CATDOLL : CATDOLL: How to raise centipedes

Centipedes have great medicinal value, so how to raise centipedes? Here are the centipede raising methods I carefully sorted out for you, let's take a look.

Centipede breeding method and centipede breeding pond construction

The breeding pond should be built in a sunny, ventilated, and relatively damp, secluded place with good exhaust conditions. The breeding pond can be built indoors or outdoors. The breeding pond is built with bricks or stones and other materials, and the surface is cemented. The depth of the pond should be 80 cm. The inner wall of the pond should be pasted with smooth and intact plastic film, or a circle of glass should be set at the mouth of the pond. The inner eaves are at right angles to the pool wall, and the width should be 15 cm. To prevent centipedes from escaping. Dig a 10 cm wide and 4 cm deep ditch around the wall of the pond, and dig a 30 cm wide and 3 cm deep trough inside the ditch for feeding. Weeds and trees can be planted in the pond, and some stones, tiles, etc. can be piled up for centipedes to live. After placing the seedlings, a layer of straw curtains should be covered on the pond to block the light. The pond should be kept clean, moist, cool and hygienic.

Feeding method

Centipedes are generally fed every 2 to 3 days, once a day during the active period, and do not need to be fed or watered during the hatching period. The feeding time is between 16:30 and 18:00 every day. The remaining food must be picked up the next morning after feeding. The feed for centipedes can refer to the following formula: ① 70% of various insects and animals, 20% of cooked potatoes, 10% of broken grains, green vegetables or bread fragments; ② 70% of meat paste of various poultry, livestock or other animals, 20% of fish meal or silkworm pupa powder, and 10% of green vegetable fragments. Place a small dish filled with clean water in the feeding trough every day for the centipedes to drink.

Centipede reproduction and hatching

Centipedes usually mate from March to June and lay eggs from May to July, with 40 to 50 eggs laid each time. After laying eggs, centipedes hold the eggs in their arms to incubate. The eggs hatch after about 20 days of incubation, and can leave the mother body to live independently after 45 days. During the incubation period, the incubator should maintain quietness and appropriate temperature and humidity. Generally, the temperature should be controlled between 25℃ and 32℃, and the humidity should be controlled between 50% and 70%.

Capturing the Centipede:

It is usually better to catch centipedes before the Qingming Festival. Centipedes are egg-laying insects. Based on their living habits of preferring dampness, quietness, and fear of strong light, we choose places in the shade of the jungle or on the shady slopes as the capture sites. In these places, we place chicken feathers, miscellaneous bones, or dead grass and leaves to lure centipedes to live and lay eggs, and pick the eggs before the Qingming Festival. When picking the eggs, we take them back with soil, branches, and weeds, put them in a breeding pond or a breeding tank, cover them, and hatch them. During the hatching period, we should frequently and gently turn over the covering to prevent other pests from invading, so as to ensure that the larvae can hatch smoothly and safely.

Centipede breeding feed:

Centipedes are typical carnivorous insects with a ferocious nature. With their jaws and claws that can eject venom, they can prey on various small animals that are much larger than them. Centipedes have a wide range of food sources. Based on field observations and trial breeding observations, and combined with breeding experience from various places, centipedes mainly feed on the following types of food: one is various insects, such as adults, pupae, larvae and eggs of crickets, locusts, tobacco beetles, scarab beetles, rice budworms, cows, hornworms, cicadas, grasshoppers, dragonflies, spiders, flies and bees. Another type is invertebrates such as worms, earthworms, snails, clams, and muscles, bones, and internal organs of vertebrates such as frogs, snakes, lizards, scorpions, geckos, sparrows, mice, and bats. Another type is that when the above food sources are insufficient, they also eat a small amount of young and tender grass, branches, root tips, melons and fruits such as watermelons and cucumbers, as well as cooked products such as eggs, milk, and bread. In addition, the main food of centipedes artificially raised in Zhejiang is loach, eel, small fish, shrimp and crab.

Although centipedes have a wide variety of food sources, they require fresh food and do not eat rotten food. Therefore, when breeding them artificially, fresh feed must be fed every 2 to 3 days. Before feeding, the remaining food from the previous time must be completely removed. Centipedes have a large appetite and strong hunger resistance. When hungry, they can eat up to 1/5 to 3/5 of their body weight at a time. After eating, they will not starve to death even if they are not given food for ten days or half a month. At the same time, centipedes are not thirsty and need water every day. Therefore, water containers must be placed in the breeding farm, and the water must be changed regularly to keep the drinking water fresh and clean.

Centipede egg laying and hatching:

The centipede lays eggs in late spring and early summer. Each female centipede generally lays 20 to 60 eggs, most of which are 40 to 50, and a few are less than 10. Before laying eggs, the centipede's abdomen is close to the ground and digs shallow caves by itself. When laying eggs, the centipede's body is bent into an "S" shape, and the eggs are laid one by one in a string from the reproductive opening in the shallow cave dug by itself. In the absence of external disturbance, it takes 2 to 3 hours to lay eggs. After laying, the body is immediately turned sideways, and the eggs are gathered into a ball with the legs, and held in the "arms" for incubation. The eggs laid by the centipede are oval in shape, of different sizes, generally about 3 to 3.5 mm in diameter, beige, translucent, and the egg membrane is elastic.

Centipede eggs take a long time to hatch, usually 43 to 50 days. During the hatching process, the external shape and internal structure of the eggs gradually change as the embryo continues to develop. After one month, the eggs begin to take on the larval form, with a body length of about 1.2 cm, and the larvae can be seen crawling inside the egg membrane; after 35 to 40 days, the larvae are about 1.5 cm long and can crawl up and down, but cannot leave the mother's body; after 43 to 45 days, the larvae are about 2.5 cm long and can leave the mother's body to find food on their own. During the entire incubation period, the mother has already accumulated enough nutrients and does not need to feed. Otherwise, it is easy for the eggs or larvae to be contaminated by food and eaten by the mother, affecting the hatching rate and larval survival rate.

During the incubation period, the mother never leaves the egg mass or larvae, carefully incubating and guarding them. From time to time, she swings her body left and right with her antennae to drive away other small insects that are close to her, and often uses her claws to fiddle with or lick the egg mass or larvae with her mouth. It has been observed that this is because the fluid secreted by the basal glands or oral glands of the mother's claws is cleaning the egg mass or larvae to prevent the egg mass or larvae from being contaminated by bacteria and other dirt.

If centipedes are disturbed during egg laying or hatching, they will stop laying eggs and eat all the eggs that have been laid or are hatching. This is the so-called "protective" reaction of centipedes. After eating eggs, centipedes can usually lay and hatch eggs again. However, this will greatly delay the egg laying and hatching period of centipedes, and the number of eggs laid will be small, and the hatching rate will be low, which will affect the production and quality of centipedes. Therefore, when breeding centipedes artificially, during the egg laying and hatching period of centipedes, the surrounding environment should be kept quiet and they should not be disturbed. This is something that must be paid attention to in breeding management.

Molting and Growth and Development:

Centipedes are arthropods belonging to the class of crustaceans. Their bodies are covered with a chitinous carapace, which restricts their further growth and development. In order to get rid of the restrictions imposed by the carapace on their further growth and development, they shed their skin several times during their growth and development. Each time they shed their skin, they grow significantly larger. During embryonic development, they shed their skin three times. Adults generally shed their skin once a year, and some shed their skin twice.

Molting usually takes place in midsummer or after laying eggs. Before molting, the body color changes, the movement becomes slow, the centipede stops eating, and the vision and antennae weaken. When molting, the centipede sheds its skin segment by segment from front to back, and finally the tail and legs are shed. The shed old skin is wrinkled, and when it is straightened, it is a complete centipede body. Molting takes about 2 hours to complete. Do not disturb the centipede during molting, otherwise it will prolong the molting time. When molting, the centipede should also be prevented from being attacked by groups of ants, otherwise it is easy to be bitten to death by ants.

The development speed of centipedes is relatively slow. From the hatching of the larvae in the first year to the body length before hibernation in the same year, it is only about 3.3 to 3.9 cm. In the second year, the body length is only about 4.9 to 6.6 cm under the condition of sufficient food. Therefore, it usually takes 3 to 4 years for centipedes to develop from the larvae to the sexual maturity of adults. The speed of growth and development has a lot to do with whether the food is sufficient and the length of feeding time. In artificial breeding, it was found that centipedes produced in the same year grew and developed faster when raised indoors than when raised naturally. Therefore, providing sufficient fresh feed during breeding is one of the important conditions for increasing its production.

Centipede overwintering:

Centipedes are cold-blooded animals, and changes in external temperature have a great impact on their lives. The cold winter threatens its life. In order to escape the threat of the cold winter, it burrows underground and hibernates. During hibernation, it does not eat or move, and its body is in an "S" or "L" shape. The depth of the layer drilled during hibernation is directly related to the temperature and soil temperature. The lower the temperature and soil temperature, the deeper the soil layer is drilled; the higher the temperature and soil temperature, the shallower the soil layer is drilled. Under normal temperature and soil temperature conditions, it hibernates mostly at 15 to 40 cm in the soil layer; when the temperature and soil temperature are low, it can hibernate at 80 to 100 cm in the soil layer. If the soil temperature rises, not only can the hibernation time be delayed, but it can also hibernate in the shallow soil layer or on the soil surface. It can be seen that the soil temperature is the key to affecting the length of the centipede's hibernation time and the depth of the lurking soil layer. Therefore, in breeding, artificially raising the soil temperature of the hibernation site can not only shorten the hibernation time and make it safe to overwinter, but also relatively increase the normal life period of centipedes, which is conducive to increasing the yield of breeding centipedes. For example, on the eve of the centipede's overwintering, dig a pit 80 to 100 cm deep in the breeding farm, mix the excavated soil and the collected garbage mud in a ratio of 2:1, pour it into the pit, and fill it up. Then spread an appropriate amount of brick and tile fragments and put the centipede in. Cover it with a layer of fine soil, and finally cover it with branches and dead grass. This improves the environmental conditions for the centipede to overwinter.

Before the improvement of the wintering environment, the soil temperature was low, and the soil temperature fluctuated greatly in the morning, noon and evening. After the improvement, the soil temperature increased significantly. The temperature difference between morning, noon and evening is small, and the soil temperature can basically remain unchanged in the same day, which is conducive to the safe wintering of centipedes. There are many benefits to the improvement of the wintering environment for centipedes, mainly: ① After deep plowing, the soil is loosened, and the air circulates in the soil layer. Because the soil surface is covered with fine soil and dead grass, the heat in the soil under the brick and tile fragments is not easy to dissipate, which enhances the heat preservation capacity; and the heat in the soil is easy to dissipate between the brick and tile fragments, reducing the temperature difference between morning, noon and evening in a day. ② Brick and tile fragments are easy to absorb water, creating a damp environment required by centipedes, and the gaps between brick and tile fragments are large, which is conducive to the entry and exit activities and habitats of centipedes. ③ After the garbage mud is mixed with the soil, the garbage quickly rots and decomposes, emitting a large amount of heat energy, which makes the soil temperature rise and more constant, shortening the hibernation time of centipedes. ④Increasing the organic matter and microorganisms in the soil is conducive to the reproduction of various insects, adding fresh natural food for centipedes, and playing the role of "natural feeding" for centipedes. Therefore, artificially improving the environmental conditions of centipedes' wintering places is an effective way to help them winter safely and should be promoted. In addition, after the centipedes have overwintered, they have regained their ability to move, so the breeding place should be tightly closed to prevent the centipedes from escaping.

Disease prevention and treatment of centipedes:

The main problem of artificially raising centipedes is disease prevention and control. The main diseases of centipedes and their prevention and control methods are introduced as follows:

(I) Metarhizium disease: From mid-June to the end of August, due to climate change, high temperature and high humidity, centipedes are infected with Metarhizium and contract this disease. Infected centipedes initially develop small black spots on the skin of their joints, then their bodies lose their luster, and eventually die of weight loss due to food refusal. The treatment method is: grind 0.6g of motherwort, 0.25g of oxytetracycline, and 0.25g of chloramphenicol into powder, mix with 400g of feed and feed to the sick centipedes until they recover.

(ii) Gastroenteritis: Centipedes often get this disease during the rainy and low-temperature period after autumn. In the early stage of the disease, the centipede's head is purple-red, the poison hook is fully open, and it will not eat or eat less. It will die 5-7 days after the onset of the disease. The treatment method is: grind 0.5 grams of sulfa tablets and mix it with 300 grams of feed; use 0.25 grams of chloramphenicol and 300 grams of feed, mix well, and feed them every other day.

(III) Shelling disease: The centipede's habitat is too humid, allowing fungi to parasitize on the body. In the early stage, the centipede will be restless and crawl back and forth; in the later stage, it will be weak and slow in movement; and finally die from not eating or drinking. The treatment method is: 0.25 grams of oxytetracycline, 0.6 grams of motherwort, 1 gram of calcium tablets, grind them into fine powder and mix them with 400 grams of feed. Feed for 10 days and the disease will be cured.

Centipede's living habits Centipedes mainly live in low mountain areas with more stones and less soil, and only a small number of them are distributed in plains. After the Waking of Insects every year, the temperature warms up, and centipedes wake up from hibernation and begin to move out of the ground. They are good at living in damp weeds or in rocky ditches. From Grain in Ear to Summer Solstice, as the temperature gradually rises, it gradually moves to cool trenches, graveyards, ridges or cracks in earthen ridges to avoid the hot daytime. In late autumn, they live under the loose soil slopes that are sheltered from the wind and facing the sun, or in tree holes and tree roots where it is warmer. In short, centipedes are afraid of light and shy, hide during the day and come out at night, and like to live in dark, humid, warm and ventilated caves. Therefore, when breeding centipedes artificially, we must try our best to create the living conditions it requires according to its living habits. For example, planting trees and grass in the breeding farm, placing bricks and tiles, etc. are one of the measures taken to meet the centipede's requirements for the living environment.

Centipedes usually come out and move alone at night. Although they have 8 simple eyes, their vision is weak, especially during the day. When they move alone, they will not take a detour until their antennae touch each other, and avoid each other. On clear and windless nights, 20:00 to 23:00 is the peak period of their activities. The characteristics of their activities are that they are more active at night and less active during the day; they are more active when the temperature is above 25℃, and less active when the temperature is 10-150℃; they are less active or even stop moving below 10℃; they are more active at night after rain when the weather is hot and humid, and less active at night when the temperature is low; they are more active at night without wind or light wind, and less active at night with strong wind (wind force above level 6): they are more active at night after rain and less active at night on rainy days. It can be seen that the frequency of centipede activities is closely related to meteorological factors such as temperature, air pressure, relative humidity, rainfall and light intensity. Therefore, when breeding centipedes artificially, we must pay attention to the impact of the above meteorological factors on their lives. At the same time, centipedes have a strong ability to drill cracks, so centipedes can successfully drill through the gaps of rocks, earth ridges, etc., and can live in these cracks.

If the centipedes live in too high a density or are disturbed too much, they are prone to killing each other and dying. However, under breeding conditions, with the improvement of living environment and breeding conditions, such as providing enough fresh feed and water, and not disturbing their lives, even if the breeding density is high, it will not have much impact on their lives. In particular, centipedes born from the same mother live together since childhood, and when they grow up, they will curl up together in dozens and live in harmony. Therefore, providing enough fresh feed and water and maintaining a quiet environment are necessary conditions for artificial breeding of centipedes.

Key points for centipede breeding: 1. Prevent centipedes from escaping: The inner walls of centipede breeding pools and other containers should always be kept clean and smooth. Mud, dirt and accumulated water splashed on the pool walls after rain should be promptly removed. Pay attention to the tightness of the protective net to prevent centipedes from escaping.

2. Temperature adjustment and anti-staining: In the summer when the temperature is high and dry, attention should be paid to shade and sun protection, and water should be sprinkled in the evening to maintain the humidity of the environment; timely inspection should be carried out after heavy rain, attention should be paid to drainage and anti-staining, and soil should be covered to protect the nest. In winter, attention should be paid to anti-freezing. The centipede habitat in the breeding pool and other containers should be covered with thick soil or straw bags, reed mats, films, etc. to maintain the temperature, prevent rain and snow from invading, and protect the centipede from hibernation. Indoor breeding should also pay attention to closing doors and windows to maintain a certain room temperature, but no artificial heating is required; otherwise, the centipede may stop hibernation and go out for activities. At this time, if the food supply is insufficient, it will consume too much of its own nutrition, which will cause death.

3. Reproduction monitoring: (1) Isolation and protection In the same breeding pond or other container, females lay eggs at different times, and interference often occurs between unlaid females and between males and females, destroying the tranquility of their egg-laying and incubation environment, affecting the normal egg-laying and incubation of females, and even causing male predation or female self-eating of eggs. Therefore, pregnant females should be isolated and cared for before giving birth, and they should be raised separately or effectively separated by broken glass, bottomless glass cups, cans, tiles, etc. to form artificial nests for protection and breeding.

(2) Intensive feeding before laying: Since centipedes do not eat or drink water during the period of incubation and rearing their young, and rely solely on the consumption of nutrients stored in their bodies to maintain their activities, the females have the habit of eating a large amount of food to store nutrients before laying eggs. At this time, it is advisable to feed them intensively, provide them with sufficient food in a timely manner, and pay attention to adjusting the food variety to ensure the needs of the females.

(3) Monitoring and incubation During the incubation period, females are particularly sensitive to disturbance, vibration, strong light, and strong sound, so the incubation environment must be quiet and dark to prevent accidental disturbance. The incubation tank should be placed before laying eggs. Once the eggs begin to lay eggs, they must not be moved. When observing, you must be particularly careful and cautious. You cannot move any shielding objects (such as tiles or glass pieces, etc.), nor can you use a flashlight to observe directly, and you must not throw food to the incubating mother at will; but you can slowly add some water along the wall of the pool to make the area around the incubation nest slightly moist, but you cannot sprinkle water directly into the incubation nest.

(4) Separate the young at the right time. When the mother leaves the nest, the mother should be removed in time or the young should be raised separately. If the nest is separated too late, the mother may eat the young, resulting in losses. Young have poor feeding ability and should be fed with soft and juicy small insects. Because centipedes have strong climbing ability, special attention should be paid to prevent them from escaping. In addition, as the centipedes continue to shed their skin and grow larger, they should be separated and raised in time.

4. Feeding and protection: Centipedes have a ferocious appearance and highly toxic venom. If stung during feeding or catching, mild cases may cause short-term burning pain, redness and swelling, and fever. Sometimes it can also cause lymphangitis and local necrosis. Severe cases may cause fever, headache, vomiting, dizziness and other systemic symptoms. Although it is generally not life-threatening, you should pay attention to protection. After being stung, you should squeeze the wound immediately to squeeze out the blood drops containing centipede venom, and apply disinfectant alcohol, ammonia or wind oil, cooling oil or garlic juice, fresh mulberry leaf juice or cigarette shreds mashed with vegetable oil for external application. Severe stings should be treated immediately.

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Centipede breeding method:

1. The breeding box is made of wooden boards, and its size is more suitable for 55 cm long, 45 cm wide and 30 cm high. A layer of non-toxic plastic film is pasted on the inner wall of the box, and the box mouth is equipped with a box cover with iron mesh.

After the box is made, it is placed in an appropriate location indoors. Multiple boxes can be arranged in a row, with multiple layers of tiles placed at the bottom of the box. The distance between the tiles is about 1.5 cm. Cement is used to pad the edges, usually 5 to 6 tiles in a stack. The gaps between the tiles can be used for centipedes to live.

Before putting the tiles into the box, they should be washed with water and absorb enough water to create a humid environment for centipedes. And a new batch of tiles should be replaced after a certain period of time to keep them moist and clean.

2. Ceramic jars are usually used for jar culture. Choose a 50-60 cm wide and 80-100 cm high jar. Place it in a suitable position indoors, and put a layer of gravel or broken tiles at the bottom of the jar. Cover it with a 30 cm thick layer of fertile garden soil, slightly level it, and stack tiles on the soil surface in the box culture way. The top layer of tiles is about 20 cm away from the jar mouth. Cover the jar mouth with a wire gauze cover to prevent the centipede from escaping.

3. Pond culture is to build a pond indoors or outdoors for breeding. The pond is made of brick and cement. The environment in the pond should be warm, cool, humid and quiet. Generally, each indoor pond is about 2 square meters in size, rectangular, 50 to 60 cm high, and the inner wall is smoothed with cement without any gaps, and lined with agricultural film, or a circle of 20 cm wide glass is inlaid above the pond.

The bottom of the pond is not paved with cement. First, a layer of small soil about 10 cm thick is laid, and then 5 to 6 layers of tiles are piled on top, leaving a 1.5 cm gap between the tiles for centipedes to live and lay eggs. In cold areas, a 50 to 60 cm deep pit can be dug at a certain distance from the inner side of the pond wall, and stones, broken bricks and tiles can be piled in the pit to create a gap for centipedes to hibernate. The pond mouth is covered tightly with iron gauze or plastic gauze.