogens. These are not very clear, and need to be further studied and solved in future breeding practices.

Pest Control

1. Green mold

It mainly occurs during the rainy season. When the diseased earthworm (earthworm) is infected, its abdomen becomes dark green with spots, its body becomes soft, its appetite decreases, and it soon crawls out of the mud and dies. Once the disease is discovered, the infected insects should be isolated and raised, replaced with drier pit mud to reduce the density. At the same time, spray the insects with 0.5% formalin solution; you can also mix 0.25 grams of erythromycin with 0.25 kilograms of wheat bran and feed them 2 to 3 times in a row until they are cured.

2. Egg mass aspergillosis

Due to the high temperature and high humidity in the tank (bowl), Aspergillus multiplies in large quantities, causing the death of eggs and nymphs. The prevention and control method is: keep the pit soil dry, with the humidity not exceeding 20%, collect the egg masses every 10 days, mix 1 part of 3% bleaching powder with 9 parts of lime powder, and sprinkle it on the egg masses for disinfection. After the worms emerge, screen out the larvae every 3 days and put them in the larval tank for breeding. No food is given during the incubation period.

3. Mite control

Mites are one of the biggest natural enemies of insects. They reproduce quickly and are only as big as a needle tip. They parasitize various parts of the earthworm's body and also the surface of the breeding soil. They mainly eat feed such as wheat flour and also eat sick and weak earthworms. They are more harmful to larvae. The large-scale production of mites is mainly caused by excessive feeding, long-term food leftovers, too wet breeding soil, and too low temperature.

Here are some ways to get rid of mites:

1. Scrape out the topsoil containing mites and sift it through a window screen.

2. Soak the muffins and make them into small balls with a diameter of 1 to 2 cm. Place them on the surface of the breeding soil at 3 to 5 points per square meter during the day. The mites will flock to them to eat. After 1 to 2 hours, remove the muffins and the mites. [4]

3. Combine the above methods and do not feed for 1 to 2 days. The mites will starve to death, but the earthworms will not be affected in their growth. Adjust the humidity of the breeding soil.

Ant damage is the harm caused by ants. Ants belong to the phylum Arthropoda; class Insecta, order Hymenoptera. They are small insects that live in groups and are omnivorous.

Hazards: The main reason why ants enter the breeding pond is the special odor of the corpses of the ground beetles in the breeding pond and the fragrance of the feed. As soon as the ants smell this odor and fragrance, they will inform each other and cause a large number of ants to enter the breeding pond. When the ants enter the breeding pond, they will first bite the ground beetles, inject venom to anesthetize the ground beetles, and then drag away the anesthetized ground beetles, or swallow the anesthetized ground beetles on the spot. Therefore, once the ants act collectively and enter the breeding pond, they will cause great losses and must be dealt with seriously.

Prevention and control of ant damage in earthworm breeding: follow the ant's crawling line, find the ant's nest, and then pour boiling water or soapy water or 666 powder into the hole to kill it. You can also sprinkle quicklime around the breeding pool to prevent ants from invading.

In addition, according to the habit of ants to eat sweet and meat, you can apply sugar solution on the feed plate, place meat, lure ants, and then kill them. This is also a good way to kill ants.

If there are a large number of ants in the breeding soil, or if they cannot be removed, the breeding soil should be replaced to completely remove the ants.

Harvesting and processing

Timely harvesting and processing are the final steps to increase the yield per unit area. The harvesting targets are three types: old male nymphs, female nymphs and female adults. The harvesting time can be carried out according to the development and growth characteristics of the earthworm. Male nymphs can be harvested in combination with emasculation, and female nymphs are the main targets for harvesting.

Earthworm

During the growth and development process of the earthworm, the weight gain is the highest between 8 and 10 years old. At this stage, the worm body is full and the dry rate is 38-41%, while the dry rate of male and female nymphs is only 30-33%. Therefore, during this period, when the stocking density reaches a certain number, in addition to leaving enough worms for laying eggs, they should be harvested in large quantities. The female worms can be harvested twice. Before mid-August, because the egg sheaths laid can hatch in the same year, we should try our best to increase the number of eggs, so it is not suitable to harvest in batches. For female adults that have passed the peak egg-laying period, the worm body begins to age and can be selected in combination with egg collection. After mid-August and before hibernation, all female adults that have laid eggs in the previous year should be harvested in the order of egg-laying batches to avoid large-scale death due to old age and weakness during the hibernation.

Processing generally uses two methods: sun drying and oven drying. The sun drying method is relatively simple. The harvested insects are scalded to death with boiling water, washed, and exposed to the sun for 3 to 4 days until the body is dry and free of impurities. The oven drying method is to put the washed insects in an oven to dry or put them in a pot and stir-fry them over low heat. The temperature is controlled at about 50°C. When the toes of the insects are slightly sticky to the spatula, the fire is stopped. Put the insects in a wire mesh slightly larger than the pot, remove the frying pan, put the mesh on the stove, and use the residual heat in the stove to dry the insects. The commercial earthworms are ready. Due to the different collection seasons, insect ages, and the degree of strength and thinness, the fresh-to-dry conversion rate has certain differences. According to the measurement and statistics, the largest female adult weighs 0.5kg for 140; 1,400 dried male adults weigh 0.5kg. The fresh-to-dry conversion rate of earthworms is the largest female insect 37%, young female insects 38%, old female insects 41%, and 8-year-old male nymphs 38%.

Collection method

(1) Observation and search. First, find the place where the ground beetle often appears, and carefully observe the ground to see if there are footprints left by nighttime activities, traces of abdomen or egg sheath dragged on the ground, excrement, and food residues left by foraging. Search dead branches and leaves, loose soil under stones, or dark and humid caves.

Earthworm

Through searching, egg cases and adults can be found.

(2) Baiting. Bury cans or earthenware jars filled with fried boiled bean curd or bean cakes in places where the beetles often move. The mouths of the cans or jars should be parallel to the ground and covered with a few strands of rice or wheat straw. When the beetles are foraging at night, they will smell the aroma and fall into the cans and cannot escape.

(3) Sexual trapping. The female adult insects are placed in a sand cage with good ventilation. The female insects continuously release smelly sex hormones. When the male insects sense the sexual signals, they will come to meet the female insects, drill into the cage that can only enter but not exit, and be captured.

Identify the eggs

Su Zhiyong told me based on his ten years of experience in earthworm breeding:

(1) The egg sheath of the good quality earthworm is brown or tan in color, without any deformity, large and full, shiny with slight engravings on the surface, and is elastic when pinched by hand. The eggs inside the sheath can be clearly seen when viewed in the sun or under a lamp. White milky pulp can be seen when crushed.

(2) Low-quality earthworm eggs have a shriveled or moldy surface, and the eggs are rigid and cannot hatch. When crushed, no white milk can be seen, and the eggs are completely shriveled. Eggs with a yellow-green surface are all low-quality eggs. [5]

Earthworms are omnivorous insects. Vegetable leaves, melon peels, forage grass, bran, corn flour, etc. are all ideal feeds for them. The feed raw materials are widely available and the breeding cost is low. The Minquan County Special Animal and Plant Breeding Experimental Field in Henan Province, which has been committed to the research and development of earthworms, has worked hard for several years and has explored a new technology for raising earthworms using a large amount of abandoned crop straw such as wheat straw, corn straw, and rice straw. This has become a major breakthrough in China's earthworm breeding technology. The use of this technology not only reduces the cost of earthworm breeding by more than 70%, and increases the breeding efficiency by multiples, but also turns a large amount of idle crop straw in rural areas into treasure, doubling its value.

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Speaking of the recent hype Tuyuan. I have specially searched for some relevant information based on my major

I don't think it's that optimistic.

First of all, your variety may not be able to feed.

Secondly, even if your breed is cultivated and survived, it may not be an important need to reach the breed, and you still have a great risk of being cheated.

But there are undeniable success cases, but there are many sacrifices in this thing

Then maybe I can't even take back what the company has been talking about. Don't believe it.

I just want you to invest. If you really make money, it will be your turn. I guess you will be contracted by the rich.

Tuyuan likes to live in soft and humid soil. It is best to prepare the soil with 70% odorless poplar, willow, and tung trees saw foam, 28% fertile soil with more humus in the vegetable fields (or old wall soil), and 2% vegetation ash or cow dung. Mix through No. 4 sieve, spray water with wet and pile up and ferment for 10 days, and the longer the better. Spray 0.2% salt water, and the humidity is clumped into a ball by hand, which can be dissipated when falling. Put it in the pool with a thickness of 15cm.

Grasp the stocking density: During different age periods, you must master the appropriate density. If the stocking density is too large, the growth and development are not uniform, and it is too small, it is easy to cause soil solidification. The optimal density is 200,000 larvae/square meter, when mung beans are large, 120,000 ml/square meter, when broad beans are large, 25,000-30,000 ml/square meter, adults are no more than 10,000 ml/square meter, and egg-laying insects are up to 4,000 ml/square meter.

The feeding should be comprehensive: Tuyuan is an omnivorous insect. It likes to eat fresh foods in the diet. It likes to eat bran and rice bran, followed by corn flour, crushed grains, peanut cakes, soybean meal, fish, meat, and various grass and vegetable leaves, melon and fruit peels, chicken, cow dung and other crude materials. If you feed them with feeding them with grass, grow slowly, the full price of 72% wheat bran, corn flour 20%, bean cake 5%, and animal feed 3% (cooked feed). When feeding, use boiling water to add 30%-40% vegetables or melons. If you keep them with full price of feed for 5-6 months, individuals can grow into adults.

Feeding timely: Tuyuan is an insect that is hiding from the daytime and is active after 2 hours in the evening every day. The feeding should be fed at dusk every day. The essence is eaten that day, and the green material is slightly left. The second is to remove the material. Clean the material once every 3 days. Do not pour the remaining material into the pond to prevent mites.

Controlling temperature and humidity: The humidity of soil element in each instar period is not much different. It is better to dry slightly during the nymph period, but it cannot be lower than 40%. It is better to wetter during the adult period, but it cannot be higher than 90%. Humidity is an important condition for soil element growth. It will freeze and die above 45℃. Water can be sprayed on the surface when heatstroke or humidity increase, but it cannot be too wet. When the humidity is high, you should pay attention to ventilation. In winter, the soil thickness should be appropriately increased, and a furnace should be produced in the middle of the feeding room, but smoke must be discharged outside. The three-dimensional breeding temperature of a single room can reach about 30℃. The soil element growth is normal, and the yield is the same as in summer.

Timely sieve insects: When the temperature is suitable and the feed is sufficient, the soil and the soil will grow in 5 and a half months, and should be screened out in time and sold.

Four notes on Tuyuan breeding:

1. Raising facilities:

According to their own conditions, a breeding pool can be built indoors or greenhouses. The size of the breeding pool can be built.

, depending on the amount of breeding, the feeding pond is built with bricks and a 4.5-cm plastic strip is sealed around it. The bottom of the pond is treated with cement to prevent escape. The soil element can also be raised by plastic boxes or plastic basins. The basins and boxes are laid out layer by layer for three-dimensional breeding to make full use of the indoor space and increase yield.

two,

Living habits:

Tuyuan is an omnivorous insect that likes to live in dark, humid, rich, loose and fertile soil. It is mostly for activities, foraging and mating at night, and is afraid of direct sunlight.

three,

Temperature requirements:

Artificial aquaculture soil element must be kept constant temperature and three-dimensional. The suitable temperature is 17℃-38℃, and the optimal temperature is between 23℃-32℃. At such a temperature, the soil element can grow and lay eggs in all seasons, and it takes 7-8 months to raise it from larvae to adults. The shortest time is 6 months. Two batches of adults can be produced in a breeding room every year.

4. Feeding technology:

Whether the feeding equipment is a pool or a box, loose and fertile feeding land must be laid at the bottom, with a thickness of 5-15 cm. The thickness of the feeding soil depends on the size of the insect age. The smaller the insect age, the thinner the soil layer. The water content of the feeding soil is maintained at about 20%, and the relative temperature is maintained at about 70%. The feeding time for the soil should be chosen in the evening. Feed once a day, and the feeding feeding ingredients are mainly bran and washed vegetable leaves. Add water moderately and stir evenly and sprinkle them into the surface of the feeding soil. It is best to eat the bran and the leafy vegetables.