Four Steps to Easily Master Ground Beetle Farming Techniques

 With the rise of traditional Chinese medicine in recent years, many medicinal materials have been purchased at high prices by the market. Because ground beetles can be used in many medicines, market demand is now enormous. With the development of technology in recent years, ground beetle farming in Shandong has already reached a certain scale. And many farmers also want to join the ranks of raising them. So what do we need to master for ground beetle farming? Today I will teach you four very important points. As long as we master these four points, I believe everyone's ground beetle farming techniques will improve greatly.

1. Growing environment. Ground beetles are not very demanding about their growing environment. An ordinary house can be chosen as the rearing room. The rearing pools should be designed overall and reasonably according to the size of the rearing room, taking into account the three-dimensional structure of the room, developing toward the space, and improving the utilization rate of the room. First, the base pool must be built, that is, at the lowest level, which is the foundation of the entire three-dimensional pool system, generally about 50 cm high. Second, the distance between the two layers must be reasonably determined, generally 40 cm between layers is appropriate. The upper part of each layer must be fitted with anti-escape facilities, such as glass strips or plastic film. The rearing soil can be prepared from sawdust and fine soil, generally mixing 70% sawdust and 30% fine soil, exposing it to sunlight, sieving it, then adding an appropriate amount of water or 0.5% saline solution, and stirring evenly before use. The mixed soil is best when it can be squeezed into a ball by hand and falls apart when released. 2. Farming density. When farming ground beetles, we must adjust according to the different growth stages of the ground beetles. Generally, 180,000 to 200,000 larvae are reared per square meter. When the ground beetles grow to the size of mung beans, 100,000 to 120,000 are reared per square meter; at the size of soybeans, 40,000 to 50,000; at the size of broad beans, 20,000 to 30,000; about 10,000 for adults; and 4,000 egg-laying insects are reared per square meter. Reasonable density control is the key to the rapid growth of ground beetle farming. 3. Feed and feeding. Ground beetles have a very broad diet. Generally, any feed needed for animal growth can be fed to them, such as grains, wheat bran, rice bran, various cakes, or pumpkin flowers. Animal-based feed is also acceptable, such as bone meal, fish meal, blood meal, and scraps from various animals. Animal-based feed should be fed cooked. Concentrated feed can be fed raw or cooked, but cooked is better, as it helps improve appetite and increase food intake. For example, wheat bran, rice bran, cornmeal, etc. can be scalded and mixed with boiling water, or the concentrated feed can be stir-fried until cooked and ground, mixed with an appropriate amount of water, with the standard being that it forms a ball when grabbed and breaks apart when pressed, and then placed on the feeding platform. Other green feed can be chopped and fed raw. The feed only needs to be given once each evening, with the amount based on the principle that there is nothing left on the feeding platform the next morning and the ground beetles are not hungry. 4. Temperature and humidity. In our north, the changes across the four seasons are quite obvious. When the temperature drops below ten degrees, ground beetles begin to hibernate, so we need to maintain a temperature suitable for ground beetle growth at all times. The most suitable temperature for ground beetles is 23 to 30 degrees C, and when controlling the temperature we should also check the humidity of the rearing room. If the temperature cannot be reached, we need to heat it artificially to raise the temperature of the rearing room.