A Detailed Guide to Cicada Farming Methods and Key Technical Points
Because the cicada has a unique flavor, is rich in nutrients, and also has good health benefits, market demand is growing and prices are rising higher and higher. However, wild resources alone cannot resolve the contradiction between supply and demand, so the prospects for artificially farming cicadas are broad. For successful cicada breeding, you should master key points such as obtaining seed stock, selecting host plants, choosing a rearing site, and configuring protective measures.
How to farm cicadas
1. Primary seed stock can be obtained by collecting naturally in the field; eggs, nymphs, and adults can all be collected as seed stock. From July to September, all stages can be collected; August to September is the best season to collect nymphs; September is the best time to collect cicada egg-bearing branches, and they can be collected throughout the year.
2. For egg collection, you can choose an ideal place with dense trees and many cicadas. Use fruit-tree pruning shears or a long pole with a hook at the tip to gently remove the 1-2 year old thin dead branches on the trees that were killed by cicada egg-laying. Any branch that is flat and dead on one side, with an incomplete surface and a large number of milky white elongated oval eggs embedded in the xylem beneath the bark, is a cicada egg branch. Cut off the excess egg-free dead tips above the egg-laying scars, leave 10-15 cm of egg-free branch below the egg-laying scar marks, tie about 50 branches into a small bundle, and place them in a plastic bag for later use.
3. To capture nymphs, target naturally matured final-instar nymphs. Nymphs can be collected by shining a flashlight at the base of the main trunk of the tree from 7 to 12 in the evening; after collection, place them in a gauze cage to emerge and lay eggs. In the egg-laying gauze cage, plant shrub-like hosts, mainly various seedling fruit trees.
4. There are many ways to catch adult cicadas on trees, such as using a fire pile to attract them at night. To ensure the adult cicadas are not damaged, you can use wheat gluten to stick and capture them. The method is to repeatedly rinse the mixed dough with water to remove the starch, leaving pure gluten, store it in broad lotus leaves or poplar leaves, stick it to the tip of a bamboo pole, and use it to stick and catch adult insects in the early morning or during the day.
Methods for farming cicadas
1. Gather egg-bearing branches collected directly from the wild or from seed stock sites indoors to promote hatching. Hatching method: in a plastic box 70 cm long, 40 cm wide, and 20 cm high, spread 5-10 cm thick of fine dry sand on the bottom, place the egg branches in bundles upright or horizontally on top, and continuously spray mist with a small sprayer to maintain high air humidity around the egg-bearing branches so that excess water droplets are adsorbed into the fine sand at the bottom. During this period, keep sampling and checking the hatching of the eggs. When nymph activity is found, the branches together with the fine sand can be placed in the rearing site for propagation.
2. The propagation time is generally from September to October (two-year eggs) or from June to July (eggs of the current year). Choose healthy tree species with well-developed root systems, vigorous growth, and relatively abundant sap, such as poplar, elm, willow, paulownia, or various fruit trees in orchards. In addition, interplant some root and tuber crops, such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, yams, etc. On the ground under the host plants at the rearing site, about 1 meter away from the base of the trunk, dig regular narrow trenches about 30-50 cm deep, such as in ring, square, triangular, parallel, or radial shapes, in order to facilitate later digging and collection. After “propagation,” cover with soil and compact it, and keep records of the time, quantity, “propagation” trench shape, and depth, etc.
3. From the egg stage to growing and developing into a mature nymph (cicada turtle), the cicada needs to grow underground for three winters and summers (actually 2 years): In the first year, growth begins in June, and in that year the body weight is only about 1 gram, and the whole body and eyes are milky white; in the second year, the body weight develops to about 3 grams, the body pigmentation darkens, and the eyes are pink; in the third year, the nymph (cicada turtle) matures, with a body weight of 4.5-5 grams and an average of 210 per kilogram. At this time, the body color is brown and the eyes are blackish gray. Based on body weight, body color depth, and changes in eye color, you can accurately determine the time and age stage of nymph growth and development.
The nutritional value of cicadas
Cicadas have extremely high medicinal-diet nutritional value and a unique taste. The nymphs that have just emerged from the soil have the highest protein content, making them a rare high-protein, low-fat wild delicacy. In addition to their edible value, cicadas also have extremely high medicinal value. Cicadas have a unique flavor, are rich in nutrients, and also have good medicinal and dietary health benefits. Every 100 g of dried cicada powder contains 4 g of water, 7.19 g of fat, 71.4 g of protein, 10.9 g of carbohydrates, and trace elements including 30 mg of potassium, 17 mg of calcium, and 8 mg of zinc, so the nutritional value of cicadas is very high.
According to Chinese Materia Medica, cicadas have effects such as benefiting essence and strengthening yang, protecting the lungs and benefiting the kidneys, resisting bacteria and lowering blood pressure, relieving cough and promoting fluid production, and treating baldness and inhibiting cancer. Cicada slough is rich in chitin, isoxanthopterin, and adenosine triphosphatase, and is often used to treat externally contracted wind-heat, cough with hoarse voice, sore and swollen throat, rubella and itching, red eyes and eye opacity, tetanus, and persistent night crying in children. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that cicada slough is salty and sweet in taste and cold in nature, and can clear heat, extinguish wind, and calm convulsions. Cicadas are rich in protein, and cicada slough has a great therapeutic effect on treating stomach diseases.
Is farming cicadas profitable
In recent years, as wild resources have decreased year by year, people have begun to pay attention to cicada farming. Current artificial farming technology is still at the exploratory stage, and with the latest farming methods the yield is only around 100 to 200 jin, but as people explore more deeply, the per-mu yield of cicadas will make great breakthroughs!
In recent years, demand for cicadas has been strong, supply has been tight, and the situation in which prices climb to a higher level year after year has already formed. The trend of cicadas transforming from a rural wild delicacy into a mid-to-high-end urban food is becoming more and more obvious. In the next 3 to 5 years, cicada prices may continue to climb at a rate of 8 to 10 yuan per jin each year! However, here I still want to remind friends who have just come into contact with cicada farming that even the best industry has negative aspects, especially in the breeding industry. Farming cicadas is a trend, but it is not as simple and high-benefit as is widely said on websites! Everyone should be clear about this and treat cicada farming with a rational attitude!
With the continuous development of the breeding industry today, various kinds of breeding industries are constantly emerging. Perhaps people did not know much about cicadas before, but as people's living standards continue to rise, many people have discovered that cicadas are a particularly nutritious and especially delicious thing, so their development prospects are very broad.