How to Improve Profitability in Centipede Farming? Practical Methods Shared

 Centipede farming does not necessarily make every farmer money; perhaps the majority actually lose money. So how can we farm in a way that makes money? And how can we improve centipede farming profitability? Here, the Rural Wealth-Building Guide website has gathered the experience of farming experts to give a related introduction:

1. Accurately grasp the centipede's living habits and create the optimal environment for centipede farming. Centipedes mainly live in low mountain areas with many stones and little soil, and are only sparsely distributed in plains. Every year after Awakening of Insects, as the temperature warms, centipedes wake from hibernation and begin to emerge and become active, favoring damp, shady weed thickets or gullies full of scattered rocks. From Grain in Ear to Summer Solstice, as the temperature gradually rises, they again gradually move into shady trenches, graveyards, field ridges or crevices in earthen banks, avoiding the hot daytime. By late autumn, they mostly shelter under wind-sheltered, sun-facing loose-soil slopes or in warmer places such as tree holes and tree roots. In short, centipedes like to live in dark, damp, warm, ventilated burrows. According to these habits, the living environment we create for centipedes must simultaneously meet the requirements of being dark, damp, warm and ventilated. Our experience is: indoor centipede farming pools generally use about 1 sq m as one farming unit; within each farming unit, 20 cm from the anti-escape wall around the perimeter, tiles are used to build a square frame, with one layer of tiles facing front side up and another layer facing back side up, placed alternately front and back, making the frame about 30 cm high, with specially prepared rearing soil filled inside. Between the tiles a large number of small gaps form, and centipedes enter the internal rearing soil through the gaps, burrowing and making nests freely inside, creating their own little world. Outdoor centipede farming pools generally use about 10 sq m as one farming unit; within each farming unit, 40 cm from the anti-escape wall around the perimeter, tiles are used entirely to build a stack. First, spread a 10 cm thick layer of rearing soil on the ground; on top of it place a layer of tiles with the convex side up; on top of the tiles spread another 10 cm thick layer of rearing soil; then on top of the stack shrink inward by about 10 cm on all four sides, place a layer of tiles with the convex side up, and on top of the tiles continue to spread a 10 cm thick layer of rearing soil, until the stack rises to more than 60 cm. Such a stack is somewhat pyramid-shaped. Centipedes enter the stack through the gaps formed by the tiles. In early spring and after the Start of Autumn, when temperatures are relatively low, under daytime sunlight the temperature under the tiles at the edge of the stack is relatively high, so centipedes naturally move toward the edge; under summer sunlight, the temperature under the tiles at the edge of the stack is too high, so centipedes naturally move toward the interior of the stack, seeking a cool place; in winter, when temperatures drop sharply, the interior of the stack, because of the thick rearing soil and tiles for insulation, is warm and suitable, becoming an excellent place for centipedes to hibernate. 2. Accurately grasp the centipede's activity characteristics and choose the best feeding time. Centipedes generally come out at night to be active, and 20:00-23:00 is their peak activity period. Their characteristics are: more activity at night, less during the day; more activity when the temperature is above 25°C, less at 10-15°C; more activity on nights after rain, less on rainy nights; more activity on windless or breezy nights, less on nights with strong wind (wind force above level six). It can thus be seen that the frequency of centipede activity is closely related to meteorological factors such as temperature, air pressure, relative humidity, rainfall and light intensity. Based on the above characteristics, feeding centipedes must follow certain rules rather than remain unchanged. The rules that must be followed are: generally feed at a fixed point just before sunset, so that centipedes form a conditioned reflex and develop regularity in eating; at the same time, do not violate natural laws. On muggy nights after rain, centipede activity increases and appetite is better, so the feeding amount can be increased in good time; in adverse weather such as strong wind or overcast rain, the feeding amount should be reduced or even no food should be given. In short, the influence of meteorological factors on centipede activity should be fully considered and feeding should be reasonable. 3. Reasonably control farming density and prevent centipedes from killing one another. When centipedes live at too high a density or are disturbed too much, they are prone to killing one another and dying. However, under rearing conditions, as the living environment and rearing conditions improve, such as providing enough fresh feed and water and not increasing disturbance to their lives, even if farming density is relatively high, it has little effect on their lives. In particular, centipedes born from the same mother, because they have lived together since youth, can live in harmony even when dozens of them curl up together after growing up. Therefore, providing enough fresh feed and water and maintaining a quiet environment are essential conditions for artificial centipede farming. Unless breeding stock needs it, avoid mixing and rearing young centipedes produced in different farming pools as much as possible. 4. Grasp the centipede's dietary rules and scientifically blend centipede feed. Wild centipedes are typical carnivorous insects, relatively fierce, and with their jaw claws that can shoot venom, they can prey on various small animals much larger than themselves. Animal-based feeds that centipedes like to eat include: earthworms, woodlice, spiders, dragonflies, ground beetles, mantises, locusts, crickets, field crickets, mole crickets, cicadas, dermestid beetles, wasps, various fish, frogs, geckos, mutton, beef, rabbit meat, eggs, chicken, sparrow meat, snake meat, blow flies, house centipedes, silkworm pupae, goat milk, cow milk, etc. When animal-based feed supply is insufficient, they also eat plant-based feed. To reduce farming costs and expand feed sources, Xiwang Medicinal Animal Farm attaches special importance to the development and utilization of plant-based feed, and has developed several mixed feed formulas that centipedes greatly welcome. The plant-based feeds used include: wheat flour, rice flour, millet flour, corn flour, sorghum flour, bran, rice bran, corn husk, black soybean hull, soybean cake, peanut cake, rapeseed cake (subjected to pit-burial detoxification treatment), cottonseed cake (usage should not exceed 10%, used after drug detoxification), pagoda tree leaf powder, soybean hull, etc. Although the centipede's food sources are broad and varied, it requires fresh food and does not eat putrid or smelly food. Therefore, in artificial farming, to facilitate feed management and ensure feed freshness and cleanliness, do not scatter feed directly onto the centipede activity area or the stack where it rests, lest leftover feed mold and cause fungal diseases to spread. Instead, feed and drinking water should be placed in dedicated food plates or water plates; food plates and water plates must be placed at fixed times and fixed points, and the placement time and location should not be changed arbitrarily. Generally, food plates are placed at the feeding point before sunset in the afternoon, and taken out early the next morning to be cleaned for reuse. Centipedes eat a large amount at one time and have strong hunger tolerance. When hungry, the amount eaten at one time can reach 1/5 to 3/5 of their own body weight. After eating their fill, they will not starve to death if not given food for ten days to half a month, but centipedes cannot endure thirst and need to drink water every day. Therefore, water containers must be placed in the rearing site, and the water must be changed regularly to keep the drinking water fresh and clean. 5. Grasp the centipede's egg-laying rules and create the best incubation environment. Late spring to early summer each year is the centipede's egg-laying period. Each female centipede generally lays 20-60 eggs, mostly 40-50, with a few below 10. Before laying eggs, the centipede's abdomen presses tightly to the ground and it digs a shallow burrow by itself. When laying eggs, the centipede's body curves into an "S" shape, and eggs are laid one by one in a string from the reproductive pore into the self-dug shallow burrow. Without external disturbance, egg-laying takes 2-3 hours. After finishing, it immediately turns its body sideways, uses its walking legs to gather the eggs into a mass, and holds them "in its arms" to incubate. The eggs laid by the centipede are oval, varying in size, generally about 3-3.5 mm in diameter, cream-yellow, semi-transparent, with an egg membrane rich in elasticity. Centipede egg incubation takes a relatively long time, generally 43-50 days. During incubation, the external morphology and internal structure gradually change as the embryo continuously develops. After one month, the larva form begins to take shape inside the egg, with a body length of about 1.2 cm, and the wriggling of the larva within the egg membrane can be seen; after 35-40 days, the larval body length is about 1.5 cm, and it can already crawl up and down but cannot yet leave the mother; after 43-45 days, the larval body length is about 2.5 cm and it can leave the mother to seek food on its own. During incubation, the mother does not eat, drink, or leave the nest to be active. Therefore, throughout the entire incubation period, the humidity near the centipede should be kept relatively stable; too wet or too dry will both affect centipede incubation, and may even cause the mother to eat the eggs or young centipedes, affecting the hatching rate and larval survival rate. For farmers with little farming experience, before the centipede makes a nest and lays eggs, place one or more pots of moisture-loving flowers and plants, such as spider plant, on top of the centipede farming stack. Each time the plants are watered, the water seeps downward through the flowerpot. As long as the plants always grow vigorously, the humidity of the stack is basically stable. In this way, once the mother centipede finds a suitable place on the stack to make a nest, you must always keep the plants growing vigorously. If you find the plant leaves wilting, water them promptly; if you find root rot, it indicates excessive humidity, and watering must be stopped. During egg-laying or incubation, if the centipede is disturbed by the outside world, it will stop laying eggs and eat all the eggs already laid or being incubated. This is the so-called centipede "protective" reaction. After eating the eggs, the centipede can mostly lay and incubate eggs again. But this greatly delays the centipede's egg-laying period and incubation period, and the number of eggs laid is small and the hatching rate is not high, affecting the yield and quality of centipedes. Therefore, in artificial centipede farming, during the centipede's egg-laying and incubation period, the surrounding environment should be kept quiet, and disturbance must be avoided. This is a matter that must be noted in farming management.

 6. Molting and growth and development. Centipedes are crustacean arthropods, and their body surface is covered with a chitinous shell, which limits their further growth and development. To escape the limitation of the shell on further growth and development, they must molt several times during growth and development. Each molt results in obvious growth. Molting mostly occurs in midsummer or after egg-laying. Before molting, body color changes, movement slows, they do not eat, and vision and antenna function weaken. When molting, it proceeds segment by segment from front to back, finally molting out the tail legs. The old molted skin is wrinkled, and when straightened it is a complete centipede shell. Molting takes about 2 hours to complete. During molting, disturbance must be avoided, otherwise the molting time will be prolonged. Artificially farmed centipedes are easily attacked by swarms of ants when molting. The following methods can be used for ant prevention. ① Once ants are found, immediately put fresh bones or fried dough sticks into the rearing pool to trap and kill them. If there are too many ants, immediately transfer the centipedes, then scald and kill the ants in the rearing pool with boiling water. ② Mix 25 grams of honey, 25 grams of borax, 25 grams of glycerin and 250 grams of warm water thoroughly, and place it around the rearing pool where ants frequently appear to trap and kill them. ③ Scald the rearing soil with boiling water, then expose it to the sun to kill ants or ant eggs mixed in the rearing soil. 7. Shorten hibernation time and improve centipede farming profitability. Centipedes are poikilothermic animals, and changes in external temperature have a great influence on their lives. To shorten centipede farming time and create better farming profitability, measures such as raising and maintaining temperature are generally used to extend the centipede's growth period and shorten or even cancel hibernation time. Commonly used methods include constant-temperature farming and plastic greenhouse farming. Constant-temperature farming: constant-temperature farming is also called hibernation-free farming, that is, using artificial temperature control methods to break the centipede's hibernation habit, so that it remains in a good growth and development state all year round. The most critical equipment for constant-temperature farming is a heated house with a certain area that can be heated, temperature-controlled and has good insulation conditions. These heated houses can be newly built, or converted from existing ordinary residential houses or plastic greenhouses. No matter which kind of heated house, it must meet the following four principles: first, economical and practical; second, equipped with heating and insulation conditions; third, able to maintain good ventilation; fourth, scientifically and reasonably structured and easy to manage. Plastic greenhouse farming: make full use of sunlight during the day to raise the temperature inside the plastic greenhouse, and cover the plastic greenhouse with straw mats in the evening in good time to keep it warm, minimizing the day-night temperature difference as much as possible, shortening or even canceling the centipede's hibernation period, extending the centipede's growth time, and improving centipede farming profitability. Because plastic greenhouse farming depends on sunlight, attention must be paid to weather changes: in rainy or snowy weather, temporary heating measures should be taken promptly to avoid centipede hibernation as much as possible; if the centipede does hibernate, do not easily wake it; if the centipede hibernates repeatedly during one winter, it will cause relatively large casualties. When spring comes and the temperature rises, pay attention to timely ventilation, first to replenish fresh air, and second to prevent excessive temperature inside the greenhouse. In summer, the plastic sheeting needs to be removed in good time and replaced with shade cloth, or straw mats should be used for shading. 8. Natural enemies and disease prevention and control. 1. Prevention and control of ants: ants are the greatest enemy during the centipede's molting and incubation periods. The following methods can be used to prevent and control ants: ① Once ants are found, immediately put fresh bones or fried dough sticks into the rearing pool to trap and kill them. If there are too many ants, immediately transfer the centipedes, then scald and kill the ants in the rearing pool with boiling water. ② Mix 25 grams of honey, 25 grams of borax, 25 grams of glycerin and 250 grams of warm water thoroughly, and place it around the rearing pool where ants frequently appear to trap and kill them. ③ Scald the rearing soil with boiling water, then expose it to the sun to kill ants or ant eggs mixed in the rearing soil. 2. Prevention and control of mold mites: if the humidity in the centipede rearing pool is too high, when the temperature is high, centipedes are prone to harm by mold mites. After being parasitized by mold mites, centipedes not only have difficulty moving, but are also restless due to stimulation by toxins produced by the mold mites. More seriously, mold mites absorb large amounts of nutrients from the centipede's body, causing the centipede to become emaciated and die. The prevention and control methods are as follows: ① Do not add water in the rearing pool for one week, to reduce the water content of the rearing soil. ② Treat the rearing soil properly, using methods such as soaking in hot water and exposure to the sun to kill the mold mites in it. ③ Put fresh bones or fried dough sticks into the rearing pool to trap and kill mold mites, removing them 2-3 times a day, with very good results. 3. Prevention and control of indigestion: ordinarily strengthen feeding management, reduce stimulation from adverse factors, and improve the digestive ability of the digestive tract. In the low-temperature seasons of early spring and late autumn, insulation work should be done well, and the temperature in the pool should preferably be kept at 25°C. If the centipede has already contracted indigestion, the following two methods can treat it: ① Dissolve 1 gram of yeast tablets in 100 milliliters of warm water and feed, once a day, until recovery. ② Take 20 grams of hawthorn, 10 grams of white sugar and 250 grams of water, mix and boil for 20 minutes, once a day, feeding until recovery. 4. Prevention and control of gastroenteritis: preventing this disease mainly means strengthening management. During low-temperature periods, hang light bulbs in the pool to supplement light, installing one 20W light bulb per 10 sq m of pool. Keep feed fresh and pool water clean, and immediately take out diseased centipedes from the pool for isolation and treatment. When the condition is serious, disinfect the rearing pool with 3% formalin or 0.2% potassium permanganate aqueous solution. For centipedes that have already contracted the disease, use the following method for treatment: take 2 penicillin tablets and 2 yeast tablets, grind them into powder, mix evenly into 500 grams of feed, and feed once a day until recovery. 5. Prevention and control of green muscardine disease: ordinarily strengthen management, often scrub the food plates and water troughs, improve ventilation conditions, and properly control the temperature of the rearing pool. Once a centipede infected with green muscardine disease is found, it should be quickly taken out and reared separately. At the same time, all infected rearing soil should be removed and replaced with new rearing soil, and the tiles in the pool should be washed with 3% formalin solution; after they dry, put them back into the pool to kill the green muscardine fungus on the tiles. Spray and disinfect the area around the rearing pool with 0.5% bleaching powder solution to kill the green muscardine fungus, ensure a clean environment, and prevent the spores of the green muscardine fungus from spreading and causing reinfection. Dissolve 0.25 grams of chloramphenicol in 150 milliliters of warm boiled water, then let the centipede suck it, once a day, until the disease is cured. During the centipede's recovery period, also feed some high-activity protein feed, such as yellow mealworms and ground beetles, to improve the centipede's immunity.