CATDOLL : CATDOLL: Introduction to Golden Cicada Breeding (How to write an introduction to Golden Cicada Breeding)

1. How to breed, plant and manage cicadas?

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Selective breeding of trees

Dwarf fruit trees such as apricot trees, peach trees, apple trees or other dwarf shrubs are good trees for cicada breeding. Pay attention to timely pruning of high branches to facilitate breeding and management; interplant fruit tree seedlings between trees to increase the branches for cicada egg laying; plant cicada eggs under the trees, refer to the "Cicada Breeding Technology" for methods.

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Building a breeding greenhouse

Before the cicadas are about to emerge, build breeding greenhouses, with an area of ​​1 mu each. Use cement columns or bamboo sticks to build fences around the breeding area, with a row spacing of 5 meters. 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. For breeding, choose high and dry land with convenient drainage and irrigation. Avoid building breeding greenhouses in low-lying land that is prone to water accumulation.

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Pest management and epidemic prevention

After the cicadas emerge from the ground, they have a strong tendency to move toward light. In the early stage, they should be allowed to enter the greenhouse after they have emerged from the molts. When catching them, they will fly around and bump into the light, causing the death of the seed insects. Therefore, all the cicadas that have emerged from the ground within the first week can be caught, and they can be allowed to naturally emerge and lay eggs after one week. The seed density is about 10,000 per mu, with males and females accounting for about 50% each. Each female cicada can lay 500 to 1,500 eggs. Each greenhouse can provide seeds for the reproduction of cicadas on about 20 mu of land.

About 20 days after the cicadas emerge from their pupae, they can mate and lay eggs. When laying eggs, the cicadas pierce the epidermis of the branches and lay their eggs in the wood. During the mating and egg-laying period, try not to walk around or make noise in the greenhouse to avoid adverse effects on the cicadas.

Since there are many natural enemies of nymphs (cicada turtles) after they emerge from the soil and adults after they emerge from the shells, such as toads, sparrows and mantises, protection work should be done in the greenhouse. In addition, the gauze nets should be checked frequently to prevent the cicadas from escaping.

Microorganisms such as Beauveria bassiana, Metarhizium anisopliae and Entomogenetic algae (cicadae) can cause parasitic damage to cicadas, so protection should be strengthened during breeding. During the period when mature nymphs emerge from the soil, eggs under trees and cicada ants occur, the main natural enemies of cicadas are ants and red flower bugs, so they must be strictly prevented. Strong ammonia can be used for soil treatment.

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Feed supply

Choose healthy tree species with well-developed root systems, lush growth, and more sap, such as poplar, elm, willow, tung, or various fruit trees in the orchard. In addition, intercrop some root and tuber plants, such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, and yams.

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Environmental conditions

The appropriate depth for the "breeding" of cicadas is 30 to 50 centimeters. They 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 much water or water accumulation. This ensures that the root system of the host plant grows and develops normally, and that the young plants are tender, developed, and juicy. In winter, the breeding area should be covered with wheat straw, rice straw, corn straw, etc. to maintain the ground temperature.

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Epidemic prevention preparation

There are many natural enemies of nymphs (cicada turtles) after they emerge from the soil and adults after they emerge from their shells, such as toads, snakes, mice, hedgehogs, wild cats, sparrows and mantises, which all like to eat nymphs (cicada turtles). Microorganisms such as Beauveria bassiana, Metarhizium anisopliae and Entomogenetic algae fungi (Cicada fungus) also cause harm. In addition, floods and pollution from pesticides and fertilizers are also harmful to nymphs (cicada turtles) or cicadas.

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Breeding technology

In addition to collecting cicada eggs naturally, we can build gauze greenhouses to provide space for cicada adults to lay eggs. We can use the fruit trees in abandoned orchards to replant fruit tree seedlings, build fences around them with cement columns or bamboo sticks, and then stretch iron wires in the middle, and cover them with nylon window screens. The emerged or collected adults can mate and lay eggs in them, and the number of adults can be retained as needed, without having to collect seed sources from the wild.

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The planting time of cicada

Planting time is generally from May to July or from September to October. Dig regular narrow trenches about 10 to 30 cm deep about 1 meter away from the base of the trunk, such as ring, square, triangle, parallel or radial shapes, for the purpose of later digging and harvesting. Cover the soil and compact it after "planting", and keep records of the time, quantity, "planting" 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 plants should be tender, developed and juicy. In winter, wheat straw, rice straw, corn straw, etc. should be covered in the planting area to maintain the ground temperature.

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Harvesting Golden Cicadas

After burying the egg branches for 2-3 years, the cicadas begin to grow and mature gradually. The harvesting period is generally during the summer solstice every year. If there is a heavy rain, the fat and strong nymphs will start to drill out of the ground at 4-5 am, 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 to shed their shells. After 2-4 hours, they will shed their skin 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 site can be artificially irrigated to induce the cicadas to emerge. Before the cicadas emerge, or before the cicadas mature, a circle of smooth plastic film can be tied around the tree trunk 30 cm above the ground to prevent the cicadas from continuing to crawl up the tree for easy harvesting. You can also use a flashlight to illuminate and catch them on the ground and tree trunks under the tree at night. Or catch the young adult cicadas on the tree in the early morning.

Precautions

The most important seasons are the egg stage on trees, the occurrence of cicada ants, and the emergence of mature nymphs. The natural enemies of the egg stage on trees and the occurrence of cicada ants are mainly ants and red flower bugs. The treatment measures are to use 100 times the solution of strong ammonia to wash the egg-bearing branches or DDVP, strong chlorine, etc. to treat the soil.

2. What are the methods for breeding cicadas and what are the things to pay attention to?

Egg treatment

Good quality cicada eggs are a prerequisite for successful cicada breeding. Farmers can breed on their own if they are breeding on a small scale, or collect wild cicada eggs. However, it should be noted that wild cicada eggs have the disadvantages of inconsistent larvae, mixed varieties, and low yields. In addition, it is best not to use cicada eggs from fruit trees, because the eggs in fruit trees are seriously harmed by pesticides and have a low survival rate. Large-scale breeding must be purchased from regular professional breeding farms. Tie 50-100 branches with cicada eggs into a bundle, place them in a pot or on the ground, and then process them with special methods for later use.

2. Tree species selection

The key to improving the efficiency and yield of cicada breeding is to choose healthy tree species with developed root systems, lush growth and more sap for breeding. For example, poplar, elm, willow, tung or various fruit trees in the orchard are all tree species that cicadas like to eat. In addition, dwarf shrubs such as honeysuckle and green wax are also crops that cicadas like to eat. Cicadas cannot be bred under trees such as pine and bitter lily. Because the rhizomes of pine trees have a special pine scent, cicadas do not like to eat them; cicada larvae also do not like to eat the bitter sap of bitter lily trees. It is best to intercrop some vines such as potatoes and sweet potatoes. Some experts say that root crops need to be planted to meet the feeding requirements of cicadas, but this statement is not true. According to my field's observations over the years, cicadas do not survive by eating root and rhizome plants, but rhizome vines can provide a better shading condition for cicadas.

3. Incubation conditions

The most important condition for hatching cicada eggs is temperature. A suitable temperature is the key to shortening the growth cycle of cicadas and increasing the hatching rate of cicadas. The temperature should generally be controlled at 25-35℃, and the maximum temperature should not exceed 38℃. Too low temperature may cause the cicada to spawn for a longer time, and too high temperature may cause the cicada eggs to die. The general process is to do the treatment of cicada eggs and land in autumn and winter, and hatch and breed cicadas during the Spring Festival. The eggs can be hatched from March to July every year. Heating is mainly done by using a coal stove. Be sure to exhaust the gas in the hatching room to prevent the gas from damaging the cicada eggs. Maintaining appropriate humidity is particularly important to improve the hatching rate of cicadas. During the hatching, use a sprayer to spray water on the cicada eggs every day to keep them moisturized. The spray should be fine and even. Too dry or too wet will cause damage to the hatching of cicadas.

4. Breeding management

Under the condition of suitable temperature and humidity, it only takes about 35 days to hatch the little golden cicada. When about 20% of the golden cicadas have hatched, the golden cicada strips can be planted at the roots of the trees. When planting, dig a trench about 1 meter away from the roots of the trees, with a depth of 30-50 cm and a width of 20 cm. Then plant the golden cicada larvae and eggs in the trench, fill the soil and cover it. It should be sunny and frost-proof. The soil should be soft, fertile and pollution-free. The land should not be too dry, nor should it have too high a water content or water accumulation. At the same time, ensure that the root system of the host plant grows and develops normally, and the young and juicy young plants are covered. In winter, wheat straw, rice straw, corn stalks, etc. should be covered in the planting area to maintain the ground temperature. To ensure the smooth emergence of the insects, tape should be wrapped around the tree trunks before the golden cicadas emerge to prevent the golden cicadas from escaping. Cicadas mainly emerge between 8 and 10 p.m., and spraying a cicada inducer about 6 hours before emergence can concentrate the time at which the cicadas emerge, making it easier to manage and harvest. After harvesting, they can be simply cleaned and processed before being sold as finished products.

3. How to breed cicadas?

Cicada breeding technology

Golden cicada is an oviparous and underground incubated medicinal material with extremely high medicinal value. It has the effects of clearing blood and removing blood stasis, health care, and has a certain therapeutic effect on hypertension. However, the existing golden cicada has the disadvantages of long growth cycle, low survival rate, and is not suitable for collection.

1. Egg collection: Egg collection is done after the cicada lays eggs in autumn, usually around the seventh month of the lunar calendar. The cicada uses the small thorns on its tail to pierce the tender branches of one year old trees and lay eggs in the branches, mostly on juicy branches such as fruit trees. After laying eggs, the branches will dry up, so most branches with green lower ends and dry tips have cicada eggs.

2. Post-harvest processing: After collecting the branches with cicada eggs, remove the dry leaves, cut off the two ends, and bundle thirty branches into a bundle. Spread a layer of sand on the bottom of a large washing basin, and put the bundled branches upright in the basin. Keep the temperature at 28-34 degrees and the humidity moist. Spray it when it is dry. Use a sprayer to spray the branches until they are thoroughly wet.

3. Hatching: The larvae will hatch in about 15 days. At this time, you will see some larvae crawling up and down on the branches. When about 20% of the larvae have hatched, they should be buried. The burial pit should be in an area with many fine and soft hair roots so that the larvae can absorb nutrients from the roots. It is best to choose a plot where honeysuckle is planted.

4. Sowing: Dig a pit into a strip shape, the depth should be mainly to the hairy roots, and the width should be one shovel. Put the branches with hatched larvae into the pit, and the larvae will hug the plant roots by themselves. Be gentle and slow when returning the soil. Do not step on the soil after returning it, and do not water it to ensure ventilation.

5. Harvesting: If there are trees, wrap them with transparent tape at a distance of one meter to prevent the cicadas from climbing high to metamorphose. Cicadas will become adults 15-18 months after sowing.

6. Tips: Cicada eggs are collected mainly from wax branches and fruit tree branches. Cicada egg larvae feed on the juice of plant roots, so it is best to choose a multi-root area when burying. Each branch contains 100-400 cicada eggs, so 500-800 branches per acre are appropriate to ensure the survival rate. Using this method to grow golden cicadas can advance the original growth period of 3-15 years to 18 months, the incubation period is increased from the original one year to about 35 days, and the survival rate is increased from the original 6% to about 30%-60%.

4. How to breed cicadas?

1. Choose trees

Generally speaking, tree species with well-developed lateral roots, juicy branches, and large annual growth, and trees over three years old are more suitable for growing cicadas. Apricot trees, peach trees, pear trees, and apple trees are all more suitable for growing cicadas. For chicken farmers, such trees are also more suitable for raising native chickens under the forest. You can raise native chickens and grow cicadas under the forest, killing two birds with one stone.

2. Construction of gauze greenhouse

You can build a screen shed in the orchard, use cement pillars or bamboo sticks to build a fence around it, and then pull iron wire in the middle, and cover it with nylon window screen. You can catch some cicada monkeys and put them in, and wait for them to naturally emerge. Or you can directly catch adult cicadas. Generally, they mate in a ratio of 1:1 between male and female, and female cicadas can generally lay about 500 eggs.

The cicadas can mate and lay eggs about 20 days after they emerge from their pupae. During the mating and egg-laying period, try not to walk around or make noise in the greenhouse to avoid adverse effects on the cicadas.

3. Collecting Egg Strips

There are some special farms that cultivate cicada ants, and you can directly buy cicada larvae. Breeders with better skills can cultivate them themselves. There are cracks on the egg strips that look like they have been cut by a knife, and cicada eggs are laid in these tiny cracks. Eggs are usually laid on one-year-old tender strips. Most branches that are green at the bottom and dry at the end have cicada eggs. The general process is to do the work of laying golden cicada eggs in autumn and winter, and they can be hatched and planted from March to July every year.

4. Incubation

If you buy larvae directly, you don't need to hatch them. Egg strips are usually collected around the seventh month of the lunar calendar. After collection, remove the dry leaves from the branches and cut off the ends. 30-50 strips are bundled together. If the number of eggs collected is small, you can use a washing basin.

Spread a layer of sand on the bottom and place the bundled branches upright in the pot.

If there are a large number of larvae, you can make a hatching rack yourself. Use a few thick branches or metal mesh to support a platform, and place the tree branches on it. Under the platform, put a large piece of plastic film (some of the hatched white larvae will fall on it), and sprinkle some fine sand that has been screened and dried on the plastic film.

The suitable temperature for hatching is 28--35℃, and an incubator is required. For chicken farmers who have a brooding room, this is not a difficult task, and cicadas can be hatched in the brooding room. The technical requirements for cicada breeding are very strict. For example, during the incubation period of cicada eggs, the temperature and humidity of the incubation must be strictly controlled. Fluctuating temperatures can easily cause the death of cicada eggs; too dry will cause the hatching rate of cicada eggs to drop significantly, and too wet will cause the cicada eggs to suffocate and die.

In order to keep the branches moist, regular inspections and observations are required every day. Generally, water should be sprayed 4-6 times a day. The incubation time is about 15 days. After the larvae hatch, they will climb up and down the branches, and some will accidentally fall into the fine sand. When about 30% of the larvae have hatched, it is time to prepare for sowing.

4. Sowing

When the ground temperature is kept above 10℃ during the day, you can sow seeds. The planting time is generally from May to July or from September to October. 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, intercrop some rhizome plants, such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, and yams. Before sowing, use a tiller to plow the sandy soil in the woods to make it softer, and sprinkle an appropriate amount of water to make the soil loose and moist. You can cover a layer of hay or wheat straw under the tree where you plan to raise cicadas and sprinkle water to soak it so that the tree can grow a large number of capillary roots, providing a good environment for the growth of small cicadas.