CATDOLL : CATDOLL: What is the growth process of earthworms?

Earthworm breeding technology: Earthworm (earthworm), also known as earthworm, earthworm, etc., is cold in nature, salty in taste, poisonous, has the functions of promoting lactation, removing blood stasis, relieving pain, etc., and is an important Chinese medicinal material. 1. Growth and development Earthworm needs to go through egg laying, nymphs, and adults to complete one generation. It takes about 3 months for male insects to mature; female insects take about 9 to 11 months. June to October is the month when eggs are laid one week after mating. The egg mass (called egg sheath) is about 0.5 cm long. At 30 to 35℃, white nymphs will hatch after 40 to 60 days, and then molt 10 to 11 times every 20 to 50 days. 2. Breeding equipment 1. Toolbox: There are four types of sieves: No. 1 sieve square mesh 8.5 mm; No. 2 sieve square mesh 3.5 mm; No. 3 sieve is similar to the bran sieve; No. 4 sieve square mesh 1.2 mm. 2. Breeding pit: The rear of the breeding pit should be against the wall, and the area in front of the wall should be 3.5 meters long and 0.5 meters wide. Five pits can be built, and each pit is separated into 5 layers by cement boards, with a total of 25 pits. Each pit has an area of ​​0.33 square meters, and soil is placed in the pit. The front of the pit is divided into two sections, the lower section is made of cement boards, and the upper section is made of wood. If necessary, both the upper and lower sections can be removed. The breeding soil can be sandy, clay or loam. After the soil is broken, use a No. 3 sieve to remove large pieces and add a small amount of plant ash to make it have a water content of about 20%. The breeding soil for 1-4 instar nymphs should not be more than 6.7 cm thick, and 10 cm thick for nymphs and adults over 5 instar. In winter and summer, the soil thickness of 20 cm is appropriate. III. Breeding management 1. Density: The breeding density can be adjusted as the insect age increases, and the maximum breeding density per square meter is 9 kg. The earthworm has the habit of eating eggs, so the density of the breeding insects cannot be too high. When the group of earthworms is raised, the development process will have a difference of 1 to 4 instars, so the breeding density will be close to a certain number for classification. 1 to 6 instar nymphs can be raised together. When the density is too high, they will kill each other and eat the egg sheaths. The breeding pit should be dark, and only 3.3 cm long and wide holes should be left in the upper left corner and the lower right corner as ventilation holes. When the temperature is above 38℃, the pit door should be opened to cool down, and the pit mud should be thickened to reduce the density. 2. Feed: Bran and rice bran are the best concentrates for earthworms (earthworms), followed by corn flour and rapeseed cake powder; Ailanthus altissima leaves and elm leaves are the best roughage. Secondly, sunflowers, various grasses, melon and fruit peels, vegetable leaves, and the residues of livestock, poultry, and fish can all be used. When feeding, the feeding method should be flexibly mastered according to different insect ages, different seasons, and different developmental stages. For 1 to 4 instar nymphs, some dry soil can be placed on the surface of the breeding soil and the concentrate can be sprinkled on it. For nymphs and adults over the fifth instar, a layer of 3.3 cm thick rice husk can be sprinkled on the surface of the breeding soil, and then fine and green feed can be sprinkled. In low-temperature months, you can feed once every other day. From June to September, feed every day, preferably in the morning. During the molting period, feed less or no fine feed to insects of all ages, and feed normally after the molting is basically completed. 3. Artificial hatching of egg sheaths: Artificial hatching starts in early to mid-February. Use a relatively large aluminum pot with a pottery bowl in the pot. The bowl is slightly smaller than the pot. Put the hatching mud in the bowl and mix it evenly with the egg sheath. Put water in the pot, the water height is the same as the soil in the bowl, and the bottom of the pot is heated with a kerosene lamp, 1.7 cm away from the bottom of the pot, so that the water temperature is maintained at 32-35℃. Stir the mud eggs once every few days. Keep it day and night, and all will hatch after 40-60 days. 4. Winter feeding and warming method: Earthworms have the habit of hibernation. When the temperature drops below 8℃, they will burrow into the soil, and when the temperature rises to above 10℃ in April of the following year, they will come out of the soil and move around. In the low temperature seasons of winter and spring, they can be raised with artificial heating, and commercial insects can be produced twice a year, so that 20 to 25 kilograms of fresh insects can be produced per square meter. In winter, they can be raised in greenhouses of different sizes, as long as they can keep warm. For example, an east-west greenhouse is 6 to 12 meters long, 3 meters wide, and 2.5 meters high.

4. Pest and disease control 1. Green mold disease: It mainly occurs in the rainy season. After the disease, the abdomen of the earthworm (earthworm) is dark green and spotted, the whole body is soft, the appetite is reduced, and it soon crawls out of the mud and dies. Once the disease is found, the diseased insects will be isolated and raised, and replaced with drier pit mud to reduce the density. At the same time, spray the insect body with 0.5% formalin solution; you can also mix 0.25 grams of erythromycin with 0.25 kilograms of wheat bran and feed it 2 to 3 times until it recovers. 2. Egg mass Aspergillus disease: Due to the high temperature and high humidity in the tank (bowl), Aspergillus reproduces in large quantities, causing the death of eggs and nymphs. The prevention and control method is: keep the pit soil dry, the humidity does not exceed 20%, collect the egg mass once every 10 days, mix 1 part of 3% bleaching powder with 9 parts of lime powder, and sprinkle it on the egg mass for disinfection. After the insects emerge, sieve out the larvae every 3 days and put them in the larvae tank for breeding. No food is given during the incubation period. 3. Flour mites: Mites are the most dangerous parasites in the production of earthworms. They are prone to occur when the temperature is above 25℃, the pit mud is relatively wet, and there is too much feed. The young mites parasitize on the thorax, abdomen and leg base of the earthworm, which can kill the earthworm larvae. Prevention and control methods: The remaining feed on the pit surface can be scraped out 1.65 to 3.3 cm together with the pit mud, and dried in the sun, or all the earthworms can be sieved out and replaced with new pit mud. When replacing the pit mud, use 30% trioxygen miticide sulfone or 20% mite egg lipid pesticide, mixed with dry pit mud at a 1:400 times solution. 0.037 cubic meters of pit mud use 4 grams of medicine and 1.6 kg of water.

5. Harvesting and processing To maximize the breeding effect of earthworms, male nymphs and female adults should be soaked and dried in the sun. Generally, there are about 6,000 full-age male nymphs per kilogram of dried worms; there are about 1,200 full-age female adults per kilogram of dried worms. Except for keeping seeds, all male worms should be soaked and dried in the sun. Use a No. 1 sieve to screen out 7-8 instar nymphs, pick out male worms for soaking and drying, and keep female worms until they become adults for soaking and drying. The weight of female nymphs is the highest when they are 9-11 years old, and the drying rate can reach 38-41%; the drying rate of male nymphs at 8 years old is 30-33%. Harvesting at this time can achieve better economic results. The specific time is from late August to before wintering. After the fresh worms are soaked to death, wash them and dry them until they are dry. If the weather is bad, use a fire of about 50℃ to slowly dry them.

Earthworm farming - how to control temperature and humidity

The following methods can be used to adjust the temperature and humidity: (1) Heating: When the required temperature cannot be reached in the breeding environment, the indoor temperature can be increased by using a stove, etc., and the local temperature of the pit or pool can be increased. (2) Cooling: If the temperature in the pit or pool exceeds the suitable temperature of the earthworm in summer, water can be sprinkled on the indoor ground, ventilation can be strengthened indoors and in the pit or pool, exhaust fans can be installed, or basins and ice trays can be added to the pit or pool. If the temperature continues to be high and dead insects are found, they should be screened in time to screen out old nymphs or some adults, and used as medicine after treatment to reduce the insect population density in the pit or pool and reduce the amount of food. (3) Humidification: When the humidity in the breeding site or pit or pool is lower than 15%, spraying and ground sprinkling should be used, and items with large evaporation surfaces after absorbing water, such as absorbent soft foam boards, cotton fiber fabrics, soaked clothes and quilts, etc., should be hung in the corners of the pit or pool to dissipate moisture. (4) Dehumidification: When the humidity in the pit or pool exceeds 30%, dehumidification measures should be taken in time, such as opening doors and windows and exhaust fans to enhance ventilation. If the outdoor atmospheric humidity is too high and continues to be high, calcium chloride wooden boxes and quicklime boxes should be placed in the corners of the pit or pool to achieve the purpose of local dehumidification.

Eggs, larvae, and adults grow through molting.