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How to raise centipedes?

Centipedes need to be raised in a three-dimensional environment.

Centipedes must be raised in a three-dimensional manner, and the centipede pond must be built in a place suitable for centipedes to survive. When building a pond, the breeding pond should be built in a sunny, ventilated, drained, humid, and secluded place. It can be built indoors or outdoors.

It is built with bricks or stones, and the surface is plastered with cement. The pool is 80 cm high. The size of the breeding pool is optional, generally 5 to 10 square meters is appropriate. A smooth and intact plastic film is pasted on the inside of the pool mouth, or a glass piece is used to form a circle of about 15 cm wide and perpendicular to the pool wall. About 50 centipedes can be bred in 1 square meter. No more than 100.

Feeding:

Centipede is a typical carnivore with a wide range of food habits. It particularly likes to eat various insects, such as mealworms, crickets, beetles, termites, cicadas, dragonflies, spiders, flies, bees, as well as their eggs, pupae, and larvae.

They also eat worms, earthworms, snails, and meat, viscera, blood, cartilage, etc. of various livestock, poultry and aquatic animals. They also eat fruit peels, potatoes, carrots, tender vegetables, etc. Milk, bread, etc. can also be used as food for centipedes.

The above content refers to Baidu Encyclopedia - Centipede

How to raise a centipede

Artificial breeding of centipedes Centipedes are also called Tianlong, Baijiao, pine caterpillars, centipedes, millipedes, etc. There are more than 20 varieties such as red head, green head, gold head, etc. It is a precious second-class Chinese medicinal material and is currently in short supply. Centipedes are used as medicine to treat wind poison sores, accumulation of bad blood and other symptoms. They have the effects of fearing wind, calming the nerves, anti-cancer, detoxification, anti-tumor, anticonvulsant, etc., and have high economic and medicinal value. Because they are afraid of heat and like cold, the main breeding area of ​​centipedes is north of the Tropic of Cancer. They have strong adaptability and are easy to breed artificially. Centipedes like to live in hidden places such as branches, stone piles, barren and damp thatched fields and under large stones. They hide during the day and come out at night. After late autumn, they drill into the soil 10 to 13 cm deep from the ground to hibernate, and they will not start to move until the next year after the Waking of Insects. Most of the centipedes artificially bred in my country are green-headed centipedes with few spines. They grow fast and have a high reproductive capacity. One adult can hatch more than 100 young centipedes every year.

1. Methods of artificially raising centipedes

1. Wild breeding method: This method is simple and easy. In winter, dig a small ditch of unlimited length and width in places where centipedes are found, and put garbage, broken bricks, animal residues, bones, intestines, fish bones, chicken, duck and goose feathers, etc. in it. When centipedes smell the fishy smell of chicken feathers, they will gather to live and reproduce, and they can be caught in spring. Generally, the ditch can be opened every 1 to 2 days to catch centipedes. After catching, fresh food is added and covered with fine soil for continued catching. The most suitable season for catching centipedes is around Qingming Festival. In addition, iron rakes can be used to catch centipedes in the piles of rocks, tree roots, weeds and beaches. This method is particularly suitable for first-time centipede breeding, which can solve the problem of seed source and is particularly suitable for those who do not have professional breeding conditions.

2. Indoor fully artificial breeding method: Cement tanks can be used for indoor breeding, and the bottom area of ​​the tank is preferably 50×40 cm. Stack the cement tanks in a "品" shape for 2 to 3 layers, and use glass plates as tank covers. The tanks should be covered with soft fine soil. The thickness varies depending on the season. Generally, it is 10 cm in spring and autumn, 5 cm in summer, and about 20 cm in winter. Broken tiles, small stones, small wood blocks, etc. can be placed on the upper layer; the four corners of the tank can be made into a small triangular trough with glass, or a water container can be used instead to supply the drinking water needed by the centipedes. The stocking density is related to the size of the individual, different growth periods and bait conditions. Generally, each tank can raise 200 1-2 year old juvenile centipedes, or 75 3-year old centipedes, or about 40-50 centipedes over 4 years old, and each tank can have about 4 male adults. For other aspects, refer to the semi-natural state outdoors.

It is carried out by artificial pond culture method.

3. Outdoor natural pool culture method:

(1) The centipede pond should be built in a relatively cool, humid, wind-proof, secluded hillside. The pond should be built with bricks, stones, cement and other materials to form a 80-100 cm high pond wall. The pond wall should be filled with cement. The length and width of the pond should be determined according to the number of centipedes to be raised. The large pond should be divided into "田"-shaped small ponds to facilitate separate breeding. Drainage ditches should be set up around the pond. No cement should be poured on the bottom of the pond. First, a 6 cm thick layer of fine soil should be laid on the bottom, and then fine stones or broken tiles should be laid on top, leaving gaps. Weeds and trees should also be planted in the pond, and a water tray should be placed in the pond to supply clean drinking water, so as to create a natural ecological environment suitable for centipedes to live in. A 15 cm wide "inner eaves" should be set around the pond mouth with glass sheets, which should be at right angles to the pond wall to prevent centipedes from escaping or other harmful animals from invading.

(2) The first batch of centipedes can be collected from the wild or purchased as seedlings. Generally, seedlings should be selected from sexually mature centipedes aged 3 to 5 years. They should be strong and active, with shiny black backs. The ratio of male to female should be 10:1. However, when the female centipedes lay eggs and hatch, all male centipedes should be selected and raised separately. The density of centipedes in the pond should be 350 to 450 per square meter. The humidity in the pond is more suitable at 60 to 70%, and should not exceed 75 to 90%. If the humidity is too high, centipedes are susceptible to infection and damage by pathogens, resulting in difficulty in molting and eating. This not only hinders normal development, but also causes physiological diseases, and even leads to no reproduction or less reproduction. The temperature in the pond should be kept between 26 and 29 degrees Celsius. When the temperature rises to 40 to 42 degrees Celsius in summer, the water in the centipede evaporates quickly, so attention should be paid to cooling down at any time. The general method is to frequently sprinkle water into the pond to cool down and keep it moist. In winter, straw should be thrown into the pond to keep it warm, creating a humid, warm and well-fed environment suitable for the growth of centipedes.

(3) Centipedes are carnivores and like to eat all kinds of insects, such as locusts, crickets, cicadas, grasshoppers, dragonflies, spiders, moths, etc. Feed should be mainly poultry and animal meat, such as loach, eel, earthworm, snail, bat, rodent, gecko, lizard, snake, maggot, termite, earthworm, etc., as well as the leftovers of other animal food, such as chicken blood, miscellaneous bones, intestines, poultry feathers, fish and shrimp, etc. Centipedes sometimes also eat fruits, carrots, watermelon peels and tender grass, so 25-35% of green feed such as water lily and leaf green can be appropriately added. In the evening of summer and autumn, you can also light a lamp to lure insects and moths for centipedes to prey on, and you can appropriately put some insects in the weeds in the pond to breed for centipedes to eat. However, centipedes are also resistant to hunger and will not die of starvation even if they are not fed for more than ten days. However, it should be noted that centipedes will kill each other and bite feed when they are extremely hungry or seriously disturbed. Centipedes can go without food for several days, but they cannot go without water for a day. A water tray should be set up in the breeding pond to provide sufficient drinking water. Centipedes are particularly particular about food, and they will not eat even insects if they are rotten. The amount of food should be increased or decreased according to the season. In spring and summer, centipedes are very active, so more should be put in, while in late autumn and early winter, the amount can be reduced appropriately. Generally, an adult centipede eats about 1 gram each time. Juvenile centipedes can be fed once every 2 to 3 days, and adult centipedes need to be fed once a day. It is best to put bait in the evening. The leftovers from the previous day should be removed first, and larger food should be cut into pieces and placed in a scattered manner.

2. Reproduction of centipedes

Centipedes are oviparous animals. They usually mate in the sunny weather after rain from March to June. The eggs gradually mature in late spring and early summer every year. They start laying eggs in mid-June. The peak period of laying eggs is from June to early and mid-July, and it lasts until early August. Before laying eggs, the mother is bloated with her abdomen close to the ground and moves slowly. The mothers that show signs of laying eggs should be covered one by one with a bottomless can with a diameter of about 10 cm 3 to 4 days in advance, and the can mouth should be covered with fiberboard or glass. This can effectively utilize the breeding area, avoid mutual interference and cannibalism, and help centipedes lay eggs smoothly in a quiet environment. It is also convenient for the young centipedes and the mother centipedes to be raised in separate tanks (or ponds).

Generally, each centipede mother lays 20 to 60 eggs, and the successful egg-laying process takes about 2 to 3 hours. The eggs are stuck together, about the size of peanuts, and oval in shape. The centipede mother's egg-carrying period is about 43 days. During this period, if disturbed or stimulated by other external factors, it is easy to get excited and irritable, and will swallow all the eggs that are hatching, resulting in hatching failure. Therefore, the hatching pool environment should be kept absolutely quiet. It is particularly important to stop feeding the centipede a few days before laying eggs, especially during the 40 to 50 days of the hatching process. Feeding should be strictly prohibited, otherwise the centipede will eat the eggs or embryos together because the food is contaminated on them. The hatching process of the egg mass is relatively slow. After 15 to 16 days, the eggs form a kidney shape and begin to crack in the middle. This stage is the first molt. After 20 days, the second molt becomes a crescent shape and begins to take on the larval form. After 35 to 40 days, the larvae enter the third molt and can crawl up and down in the mother's arms. After another 5 to 7 days, the chitin on the larvae's epidermis gradually thickens and the body color turns yellow-brown. They live under the protection of the mother. After a month, they can leave the mother and live independently and find food on their own.

3. Notes

When breeding centipedes, attention should be paid to the possible viruses that the centipedes themselves may be exposed to. On the other hand, breeders should prevent themselves from being stung and poisoned by centipede stings.

1. Prevent centipedes from diseases: Poultry, mice, skinks, etc. will eat centipedes, especially ants are the main natural enemies of centipedes, so you should often observe whether there are pests inside and outside the centipede farm to prevent these natural enemies from entering the pond to attack the centipedes. To prevent ants from entering the pond, you can use ant-killing chalk to draw a few circles around the pond, or take one part of camphor balls, one part of vegetable oil and five parts of sawdust, mix them together, and then sprinkle this powder on the outer wall of the breeding pond frequently.

Especially when centipedes are molting or laying eggs, they are very weak and can be killed by ants. Once ants enter the pond, the centipedes should be moved quickly and the ants should be scalded to death with boiling water.

Small black spots will appear on the membranes of some joints of centipedes infected with green muscardine, which will then infiltrate and expand slightly, causing the centipedes to lose their appetite, move sluggishly, and finally become emaciated and die. Therefore, if centipedes are found to have this disease, they should be quickly picked out and raised separately, and all the soil in the diseased tank (indoor tank) should be poured out, exposed to the sun for disinfection, replaced with new soil, and healthy centipedes should be placed. A small amount of chloramphenicol tablets should be ground into powder and mixed with bait to feed the sick centipedes, and ventilation conditions should be improved; or, for centipedes raised in outdoor ponds, transfer and change ponds, feed them with medicine to eliminate diseases, and disinfect the original pond soil, and sprinkle lime powder for sterilization and cleaning. Wire worms are parasites in centipedes, mostly caused by feeding large green locusts, so attention should be paid to the selection and matching of feed types. At the same time, the feed used must not be contaminated with pesticides to prevent the centipedes from being poisoned or sick and hindering their reproduction. Since centipedes have the bad habit of eating the small and the weak, and they even kill each other, this mainly happens when they are short of water or food, or when the female centipedes are disturbed during the incubation period. Therefore, in addition to paying attention to feeding and management measures, they should also be raised in separate ponds according to the size of the individuals, and any individuals found to be molting should be separated immediately.

2. Keepers should prevent centipede stings and poisoning: When catching centipedes, keepers should use a small iron shovel or other farm tools to turn over the upper blocks or gravel. When centipedes are found, they should quickly use special iron or bamboo clamps to catch them to prevent stings and poisoning. If stung by centipedes, you can squeeze out the venom first according to the situation, and then use the following methods to treat:

(1) Apply the juice of Rhus chinensis to the wound;

(2) Use yellow straw paper to roll up the salt, light it, and blow the ash onto the affected area from the other end of the paper roll.

(3) Apply ammonia or floral water to the wound;

(4) Apply egg white or rooster saliva to the wound;

(5) Apply the mucus from snails, slugs, or earthworms;

(6) Apply cooling oil;

(7) Mix garlic juice and mulberry juice with white salt and apply on the affected area;

(8) Mash cigarette butts and mix with tea oil and apply on the affected area;

(9) Mash fresh centipedes and mix with tea oil to apply to the affected area;

(10) Apply alkaline water or onion slices to the wound.

4. Capture and Processing of Centipedes

It is best to capture and process centipedes in spring and winter. Before catching, saw the bamboo strips into thin bamboo sticks with a length of 15 to 20 cm and a width of 1.5 cm. Cut the two ends into arrow shapes with a knife for later use. Scald the captured centipedes to death with boiling water, then cut the tail and squeeze out the feces. Then insert the two ends of the bamboo sticks into the head and the lower jaw of the first section of the trunk and the ventral surface of the second section of the tail end of the centipede. Use the elasticity of the bamboo strips to stretch and straighten it. Then put it in the sun to dry or bake it with a slow fire on tiles or other metal plates and put the centipedes on them to dry to become commercial centipedes. During processing, the head and tail should be prevented from breaking, but if the broken limbs fall off accidentally, they can still be collected and sold. For centipedes to be exported, large ones should be selected and dried until 90% dry. Then the bamboo sticks should be removed and wrapped in thick paper in a pack of 100. Ten packs are packed into a box. The box is lined with oil paper and the box skin is sealed with pig blood. For those not exported, do not remove the bamboo sticks. Pack 50 pieces into a pack and then pack them in wooden boxes. During storage, it should be placed in a dry place and some camphor balls or peppercorns should be added in the box to prevent insect infestation.

In addition, raising centipedes together with raising flies will bring greater benefits. Processing centipedes by using infrared treatment can not only produce centipedes on a larger scale, but also improve the quality of commercial centipedes. If you want to know how to distinguish between male and female centipedes, just select the mating centipedes in pairs and raise them separately. Then, the centipedes that lay eggs are females, and the centipedes that do not lay eggs are males.

In addition, there are several episodes of the agricultural science program (Technology Garden) that talk about breeding centipedes. You can go and have a look. There are greenhouses, cardboard boxes, and tiles. It depends on the specific conditions.