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

Earthworm breeding technology 1. Breeding form Earthworms have strong vitality. As long as they are not exposed to the outdoors, there is no wind and rain, and there is no direct sunlight, earthworms can survive. Loose soil and a dark and humid environment can make earthworms grow well. Here are several breeding forms: 1. Pot breeding You can choose a plastic pot with a smooth inner wall, which is more than 15 cm in height and 45-60 cm in diameter. You can directly breed it with built-in breeding soil. Pot breeding is suitable for small-scale breeding, with small investment, simple operation and flexible movement. 2. Cylinder breeding Use a tile pot with a smooth inner wall. The height of the cylinder should not exceed 1 meter, and half or part of it should be buried underground. The breeding soil can be placed 40-50 cm thick. The underground temperature and humidity are balanced and stable, so the earthworms grow well, have a long life, and have good output quality. 3. Pool breeding Flat pool breeding is the predecessor of a three-dimensional greenhouse breeding pool. Use bricks to build a square or rectangular pool 40-50 cm high on the indoor cement floor, leaving a 1-meter walkway, build pools on both sides or build the entire indoor pool, and lay wooden boards on top for walking and operation. Pool 4. When painting the upper edge of the inner wall, use cement slurry to stick 6-8 cm glass strips (if there is no glass strip, thick film can be used instead) to prevent earthworms from turning over. This method of breeding earthworms grows well, is easy to manage and requires little investment. 4. Three-dimensional breeding Nowadays, we advocate the more advanced greenhouse three-dimensional breeding model. The requirements for building a three-dimensional breeding pool are that the house should not leak rain, the surrounding walls should be intact, and the flat top roof house is fine. Leave doors and windows around the house, and use vertical bricks to build interlayer walls, with a gap of 5-10 cm from the original wall. When building the interlayer wall, use top bricks to support the original old wall at intervals. In order to prevent the partition wall from collapsing, the function of the interlayer wall is to keep warm and moisturize, which is of great significance for breeding earthworms. After the interlayer wall is built, leave a walkway of 0.95-1 meter according to the remaining area in the house, design the size of the earthworm breeding board, the thickness of the earthworm breeding board is 3-3.5 cm, and after the size is determined, it is poured with reinforced concrete. After the earthworm board is poured and maintained, a three-dimensional earthworm pool can be built. Each layer has 3 bricks (about 40 cm high). After one layer is built, the inner wall is painted and then another layer of earthworm board is laid. It can be built 6-7 layers and capped on the top. Leave a 19-20 cm operation window on one side of the earthworm room walkway, and stick a hard plastic paper about 4 cm extending into the earthworm pool on the upper edge of the operation window to prevent earthworms from turning over. After the earthworm room is built, the inner wall around it is painted and the gaps are filled to prevent rats and ants from entering. 5. Heating breeding Heating breeding is particularly important in the process of artificial earthworm breeding. Heating breeding can shorten the growth cycle by one third. Although heating increases some costs, the benefits generated are insignificant in comparison. The heating method can also be adopted according to local conditions. 2. Tools, feed, and breeding soil 1. Breeding tools Long-footed basin - used for soaking feed and screening insects and eggs to hold breeding soil. Round-footed basin - used to hold breeding soil, insects, egg masses, and feed when feeding. 2-mesh (1 cm) sieve - used to screen adult insects. 6 mesh (4 mm) sieve - used to screen larvae and egg masses. Window screen - used to screen mites. Long scraper - used to scrape pit soil, 25-80 cm long and 8-10 cm wide. Two-phase line running lamp - used for mobile lighting in the pit room. Thermometer - placed in the pit room for a long time to measure the temperature. Scraper - used to scrape out pit soil and insects from the deep pit. Crusher - used to crush feed and breeding soil in large farms. Dustpan - used to move soil, dustpan, etc. 2. Feed The food range of earthworms is relatively wide. Wheat bran, rice bran, vegetable leaves, roots, stems, flowers, beans, leaves of melons, etc. are all good feeds for earthworms. We generally use wheat bran, vegetable leaves, melons and other easy-to-use and cheap feeds. Green vegetable feed should avoid pesticide pollution. In the process of feeding green feed, grasp the season and use specific green feed according to the time period. Green vegetables from November to May Mulberry leaves from May to November Lettuce leaves from April to May, October to April Cucumbers from May to September Pumpkins from July to December 3. Feeding soil Earthworms can adapt to various soil minerals. After artificial breeding, feeding soil is specially prepared for them for management. Feeding soil generally uses garden soil, mountain mud, leaf humus soil, etc. First use a 6-mesh sieve to sift out large soil blocks, leaves and other impurities. It can also be crushed with a grinder and then sieved. Mix 30%-50% of plant ash into the fine soil. Feeding soil requires a certain humidity. General soil is sticky. When mixing feeding soil, water cannot be sprayed directly on the soil, but water should be sprayed on plant ash or sawdust before mixing into the soil. Pig manure, cow manure, coal slag, etc. can also be mixed in. Note that pig manure and cow manure should be fermented before use. Pure soil can also feed earthworms, but its disadvantage is that the humidity is difficult to control and the earthworms do not go deep into the soil. In short, the preparation of breeding soil should be loose, breathable, and non-fermented to meet the growth needs of earthworms. 3. Seed retention and hatching management of earthworms. The breeding industry involves the issue of seed selection and seed retention. The breeding and seed retention of earthworms mainly involves the following methods: 1. Hatching block breeding method: This breeding method is widely used. The hatching blocks are small and light, with a large reproduction coefficient and easy to transport. 2. Larvae introduction breeding method: This introduction method is more practical. The larvae are small and easy to carry. 3. Adult introduction breeding method: This introduction method is more affordable. After the introduction, eggs can be laid, and the eggs are kept by themselves. The adults can be sold after being scalded to death, and part of the cost can be sold. It is more difficult to transport. We generally talk about egg block introduction and seed retention. First of all, see whether the egg worms are strong. Uneven mother worms and too many deaths are not acceptable. Seed retention is generally to screen the second and third batches of seed eggs. This kind of egg block has a neat shape, strong physique, and convenient hatching management. In the entire process of raising earthworms, the hatching management of seed eggs is a key link. It is directly related to the success of breeding and the economic benefits. There are many ways to hatch, such as: (1) indoor temperature-controlled incubation (2) constant temperature incubator (3) kerosene lamp heating incubation. We believe that the latter two methods are not as direct as indoor temperature-controlled incubation. Place the egg mass in a plastic basin with a smooth inner wall. A 50 cm diameter plastic basin can hold 4-5 kg ​​of breeding eggs and mix in two-thirds of breeding soil. The humidity of the breeding soil should be maintained at about 35%-40% (it will form a ball when grasped by hand and will break into pieces when hit). After 3-5 days, the breeding soil will gradually dry. At this time, you cannot spray water on it to humidify it, but you should sift out the dry breeding soil and mix in new preheated breeding soil. During the incubation period, the temperature should always be maintained at 25-30℃, with 28℃ being the best. Turn the breeding eggs by hand 1-2 times a day to increase the freshness of the air in the breeding soil. Be gentle when turning to avoid damaging the egg mass. After 30 days of incubation, some larvae begin to break out of their shells. At this time, we can see tens of thousands of larvae. Screening is done every two days, and the larvae are divided and raised in proportion. When screening small insects, we should be gentle to avoid hurting the larvae. After a large number of worms emerge, some of the empty shells of the worms are mixed in. When the empty shells make a loud sound during the screening process, the empty shells can be dustpanned to remove them. IV. Management of earthworms 1. Management of larvae and middle-aged worms After the larvae hatch, they are separated from the egg mass. The screened larvae are placed in a pit or basin together with the breeding soil for breeding. The stocking density of larvae is higher (0.3-0.4 kg/m2, about 80,000-100,000). The high density is convenient for feeding and observation. The breeding soil for larvae does not need to be too deep, 8 cm is enough. Later, as the breeding is divided into different ponds, the breeding soil is gradually deepened, and the middle-aged worms are 8-12 cm. The breeding temperature for larvae is 32℃, and the middle-aged worms are 30℃. The larvae start to eat 5 days after hatching. At this time, some wheat bran, melon and fruit flowers, small green vegetables, pumpkin shreds, etc. are needed. Wheat bran is best sieved with a fine mesh sieve and then soaked. During the larval stage, flour, soybean powder and other higher-quality feeds need to be added, and the amount does not need to be too large. The larvae eat very little, so pay attention to the right amount when feeding. As the larvae continue to grow, the breeding density becomes too large. At this time, the larvae eat a lot and move a lot, so the first pond division is required. When dividing the pond, dig out half of the soil and worms and put them into another empty pond or basin, flatten them, and then fill them with new breeding soil, slightly exceeding the depth of the original breeding soil. If the temperature difference of the breeding soil in the divided pond is too large, it should be preheated before entering the pond. The management of the middle worm is relatively extensive, and the feed also needs to be more extensive, as long as it can eat enough. 2. Pick males for mating. The male and female earthworms are the same in the larval stage. When they shed their skin for the 9th time, the male insects will emerge. One male earthworm can mate with 8-16 female earthworms. The number of male earthworms accounts for about 43% of the total number. As a result, there are too many male earthworms. Artificial breeders take advantage of the uneven growth of earthworms. After the male earthworms shed their skin for the eighth time, they sort out the earthworms that grow fast but have not yet emerged, and make them into dried products for sale. This measure can increase output efficiency. After the male earthworms shed their skin for seven times, two sharp corners appear on the edges of the two carapaces on their backs, while the female earthworms do not; the male earthworms have smaller reproductive mouth covers on the posterior abdomen, while the female earthworms have larger reproductive mouth covers. We can pick out male earthworms based on the above characteristics. About 20 days after picking males, the female earthworms that have shed their skin for 11 times and matured earlier need to mate. When the female earthworms mature, they emit a smell (which humans cannot smell) to attract male earthworms to mate. Female worms that need to mate usually climb up the wall or basin wall, leaving a scent along the wall, with their posterior abdomen raised. Male worms follow the scent and climb up the wall to mate with them. The whole process takes 10-20 minutes. After the first mating, male earthworms will continue to look for female worms to mate. After 10-20 days, the male earthworms will die naturally. There are dozens of eggs in the female earthworms. After one mating, all these eggs are fertilized. The first egg mass begins to be laid 7 days after mating, and one egg is laid every 7 days thereafter. After 4 months of peak egg-laying period, they gradually age and die. 3. Adult management: Greenhouse-raised earthworms are selected for 6 months. The mating period is 2 months after the selection of males. After 2 months, more than 50% of the female worms begin to lay eggs. The female earthworms lay eggs in the form of slowly secreting gelatinous mucus from the birth canal, which quickly forms and hardens. It takes about 3-6 days to lay one egg. The egg-laying period does not affect its activities and eating. The first egg mass can be screened 3 months after the selection of males. Screening eggs is done manually. Generally, the eggs should be screened every 20-25 days after the first screening. First, remove the impurities on the surface of the breeding soil. One person picks out the insects and soil from the breeding pool and pours them into the 2-mesh sieve held by another person for screening. A 6-mesh sieve is placed under the 2-mesh sieve. The 2-mesh sieve screens out the adults and pours them into a basin with breeding soil placed next to it. Then, the 6-mesh sieve screens out the egg masses and pours them into another empty basin specially used for egg masses. After screening a pit, the breeding soil and adults are still poured into the breeding pool for breeding. The screened egg masses are mixed with some earthworm feces and other debris, which can be washed in water. The egg masses will float when they enter the water, and general impurities will sink. Take out the egg masses, rinse them with clean water, dry them in the shade, sieve them, winnow out the empty shells, and pick out the impurities. Such egg masses can be kept for hatching. During the adult period, the humidity of the breeding soil should be higher (40%-45%). You can spray water on the surface of the breeding soil or increase the amount of green feed. After screening the blocks, add water to the empty pit pool to increase humidity. After 4 months of egg laying, the weight of the mother earthworms is significantly reduced and a large number of them die. At this time, the finished insects can be harvested. 3 months before harvesting, the second batch of larvae have been hatched and are waiting to be divided into ponds, so that the breeding ponds are never empty, and the cycle repeats to achieve the best benefits. 4. Temperature and humidity control The earthworm is oval in shape, with a large surface area and rapid water dissipation in the body. When the temperature is below 20℃, the molting growth is slow, and when it exceeds 38℃, the growth stops, and the earthworms are restless and crawl on the surface of the breeding soil. Therefore, the temperature and humidity control of artificial earthworms should be adapted to their needs to achieve the best breeding effect. Artificial control of humidity also prevents high and low humidity. Among them, the requirements for humidity at different ages of earthworms are also different. The temperature for hatching egg blocks is 28℃-30℃, the temperature for larvae is 28℃-32℃, and the temperature for adults is 25℃-28℃. Artificial control of humidity is also different at different stages. When hatching eggs, it is 35%-40%, larvae are 35%, middle worms are 40%, and adults are 45%. Wild earthworms mostly grow in dark and humid environments and are afraid of direct sunlight. It is not difficult to create this optimal growth condition for them in artificial breeding. The doors and windows are blocked with sacks or dark snakeskin bags, and the humidity in the pit room is lost slowly. When heated breeding, the humidity of the breeding soil is lost quickly. A special sprayer without pesticide pollution can be used to spray water on the surface of the breeding soil and the walls of the pit. The spray should be uniform and small in number and multiple times. 5. Feeding and management The living habits of earthworms are daytime and nighttime. They are active from 18:00 to 24:00 every day. During the peak feeding period, each earthworm does not eat every day. After eating once, they will hide in the soil for 2-3 days without moving. Artificially bred earthworms need to be fed with food at 5-6 pm every day. The feeding amount should be flexibly controlled according to the food intake of the insects at each growth stage, and more observation and summary should be made. Feeding too little is not good for the growth of insects, while feeding too much will waste feed and cause the mites to reproduce in large numbers, which is also not good for the growth of insects. There are three feeding methods: (1) Knead the feed into small balls and feed them in small portions (suitable for larvae). (2) Sprinkle the feed on the surface of the breeding soil (suitable for medium-sized insects). (3) Use 15*15cm plastic film to make a feeding table and place the feed on the feeding table (suitable for adults). 6. Stocking density Earthworms grow by molting. Each time they molt, their body size doubles. We count each molt as age. Male earthworms mature after 9 molts, while female earthworms need to molt 11 times. The artificial breeding of earthworms involves the utilization rate of the area and the convenience of management. The stocking density should also be different according to the growth needs of each age of insects. The list is as follows: 80,000-100,000 larvae 50,000 1st-2nd age 25,000 3rd-5th age 12,500 9th-13th age 4,000-5,000 The depth of earthworms in different stages is different. For the convenience of management, we also list the depth of the breeding soil: 5-8 cm for larvae 8-12 cm for middle worms 12-15 cm for adults 5. Disease and Pest Control Since ancient times, earthworms have many natural enemies of insects and small animals. They can survive and reproduce to this day and have the ability to avoid enemies. Animal natural enemies include ants, mice, spiders, chickens, ducks, birds, etc. The following introduces the main diseases and enemies encountered during artificial breeding. 1. Causes of fungal enteritis: The breeding environment is too humid, the temperature is unstable, and eating spoiled food. Symptoms: The abdomen is swollen, light yellow, with black spots on the body surface, crawling slowly, and the abdomen is easily broken by squeezing it with hands, with yellow-green pus flowing out. Slow growth, no mating, no egg laying, and some deaths. Prevention and control methods: This disease is not easy to be cured. The ... The main reasons for the large-scale production of mites are excessive feeding, long-term food waste, too wet breeding soil, and too low temperature. The following are the methods for removing mites: (1) Scrape out the surface soil with mites and sieve it through a window screen. (2) Soak wheat flour and make small balls with a diameter of 1-2 cm. Place them on the surface of the breeding soil at 3-5 points per square meter during the day. Mites will flock to eat. After 1-2 hours, remove the wheat flour balls and mites. (3) Combine the above methods and do not feed for 1-2 days. Mites will starve to death, but the growth of earthworms will not be affected. Adjust the humidity of the breeding soil. 3. Prevention and control of ant damage Ants are everywhere. They are also unavoidable in the breeding pond of earthworms. They drag and eat many larvae. (1) Chlordane oil and chlordane powder are sold in agricultural supplies or chemical stores, which have a repellent effect on ants. (2) Place the latest cockroach and ant cleaner in places where ants are infested. This drug is a chronic drug. Ants will drag this drug into the cave and kill all the ants in a nest in 2-3 days. However, earthworms should be prevented from ingesting it by mistake. (3) Place meat residues in places where ants are present to trap and kill them. VI. Harvesting and processing of earthworms 1. Harvesting and processing of adult earthworms Harvesting earthworms is relatively simple. They can be scalded to death and dried in the sun. They must be free of impurities, dry, and not broken. After 11-13 months of breeding, the peak egg-laying period of earthworms has passed. The weight of the female insects begins to decrease and gradually dies. At this time, you can choose a sunny day, screen out the female insects, put them in boiling water to kill them, rinse them, and dry them in the sun for 3-5 days. If it is rainy, consider drying. To test the dryness of earthworms, just squeeze the abdomen of the earthworm. If there is still soft gelatinous material on the abdomen, it means that it is not dry. Undried earthworms are not convenient to store. 2. Storage method of finished earthworms After the earthworms are harvested and dried, due to market dynamics, they sometimes need to be placed on the market for a period of time to achieve the best economic benefits. This involves the storage method. Medicinal material companies, pharmaceutical factories and other units have professional warehouses. General breeding farms do not have such conditions. We can learn from their methods to build some small warehouses. After the earthworms are dried in the sun, they are cooled and placed in a plastic bag that is not leaky. Aluminum phosphide tablets or powder are placed in the bag to prevent insects. Aluminum phosphide is highly toxic, so the bag should be tied tightly after use and kept away from the house to prevent accidental inhalation and poisoning. No medication is needed in winter when the temperature is low.