How to Raise Leeches? Detailed Guide to Farming Techniques and Precautions

Abstract Water quality regulation: the water must be kept fresh, and a certain dissolved oxygen level must be maintained; in summer when the water temperature is high, take care to change the water appropriately. Overwintering management: leeches lie dormant in winter; those stocked in early spring have generally grown well and can be processed and sold; select large, robust individuals to keep as breeding stock. Each mu should retain 10-15 kg, and they should be concentrated in a breeding pool to overwinter. Winter insulation: leeches grow well when the water temperature is 15-30°C, stop feeding below 10°C, and their growth is affected above 35°C.

The leech is also called the medicinal leech, and it has very high medicinal value; after drying, the whole body can be used as medicine, with effects such as promoting blood circulation, dispersing blood stasis, and dredging meridians. Because of the leech's high application value, market demand for it is also very large, and more and more people are entering the leech farming industry.

How to Raise Leeches

1. Water quality regulation. Although leeches can grow in sewage environments, artificial farming is generally high-density, so the water quality must be kept fresh, and a certain dissolved oxygen level must be maintained. When the oxygen content in the water is lower than 2 mg/L, leeches generally float to the surface and show signs of restlessness. When the water temperature is relatively high in summer, be sure to change the water appropriately.

2. Overwintering management. Leeches lie dormant in winter. Generally, leeches stocked in early spring have, by winter, grown to a size that can be processed and sold. When harvesting, be sure to drain the water first, then scoop them up with a net. Take care to select large, robust individuals to keep as breeding stock; each mu should retain 10-15 kg, and finally they should be concentrated in a breeding pool to overwinter.

3. Winter insulation. When the temperature of the breeding pool is above 15°C, leeches can feed and grow, thereby shortening the farming cycle and achieving year-round rearing. When the water temperature of the rearing pool is 15-30°C, leeches grow well; below 10°C they stop feeding, and above 35°C their growth is affected.

Leech Farming Techniques and Precautions

1. Prevent escape: build an escape-prevention wall around the outside of the pond, with a suitable height of more than 80-90 cm. The inner side of the escape-prevention wall should be plastered with cement and sand into a rough surface.

2. Stock a large amount of aquatic plants: mainly water hyacinth and duckweed. Leeches are rather afraid of direct sunlight, so planting a large amount of aquatic plants can both serve as feed for river snails and provide shading; leeches can also lay eggs on them.

3. Feed placement: about 50 kg of river snails should be put into each mu of water surface. In addition, livestock and poultry blood clots should be provided to the leeches once a week, but the blood clots must not contain salt. To avoid affecting water quality, do not put the blood clots directly into the water. The blood clots can be placed on a wooden block so they float on the water surface. After the leeches smell it, they can climb up to feed. The blood clots must be fresh, that is, they must not be left for more than two days.

4. After introducing the stock, do not put the leeches directly into the pond: because during transport the leeches themselves produce a layer of mucous membrane as a protective film, so it is best to choose a shady, damp place around the pond, put the leeches into it, and let them crawl into the pond on their own, in order to reduce deaths.

What Is the Difference Between Mahuang and Shuizhi

1. Mahuang is shuizhi, just called by different names. The common broad-bodied leech in China, also called the horse leech, has a relatively large body, is slightly spindle-shaped, and is flat from back to belly and plump, with a length of 6-13 cm and a width of 1.3-2.2 cm. The back is generally dark green, with 5 longitudinal stripes mixed with black and pale yellow. It has anticoagulant and blood-stasis-breaking effects. In traditional Chinese medicine in China, it is mainly used to treat thrombosis, vascular diseases, glaucoma, blood stasis obstruction, unnamed swellings and toxins, lymphatic tuberculosis, and other conditions.

Common Diseases of Leeches

1. White spot disease: also called ulcer disease, mildew disease, etc. It is mainly caused by the protozoan Ichthyophthirius multifiliis, and is mostly caused by bacterial infection after bites by predatory aquatic insects or other enemies. Symptoms: after leeches contract this disease, there will be white spot blister-like objects and small white spots on their body surface; they move inflexibly, their body is unbalanced when swimming, and they may also show anorexia and other conditions.

2. Gastroenteritis: a disease caused by eating spoiled or difficult-to-digest food. Symptoms: after leeches contract this disease, they will have poor appetite, be lazy to move, and have a red and swollen anus.

3. Dry-wither disease: mainly caused by too little environmental humidity and too high temperature on the banks around the pond. Symptoms: after leeches contract this disease, they will show poor appetite, reduced activity, emaciation and weakness, and other symptoms; their bodies will become shriveled, dehydrated and shrunken, and the whole body will turn black.

Leeches have very wide applications. If you want to enter the leech farming industry, in addition to mastering mature farming techniques, you also need to investigate the market situation and judge according to your own conditions whether this line is suitable for you. Any farming industry has risks, so everyone must think it over carefully before deciding.