How to raise earthworms in winter? Master the techniques of heat preservation and freeze protection

Summary During breeding, cut off the shade around the worm bed. After 10 a.m. on sunny days, reduce the covering to a thinner level so sunlight can reach the material bed, then cover it again after 4 p.m. In winter, heat preservation measures need to be taken. You can use double-layer film with 1 layer of straw curtain sandwiched in between, which is 6degC warmer than covering with 1 layer of film, and it can also play a cooling regulation role in March. At this time, the temperature of the earthworm breeding bed is 6degC lower than when covered with 1 layer of film as usual, which can effectively avoid excessively high temperatures.

1. To raise earthworms in winter, you need to cut off all the shade around the worm bed so the sun can shine on the worm bed from morning to night. The bed material left over from autumn is no longer thinned. Instead, increase the thickness of the bed by adding material gradually. Before adding material, shovel the old bed soil into 1 line in the center to form a long cone shape, add unfermented raw material on both sides, and then add water gradually to let it ferment slowly.

2. After waiting 7 days, cover it back onto the old bed soil in the center. After the earthworms begin to eat the new material, level it out. After they have eaten half of the new material, add 1 more round of new material in the same way as above. After 10 a.m. on sunny days, reduce the covering to a thinner level so sunlight can reach the material bed, then cover it again after 4 p.m.

3. During this period, the covering should have a lower layer of 10cm-thick loose rice straw or wild grass, with a straw curtain or straw bag pressed tightly on top, then film over that. When sprinkling water, use a sprayer to spray directly onto the material bed at noon on sunny days, and keep the covering rice straw dry. When extracting earthworms, take from outdoor beds on sunny days and from indoor beds on rainy days.

4. Although earthworms grow relatively slowly in winter, because there are many reserve earthworm groups, it will not affect the amount of adult earthworms extracted in winter. When the weather turns warm in spring, dismantle the piles and continue breeding.

5. In winter, heat preservation measures need to be taken. Many earthworm farmers lay a layer of film flat on the earthworm breeding bed. Although the temperature of the earthworm breeding bed on sunny days is 8-10degC higher than the air temperature, in the early morning when the temperature is very low, the earthworm breeding bed is only 1-2degC higher than the outside. When breeding indoors, doors and windows need to be sealed tightly to prevent heat loss, and heating facilities such as stoves, hot walls or heaters can also be used.

6. At the same time, you can also use double-layer film with 1 layer of straw curtain sandwiched in between. This method is simple and convenient, has relatively low investment cost, and has good warming and heat preservation effects. It is 6degC warmer than covering with 1 layer of film, and it can also play a cooling regulation role in March. At this time, the temperature of the earthworm breeding bed is 6degC lower than when covered with 1 layer of film as usual, which can effectively avoid excessively high temperatures.

7. Earthworms are poikilothermic animals, and their body temperature changes with changes in the external environmental temperature. Therefore, earthworms are more dependent on the environment than homoiothermic animals. Environmental temperature not only affects the body temperature and activity of earthworms, but also affects their metabolism, growth and development, and reproduction.

8. Generally, the activity temperature of earthworms is around 5-30degC. At 0-5degC they enter a dormant state, and below 0degC they die.

9. The relatively suitable temperature is around 20-27degC. At this time, they can grow, develop and reproduce relatively well. When the temperature is 28-30degC, they can maintain a certain amount of growth. Above 32degC, growth stops. Below 10degC, activity becomes sluggish. Above 40degC, they die.

10. The relatively suitable temperature for cocoon hatching is 18-27degC. From this it can be seen that the higher lethal temperature of earthworms is lower than that of other invertebrates.