CATDOLL : CATDOLL: When is the best season to start raising silkworm pupae?

1. What is the process of raising silkworm pupae?

The time when silkworm seeds turn into young silkworms is when mulberry trees grow tender leaves in spring. Prepare a smooth silkworm bed, spread fresh tender mulberry leaves on the young silkworms, and let the silkworms eat the leaves freely. After the young silkworms shed their skin four or five times, they grow up slowly. When the silkworms grow to a state where their bellies are shiny and slightly yellow, their heads are raised and they no longer eat mulberry leaves, you should build a cocoon nest in time. You can use straw to tie a loose umbrella-shaped handle or use thin tree branches to make a cocoon nest, and let the silkworms climb onto the cocoon nest to spin silk and make cocoons. After the cocoons are made, collect them in time. At this time, the silkworms in the cocoons gradually turn into pupae. After several days, the pupae turn into silkworm moths, spit out liquid that can corrode the cocoon shell, and break out of the shell. The silkworm moths mate and lay seeds, and the next silkworm breeding cycle begins again.

2. How to raise silkworm pupae?

How to raise silkworm pupae

Prepare the silkworm room, silkworm tools and mulberry leaves, and thoroughly disinfect the silkworm tools and silkworm room. In spring and summer, pour the silkworm eggs on paper to collect the silkworms, and then feed them 2-3 meals of fresh and tender small leaves every day, and control the temperature at around 27 degrees. When they grow to the second age, lower the temperature appropriately, feed them 2-3 meals of mulberry leaves every day, and do a good job of water and disease management. When they grow to the fourth age, the silkworms begin to make cocoons, and after peeling them open, you will get silkworm pupae.

3. How to breed silkworm pupae?

Silkworms prefer warm seasons to grow, so spring and summer are the best seasons to breed silkworm pupae. In addition, silkworm pupae should be bred according to the growth of mulberry leaves to ensure that their feed is adequately supplied.

In terms of temperature requirements, silkworm pupae aged 4 to 5 years old are suitable for indoor breeding environments above 20℃. Do not breed them in high temperature and high humidity environments, as this is not conducive to the growth and development of silkworm pupae. When the small spots on the silkworm eggs account for 20% of the body, they should be covered with black cloth to block light. On the morning of the third day, the black cloth should be removed, and then the silkworm eggs should be wrapped up and wait for them to hatch. In addition, young silkworm pupae require more nutrition, so they need to increase feed during this period. At the same time, the excretion of silkworm pupae is also very large, so extra attention should be paid to ventilation and cleaning in the breeding room.

4. In what season do mealworms breed?

Heating and breeding technology of mealworm

Mealworms can grow and reproduce throughout the year. The reproductive cycle of egg-larva-pupa until emergence into adult is about 100 days. The duration of each stage of mealworms is prolonged or shortened due to the temperature. Mealworms begin to mate 3 to 5 days after emergence, and the peak period of egg laying is within one or two months after mating. Each female mealworm lays 280 to 369 eggs, with an average of 304 eggs. The mating time is from 8 pm to 2 am. The eggs are laid on the feed. The eggs are milky white, oval, and about 1 mm long. The larvae can hatch in 3 to 5 days at room temperature of 25 to 27℃. If the room temperature is between 13.5 and 23℃, it will take 22 to 24 days. When the adults are short of food, they will eat their own eggs.

In cold weather, mealworms need to be heated, otherwise they will hibernate. If the adults and pupae are not heated, the adults will not lay eggs or the pupae will not emerge and die.

Mealworm breeding technology

1. Mealworm breeding humidity

Yellow mealworms are not afraid of dryness and can survive in feed with a moisture content of less than 10%. However, when the humidity is too low, the water in their bodies evaporates excessively, resulting in slow growth and development, weight loss, and low feed utilization. Therefore, the most suitable feed moisture content is 15%, and the indoor air humidity is 70%. However, when the feed moisture content reaches 18% and the indoor air humidity is 85%, the yellow mealworms not only grow and develop slower, but also become prone to illness. Adults in particular are more afraid of moisture and may become sick and die.

2. Mealworm breeding temperature

The suitable temperature for the growth and development of mealworms is 26℃-32℃, and the fastest growth and development is at 35℃. When the temperature is higher than 35℃, the growth and development rate decreases, and at 38℃, mealworms will be killed by the heat. However, mealworms are more cold-resistant. Old larvae can tolerate -4℃, while young mealworm larvae will freeze to death in large numbers at 0℃, and begin to grow and develop at 8℃.

3. Mealworm breeding food

Mealworms are omnivorous insects. They feed on various grains, oilseeds, and byproducts of grain processing, such as bran cakes, etc. They also eat various vegetable leaves. The larvae have a wider diet. In addition to the above foods, they can also eat dry and fresh mulberry leaves, leaves of leguminous plants, and various insect corpses. When food is scarce, they will even bite wooden feeding boxes and paper pads.

When raising them artificially, you cannot feed only one kind of feed. You should feed a mixed feed made from multiple feeds. This will satisfy the various nutrients needed for the growth, development and reproduction of the mealworms, and ensure their normal growth, development and reproduction. Otherwise, the mealworms will not get enough nutrients and can only maintain their lives. Their growth and development will be hindered, their bodies will become smaller, and their reproductive capacity will decrease.

4. Mealworm breeding is afraid of light and likes darkness

Adult mealworms like to hide in dark corners or under leaves, weeds or other debris to avoid sunlight; larvae often hide 1 cm to 3 cm below the surface of grain, flour, and bran. Therefore, artificial mealworms should be raised in dark places, or the breeding box should be covered to prevent direct sunlight from affecting the life of mealworms.

Both larvae and adults of the gregarious mealworm like to live together, but the stocking density should be moderate and not too high. When the stocking density is too high, the temperature in the group will increase, causing the larvae to die of heat. Secondly, the activity area will be reduced, and food will be insufficient, which will cause adults and larvae to eat eggs and pupae. However, the stocking density should not be too small, which will cause waste of space and reduce productivity. Therefore, when artificially raising, attention should be paid to dividing the boxes and controlling the stocking density.

Selection of heating equipment for mealworm breeding scale

Where conditions permit, sawn wood or straw can be used as fuel for heating. The fuel cost is low and the heating effect is good. Generally, a heating furnace can reach 24-28℃ for a 50-square-meter house. The design and manufacture of the heating furnace should be done by a professional processing plant. The straw should be crushed so that it can burn for a long time. This heating method saves labor and time, and the fuel is replaced only once every 12 hours. However, the heat dissipation pipe must be sealed well, otherwise the smoke leakage will also cause the death of insects. The choice of equipment for heating is related to the cost and heating effect. Electric furnaces and air conditioners are too expensive. Generally, small-scale breeding uses closed furnaces and coal as fuel. The heating furnace must be processed by a professional processing plant to achieve the effect of saving coal and dissipating heat. The advantage of closed furnace heating is that the fuel source is wide and simple, and the disadvantage is that if carbon monoxide leaks, it will cause the death of insects.

For factory farming with a breeding capacity of more than 500 kg of worms, it is best to use boiler water heating, which dissipates heat through the radiator, and the heat is evenly distributed, which has the best effect. Although the one-time investment is large, the fuel source is wide, and waste oil, rice husks, straw, sawn wood, etc. can be used.

There is another heating method in the north of the Yangtze River, commonly known as earth heating, which is based on the same principle as boiler water heating, but with simple equipment and low cost, suitable for small-scale farmers. In addition, this method is safe and reliable, because the heating furnace can be placed outside the farm, which will not cause carbon monoxide leakage and cause the death of mealworms.

Rearing of mealworm adults

The ratio of male and female mealworms is 1:1. Before releasing the adults, place a wooden board under the box, and a piece of paper on the board, so that the eggs can be laid on the paper. Spread a layer of feed 1 cm thick in the box, so that the adults can lay eggs on the paper instead of in the feed. Spread a layer of fresh mulberry leaves or other leguminous leaves on the feed, so that the adults can be scattered and hidden under the leaves, and maintain a relatively stable temperature. Then cover the cabbage according to the temperature and humidity. If the temperature is high and the humidity is low, cover it more. Vegetables mainly provide water and increase vitamins. Add as you eat, but do not overdo it, so as to avoid excessive humidity and rot of the leaves, which will make the mealworm adults easy to get sick and reduce the egg production.

The task of raising mealworm adults is to make them lay a large number of eggs. When the adults emerge from their pupae, before their body color turns dark brown, they should be transferred to an adult egg-laying box for breeding. The specifications of the adult egg-laying box are wooden boxes with a length, width, and height of 60 cm, 40 cm, and 15 cm respectively. A wire mesh with a mesh size of 2 mm to 3 mm is nailed on the bottom. The mesh cannot be too large, otherwise the adults will easily fall and escape, but it cannot be too small, otherwise the debris in the box cannot be sieved out. The four sides of the box are lined with tinplate or glass to prevent the insects from escaping.

Mealworm adults continuously eat and lay eggs during their growth period, so feed should be added once or twice a day, and the feed should be sprinkled on the leaves for them to eat freely. When laying eggs, most adults drill into the paper or the bottom between the paper and the net, extend their ovipositor through the wire mesh holes, and lay eggs on the paper or in the feed between the paper and the net; this can prevent the adult insects from eating the eggs.

After the adults have laid eggs continuously for three months, the females will gradually die of aging, and the egg-laying rate of the surviving females will also drop significantly. Therefore, all the adults must be eliminated after three months of breeding to avoid wasting feed and occupying the egg-laying boxes, thereby improving production efficiency.

The higher the temperature of mealworms, the better

After choosing the heating equipment, the heating method is also important, otherwise the ideal effect cannot be achieved. Some people think that as long as the temperature is added up, the higher the better, but this is not the case. In a fully enclosed breeding room, the maximum temperature cannot exceed 26℃. If it is higher than 26℃, it will produce a stuffy feeling and easily cause the death of mealworms. In addition, when changing the fuel in the morning and evening, the door needs to be opened for ventilation more than 2 times, each time for 5 minutes.

To prevent rainwater from flowing back to the heating furnace through the heat pipe on rainy days, a 90-degree elbow can be installed at the outlet of the heat pipe extending to the outdoors, with the outlet facing downward.

The film can only block the wind but not keep warm. Therefore, in addition to sealing the doors and windows with the film, they should also be reinforced with cardboard or other insulation layers, so that the indoor heat will not be lost and the heating effect will be better.

5. In which month do calabash bees have the most pupae?

Wasp (gourd bee) pupae can be harvested from July to October of the lunar calendar, and are generally most abundant in September (lunar calendar).

If it is a farmed hornet's nest, we recommend opening the nest and taking a look. If it is full, then cut it. If it is a wild beehive, it depends on your luck. Some are full and some are completely empty.

In addition, there are many species of hornets, and the time for cutting pupae will vary depending on the species.

6. How to breed rhubarb silkworm pupae?

1. Disinfection

When raising silkworm pupae, you must first prepare utensils and cardboard boxes of appropriate size, rinse and disinfect them with disinfectant, and then place them in a cool place to dry to avoid bacterial growth. Soft paper or cotton cloth should be placed at the bottom of the box to provide a comfortable environment for the silkworm pupae.

2. Temperature environment

Silkworm pupae cannot grow in a low-temperature environment. During the breeding process, they need to be placed in a warm and dry place. Be careful not to expose them to strong light. When the weather is clear, you can move the pupae to a place with scattered light.

3. Feeding method

Silkworm pupae do not have high requirements for food, so they can be provided with fresh leaves. After the silkworm pupae lay eggs, they need to be provided with small pieces of mulberry leaves, and there must be no water stains on the mulberry leaves, otherwise it will cause the death of the young silkworms.

4. Notes

During the process of silkworm pupae degenerating into moths, they should be placed in a cool place and not moved frequently, otherwise it will affect the hatching process. In addition, the environment must be dry. If the humidity is too high, it will cause adverse reactions in the silkworm pupae.

7. How to raise silkworm pupae at home?

Prepare the silkworm room, silkworm tools and mulberry leaves, and thoroughly disinfect the silkworm tools and silkworm room. In spring and summer, pour the silkworm eggs on paper to collect the silkworms, and then feed them 2-3 meals of fresh and tender small leaves every day, and control the temperature at around 27 degrees. When they grow to the second age, lower the temperature appropriately, feed them 2-3 meals of mulberry leaves every day, and do a good job of water and disease management. When they grow to the fourth age, the silkworms begin to make cocoons, and after peeling them open, you will get silkworm pupae.

Silkworm moths do not need to be fed. After the female moth emerges from the cocoon, it will emit a scent from its tail to lure the male moth to mate. The male moth will die after mating. After mating, the female moth will choose a place to lay about 500 eggs and then slowly die.

8. When should silkworm pupae be harvested?

The purchase of silkworm cocoons here is divided into five periods: spring, summer, early autumn, mid-autumn and autumn. Spring cocoons are generally purchased from the end of May to the beginning of June, summer cocoons in July, early autumn in September, mid-autumn in October and late autumn in November.

Silkworms can be raised several times a year, at least in spring and autumn. In summer, the temperature is too high to raise them, but they can be raised if there is air conditioning. In winter, they cannot be raised without mulberry flavor. When the silkworms (larvae) have eaten enough and are mature, they will spin silk to make cocoons. When they pupate in the cocoons, the cocoons can be harvested!

9. Do silkworm pupae hibernate?

Before a silkworm turns into a pupa, it will first make a cocoon for itself. In the wild, butterfly pupae and moth pupae will also have this behavior. But in the second year, they still break out of the cocoon and dance gracefully. So they will not be frozen to death in winter, at least most of them will survive the winter safely.

However, in the process of breeding, for the sake of profit, the cocoons of silkworms are removed without ensuring a suitable temperature. It is really hard to say. After all, if the silken clothes that the silkworms wear during the winter are taken away, they will be left lying naked in the winter, which is a life or death situation! However, if the pupae with the cocoons removed are placed indoors and provided with a suitable temperature, it is relatively easy for them to survive the winter!