CATDOLL : CATDOLL: What is the market prospect of farmed cockroaches (marketing of farmed cockroaches)

1. Market prospects of cockroach breeding

Although cockroaches are hated by many people, they have medicinal value such as anti-cancer and immunity-enhancing effects.

The life cycle of cockroaches can last about six to seven months in a suitable environment. They can be harvested twice a year, and each kilogram of dried cockroaches can cost up to three hundred and twenty (320) yuan. Excluding the cost of raising cockroaches, the profit will be considerable.

2. Marketing of farmed cockroaches

The application range of cockroaches is particularly wide. Cockroach extracts are used in pharmaceutical products and research and development; cockroaches are used in the cosmetics industry because of their unique substances; it is reported that in recent years, Malaysia and my country have vigorously developed the breeding of precious aquatic products and rare animals, requiring a large number of cockroaches as bait, so cockroaches are in short supply in the market. At present, cockroaches have become a new business opportunity for many people to get rich.

Although the breeding of cockroaches is relatively simple, if you can fully master the method of breeding them, it will definitely reduce your costs and increase your profits.

As a medicinal material market, dried cockroaches have long been used in traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions. With the development of medicine, its extracts are being used by more and more medical institutions to develop and make various medicines. At present, the price of dried cockroaches in the medicinal material market has risen from 28 yuan per kilogram to about 100 yuan per kilogram. The protein content in dried cockroaches is 60%-70%, which is an excellent bait for geckos, frogs, centipedes, pheasants, toads, silver hairtails, etc. It is reported that in recent years, due to the vigorous development of precious aquatic products and rare animal breeding in Malaysia and my country, a large number of cockroaches are needed as bait, so cockroaches are in short supply and the price is high.

3. Cockroach breeding technology and management

Cockroach breeding technology:

1. Identification of males and females and selection of species. Male cockroaches are long and narrow in appearance, with thin abdominal segments and wings extending beyond the tail end. Males are more numerous than females in winter and spring (December to April of the following year) when the temperature is lower. Males generally have a shorter lifespan than females. Female cockroaches are sturdy in appearance, with enlarged abdominal segments, blunt and rounded abdomen and tail, and wings close to the tail end. After the nymphs hatched from the same egg pod emerge, the number of females is 1.4 times that of males, so there are more females than males from May to November. It is best to introduce species from April to June each year, and capture large individuals from nature for breeding. In terms of male and female pairing, there should be more females and fewer males. Cockroaches mostly emerge from their tails in May and June; male and female cockroaches begin to mate one week after emergence. Nymphs hatched from the same egg pod mate one week after emergence, and can lay eggs 10 days after mating. Males can mate many times in their lifetime, while females can lay eggs many times in their lifetime as long as they mate once. The number of eggs laid by females in their lifetime varies depending on the species and breeding conditions. When selecting species, you should choose species that are large, have strong reproductive capacity, and are easy to raise and manage. Currently, the most cultivated species is the American cockroach.

2. Hatching and development. The incubation period of cockroaches is 3 to 12 weeks. The nymphs hatch from the side or back of the egg pods. In order to increase the hatching rate and prevent the nymphs from being eaten by adults, the method of picking up egg pods for centralized hatching is adopted, that is, the egg pods laid by adults are picked up in one place and placed in an incubator with a temperature of 28 to 32°C and a relative humidity of 75% -90%, and water- and food-retaining and pollution-free. The nymphs that have just hatched from the eggs are white. They molt once a few hours later, and their body color gradually darkens. In the process of maturation, they molt 5 to 13 times before becoming adults. The length of development time varies depending on the species and breeding conditions. American cockroaches generally lay eggs in June and July, and nymphs hatch in August. They mostly spend the winter in the form of egg pods and nymphs, and emerge in May of the next car. The nymph period is about 300 days.

Feeding method:

1. Feeding and raising in wooden boxes. The specifications of the feeding box are: 70 cm long, 50 cm wide, and 60 cm high. The cover panel of the box is movable for operation. A small window with a length of 20 cm and a width of 15 cm is built on the front and back, and sealed with iron mesh nails for easy observation and air circulation. There is no bottom plate under the feeding box, which is convenient for cleaning and hygiene. Place the feeding box in a house with a relatively flat ground (preferably a cement floor). In the box, nail a square wooden strip on the front and back sides 10 cm away from the box mouth to place the wooden frame. The wooden frame is "U" shaped, and its specifications are made according to the width of the feeding box. The two sides of the frame can be placed on the two wooden strips in the front and back of the box. The wooden frame is covered with paper (the thicker the better), and then the wooden frames are stacked one by one in the feeding box (leaving an empty space at one end for feeding and watering), which becomes a residence for cockroaches. Choose healthy cockroaches as breeding insects, place them in a breeding box, put in a small amount of feed, and initially feed them with green, juicy, nutritious fruit peels, bread, steamed buns, and rice. Provide sufficient clean drinking water, and feed once every 3 days. It is better to put the feed on the top of the wooden frame in the box, or on the floor at the bottom of the box, while drinking water can only be placed on the floor at the bottom of the box. Cleaning and sanitation work should be done once every 3 days. First, gently move the feed box, clean it, and move it back to its original position, then add feed and change water. Cockroaches lay eggs mostly on the wooden frame paper, and the larvae will hatch after more than a month of incubation.

2. Clay pot breeding method. Choose a clay pot of appropriate size depending on the number of cockroaches to be raised, and place a roll of old newspaper or kraft paper (cement bag paper) in the pot for the cockroaches to inhabit. Cover the mouth of the pot with a wooden board, preferably a wire mesh. Place drinking water and feed in a fixed position so that the cockroaches can form a conditioned reflex and regularly go to a fixed position to eat. It is best to use a porcelain basin to put the feed in the pot, so that the leftover food will not fall to the bottom of the pot, reducing the difficulty of cleaning. The rest of the breeding and management measures are basically the same as those for wooden box breeding.

3. Greenhouse breeding. Use black plastic sheeting to build a greenhouse, with screens at both ends for ventilation. In winter, double-layer plastic film can be used for insulation or heating by fire or electric heating. Leave a walkway in the center of the greenhouse. Put a feed trough and a water trough. To prevent cockroaches from falling into the water and drowning, put a sponge in the trough. Put some soft materials with gaps or foam boards for packaging eggs on both sides of the greenhouse, or wooden breeding boxes. This method is suitable for large-scale breeding, with low investment and low cost, but it is not easy to catch adult insects.

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Feed preparation: Cockroaches are not very demanding on feed, and they are generally fed whatever is available. The feed formula introduced below is used to improve the breeding efficiency of cockroaches.

Formula 1: corn meal 90%, salt 0.5%, stone powder 0.5%, fish meal 5%, lard 2%, brown sugar 2%.

Formula 2: Corn meal 75%, wheat flour 15%, dry yeast 2%, bean cake 4%, stone powder 1%, rapeseed cake 3%

Recipe 3: corn meal 70%, sugar residue 20%, dry yeast 3%, fish meal, bone meal 1%.

Cockroaches don’t eat much, so don’t feed them too much each time.

Feeding and management:

The breeding and management of cockroaches should mainly pay attention to "six guarantees and three preventions":

1. Insulation: Use greenhouse box cultivation method to maintain the temperature environment at 28~33~C throughout the year.

Second, keep water: Water is more important to cockroaches than food. Cockroaches will die if they are deprived of water for 2 days during the nymph stage. Therefore, water should be kept in the tank at all times.

Three-guarantee food: In order for cockroaches to grow quickly, become strong, and have strong reproductive capacity, the feed trough must not be cut off, especially at night, they must be allowed to eat enough.

4. Moisturizing: The relative humidity of the environment where cockroaches live should be above 70%. If it is too dry, spray some water.

Five ways to keep quiet: keep cockroaches away from noise and avoid human disturbance.

Sixth, keep it dark: the place where cockroaches are raised should be dimly lit, and they should be raised in a dark room and dark box.

1. Prevent pesticide damage: Cockroaches are very sensitive to many pesticides such as pest control spirit, trichlorfon, dichlorvos, malathion, etc. It is forbidden to use pesticides in places where bees are raised.

2. Disease prevention: Disease prevention includes preventing cockroaches from getting sick themselves and preventing cockroaches from becoming hosts for other pathogens. Pay attention to the environment and food hygiene of cockroaches.

Three ways to prevent natural enemies: Rats, bats, ants, etc. all eat cockroaches. Pay attention to prevent natural enemies from invading during the breeding process.