CATDOLL : CATDOLL: How to breed cicadas

How to breed golden cicada

1. Breeding. The breeding targets are newly hatched nymphs and eggs that are close to hatching. Collect the branches with eggs directly from the wild or from the seed source site and gather them indoors to promote hatching. Hatching method: In a plastic box 70 cm long, 40 cm wide and 20 cm high, spread 5 to 10 cm thick fine dry sand on the bottom, place the egg branches in bundles vertically or horizontally on it, and constantly spray mist with a small sprayer to maintain high humidity around the branches with eggs, so that excess water droplets are absorbed in the fine sand at the bottom. In the meantime, the hatching of eggs should be checked continuously. When nymph activity is found, the branches and fine sand can be placed in the breeding site.

2. Dig regular narrow trenches about 30 to 50 centimeters deep, about 1 meter away from the base of the trunk, under the host plant tree in the breeding place, such as circular, square, triangular, parallel or radial shapes, for the purpose of later digging and harvesting. After "breeding", cover the soil and compact it, and keep records of the time, quantity, "breeding" trench shape and depth.

3. From the egg stage to the mature nymph (cicada turtle), the cicada needs to grow underground for three winters and summers (actually 2 years): the first year starts from June, the weight of the growth is only about 1 gram, the whole body and eyes are milky white; the weight develops to about 3 grams in the second year, the whole body pigment deepens, and the eyes are pink; the nymph (cicada turtle) matures in the third year, weighing 4.5-5 grams, with an average of 210 per kilogram, the body color is brown, and the eyes are dark gray. According to the weight, body color depth and eye color changes, the time and age of the nymph's growth and development can be accurately determined.

4. Harvesting and processing. The best season for field harvesting is from mid-to-late June (around the summer solstice) to early August (around the beginning of autumn), with the most concentrated harvesting in early July or after rain. The nymphs (cicada turtles) dig holes in the soft ground with a pair of saw-toothed front feet. After crawling out of the ground, they move on the ground for a short period of time, then climb on tree trunks or trellises to prepare for molting. They will emerge as adult cicadas at 4 to 6 in the morning of the next day. You can use a flashlight to illuminate and catch them on the ground and trunks under trees at night, or catch the young adult cicadas on trees in the early morning.

5. The harvest of artificially raised nymphs (cicada turtles) should be dug from the ground in time according to the market price during the harvesting season or allowed to emerge freely. During the production season, the fresh nymphs are washed with clean water to remove the mud and sand. Each 100 grams of nymphs are placed in a box, and water is added to cover the nymphs (cicada turtles) in the box, and then frozen in the refrigerator for storage. After re-washing, they can be processed and used. There are long-term storage methods for nymphs (cicada turtles) such as freezing or pickling, and short-term storage such as flooding with water, soaking in dilute salt water, or natural storage after unearthing.

How to breed cicadas?

Golden cicada has high utilization value and wide range of uses. Whether it is a nutritious delicacy or a particularly good Chinese medicinal material, it has a very good reputation. Here are some methods for breeding golden cicadas in greenhouses. 1/9 Step-by-step reading Selecting breeding trees Dwarf fruit trees such as apricot trees, peach trees, apple trees or other dwarf shrub varieties are good trees for breeding golden cicadas. Pay attention to timely pruning of high branches to facilitate breeding management; interplant fruit tree seedlings in the gaps between trees to increase the branches for golden cicadas to lay eggs; plant golden cicada eggs under the trees, refer to the "Golden Cicada Breeding Technology" for methods. 2/9 Build a breeding greenhouse to build a breeding greenhouse on the eve of the golden cicada being unearthed, with an area of ​​1 mu each. Use cement columns or bamboo sticks to build a fence around the breeding area, with a row spacing of 5 meters for the cement columns, use bamboo poles to build a frame in the middle, and then pull iron wire to fix it, and then cover it with nylon window screens on the outside. For breeding, high and dry land with convenient drainage and irrigation should be selected. It is forbidden to build breeding greenhouses in low-lying land with easy water storage. 3/9 Insect Management and Epidemic Prevention After the golden cicada emerges from the ground, it has a strong phototaxis. In the early stage, it is necessary to wait until it emerges into an adult before entering the greenhouse. When catching, the emerging golden cicada will fly around and bump into the light, causing the seed insect to die. Therefore, all the golden cicadas unearthed within the first week can be caught, and the golden cicadas can be allowed to naturally emerge and lay eggs after 1 week. The seed density is about 10,000 per mu, with males and females accounting for about 50% each. Each female golden cicada can lay 500 to 1,500 eggs. Each greenhouse can provide about 20 mu of golden cicada breeding seeds. The golden cicada can mate and lay eggs about 20 days after the golden cicada emerges. When laying eggs, the golden cicada pierces the epidermis of the branches and lays eggs in the wood. Try not to walk around and make noise in the greenhouse during the mating and egg-laying period of the golden cicada to avoid adverse effects on the golden cicada. Since there are many natural enemies of nymphs (cicada turtles) after they emerge from the soil and adults after they emerge from the pupa, such as toads, sparrows and mantises, protection work should be done in the greenhouse. In addition, the screen should be checked frequently to see if it is damaged to prevent the golden cicada from escaping. Microorganisms such as Beauveria bassiana, Metarhizium anisopliae and Entomogenetic algae (Cicada Flower) can cause parasitic damage to the golden cicada species, and protection should be strengthened during breeding. During the period when mature nymphs emerge from the soil, the egg stage under the tree and the period when cicada ants occur, the main natural enemies of the golden cicada are ants and red flower bugs, which must be strictly prevented. Strong ammonia can be used for soil treatment. 4/9 Feed supply Choose healthy tree species with well-developed root systems, lush growth and more juice, such as poplar, elm, willow, tung or various fruit trees in the orchard. In addition, some rhizome plants should be intercropped, such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, yams, etc. 5/9 Environmental conditions The depth of grasshopper "breeding" is preferably 30 to 50 cm. It should be sunny and frost-proof. The soil should be soft, fertile and pollution-free. It should not be too dry, nor should it have too high water content or water accumulation, to ensure the normal growth and development of the host plant root system, and the young plants should be tender, developed and juicy. In winter, wheat straw, rice straw, corn stalks, etc. should be covered in the breeding area to maintain the ground temperature. 6/9 Epidemic prevention preparations There are many natural enemies of nymphs (cicada turtles) after they emerge from the ground and adults after they emerge from the shells, such as toads, snakes, mice, hedgehogs, wild cats, sparrows and mantises, all of which like to eat nymphs (cicada turtles). Microorganisms such as Beauveria bassiana, Metarhizium anisopliae and Entomogenetic algae (Cicada Flower) also cause parasitic damage. In addition, floods and pollution from pesticides and fertilizers are also harmful to nymphs (cicada turtles) or cicadas. Attention should be paid when breeding. 7/9 Breeding technology: In addition to naturally collecting cicada eggs, a gauze greenhouse can be built to provide space for golden cicada adults to lay eggs. Fruit trees in abandoned orchards can be used to replant fruit tree seedlings. Cement columns or bamboo sticks can be used to build fences around them, and iron wires can be pulled in the middle, and nylon window screens can be covered on the outside. The adults that have emerged or been collected can mate and lay eggs in them. The number of adults can be retained as needed, and there is no need to collect seed sources from the wild. 8/9 The sowing time of golden cicadas is generally from May to July or from September to October. About 1 meter away from the base of the tree trunk, dig regular narrow grooves about 10 to 30 cm deep, such as rings, squares, triangles, parallel or radial shapes, for the purpose of future digging and harvesting. After "breeding", cover the soil and compact it, and keep records of the time, quantity, "breeding" trench shape and depth. It should be sunny and frost-proof, with soft, fertile and pollution-free soil; it should not be too dry, nor should it have too high water content or water accumulation, to ensure the normal growth and development of the host plant root system, and the young and tender plants should be developed and juicy. In winter, wheat straw, rice straw, corn stalks, etc. should be covered in the breeding area to maintain the ground temperature. 9/9 Harvesting of Golden Cicadas After burying the egg branches for 2-3 years, the cicada insects begin to grow and mature gradually. The harvesting period is generally at the summer solstice every year. If there is heavy rain, the fat and strong nymphs will start to drill out of the ground at 4-5 in the morning, or after the rain, the nymphs will dig a hole in the soft ground with a pair of saw-like front feet. After crawling out of the ground, they will do a short exercise on the ground, and then climb the tree trunk or trellis to prepare for molting. After 2-4 hours, they will molt and become cicadas (cicadas). According to this characteristic of the golden cicada, after the summer solstice every year, if there is no rain and drought, the breeding ground can be irrigated with water to induce the cicadas to emerge from the ground. Before the cicadas emerge from the ground or before the cicadas mature, a smooth plastic film can be wrapped around the tree trunk 30 cm above the ground to prevent the cicadas from continuing to crawl up the tree, so that they can be harvested. You can also use a flashlight to illuminate and catch them on the ground and tree trunks under the tree at night. Or you can catch the young adult cicadas on the tree in the early morning.

How to breed cicadas?

Golden cicada can also be called cicada. It can be used for medicinal purposes as well as for food. The most common way to eat it is to fry it. Although I have never eaten it, I feel that it should taste very good. You know, some people used to compare golden cicada to "Tang Monk's meat". So the question is, how to breed golden cicada?



1. Selecting and breeding trees

Cicadas cannot grow without trees, so it is necessary to choose dwarfing breeding trees, such as apricot trees, peach trees, apple trees or other waxy dwarfing shrub varieties. At the same time, it is necessary to prune high branches in time and plant fruit tree seedlings between trees to increase the branches for cicadas to lay eggs.

2. Construction of breeding greenhouse

When the cicadas are about to emerge, a breeding greenhouse is built in a place with convenient drainage and irrigation. Generally, one acre of land is appropriate. At the same time, a fence should be built around the breeding area using cement pillars or bamboo sticks. A bamboo frame is built in the middle and then iron wire is used to fix it, and then a nylon window screen is covered on the outside.



3. Pest management and epidemic prevention

After the cicadas emerge, they have strong phototropism, so they need to wait until they have molted into adults before entering the greenhouse. For cicadas that have emerged within the previous week, they can be allowed to naturally molt and lay eggs after 7 days. During breeding, 10,000 cicadas are generally raised per mu per month, with males and females accounting for about 50% each. Each female cicada can lay 500-1500 eggs. Each greenhouse can breed 20 mu of cicadas. After the cicadas emerge, they can mate and lay eggs 20 days later. When laying eggs, the cicadas pierce the epidermis of the branches and lay eggs in the wood. When the cicadas are laying eggs, it is best for the staff not to walk around and make noise in the greenhouse to avoid adverse effects on the cicadas. At the same time, after the cicadas emerge, they should do a good job of protecting the greenhouse and prevent potential hazards such as toads, sparrows and mantises, ants, red flower bugs, white bassiana, and green muscardine.



4. Collect and store the eggs

In addition to collecting cicada eggs naturally, you can also build a gauze greenhouse to provide space for adults to lay eggs. You can use the fruit trees in abandoned orchards to replant fruit tree seedlings, and use cement columns or bamboo sticks to set up fences and pull iron wires, and then cover the outside with nylon window screens. The adults that have emerged or collected can mate and lay eggs in it. In the later stage, you can keep the number of adults as needed, and there is no need to collect seed sources outside. September is the best season for collecting golden cicada eggs in the breeding greenhouse. The 1-2 year old thin, dry and incomplete surface of the tree that has been killed by eggs, and the subcutaneous wood part is inlaid with a large number of milky white long oval eggs, which are cicada eggs. Leave 5-10 cm of egg-free branches below the egg-laying nest mark, and bundle 50-100 into a small bundle and put it into the hatching room. After natural treatment, it can be used for seed.