How to Raise Ulomoides dermestoides? Detailed Explanation of Breeding Methods and Key Technical Points

Ulomoides dermestoides is an insect that can be used medicinally, also known as the "foreign beetle," and quite a few people raise Ulomoides dermestoides for ornamental purposes. So how do you raise Ulomoides dermestoides?

1. How to Raise Ulomoides dermestoides?

The entire growth and reproduction process of Ulomoides dermestoides consists of the egg stage (3—4 days), larval stage (25—30 days), pupal stage (4—7 days), and adult stage (50—60 days), four stages in total, and it is a holometabolous insect. The entire life cycle of this insect is about 100—130 days. To make them reproduce continuously at this rate all year round, he increased humidity and heated the breeding facility, keeping the temperature at around 30°C.

However, for beginners, the current Ulomoides dermestoides market is still rather chaotic. In 2009, the price of Ulomoides dermestoides was more than 1 yuan each, while today the retail price of Ulomoides dermestoides is 2 jiao each. The main reason for such a large price difference is the flooding of fake Ulomoides dermestoides, which has greatly affected the original market. Since Ulomoides dermestoides are all fed with precious Chinese medicinal herbs, if the price is very low, they are most likely fake insects.

The foreign beetle has preferences for feed and likes eating sweet-tasting foods. Jujubes are its favorite, followed by fresh orange peel (which can greatly supplement the moisture of Ulomoides dermestoides, so there is no fear of them dying of dryness). Lingzhi slices, ginseng, eucommia bark, safflower, lotus seeds, walnuts, goji berries, etc. can also be fed.

As for the feed given by the keeper, apart from red jujubes and fresh orange peel, the others can be fed in small amounts. But if you raise only a small number, it will not cost much money, yet you can conveniently observe the entire process of the foreign beetle from egg to larva to pupa, and finally to adult, then to mating and egg-laying, which is very worthwhile.

To raise a small number of foreign beetles for amusement, you do not necessarily need a wooden tray or plastic box. You can use a cleanly washed glass bottle, with the bottle cap covered with gauze or plastic mesh and tied firmly with string; ventilation will not be a problem, and the glass bottle has good transparency, making observation and enjoyment convenient.

To feed this little creature, it is best to use a small transparent glass bottle, stuff it with cotton, and feed it foods such as red jujubes, coix seeds, and peanut kernels. Foreign beetles are afraid of cold and must be protected from the cold and kept warm. During the day you carry them in your bosom, and at night you put them in your bedcovers; you cannot be careless, as if caring for your ancestors.

Therefore, anyone who has fed foreign beetles knows that this is not as smooth as raising silkworms; most people cannot keep them for more than a few days before feeding them to death one by one. Once the foreign beetles die, they are naturally discarded like waste.

Living habits: Adults most like eating lingzhi, dried Chinese yam slices, sugary red jujubes, moist orange peel or pomelo peel, and red lotus seeds. Larvae, on the other hand, like red lotus seeds the most, and like adults, they also like moist orange peel. If you observe carefully, there will be some small larvae on every red lotus seed and every piece of orange peel.

2. Pharmacological Effects of Ulomoides dermestoides

The foreign beetle may contain fat-soluble blood-activating and stasis-removing components, which can significantly prolong coagulation time. The foreign beetle contains large amounts of unsaturated fatty acids: palmitic acid, linoleic acid, and oleic acid. Unsaturated fatty acids are increasingly widely used clinically, especially in skincare and beauty, hyperlipidemia, and malignant tumors, where they have attracted great attention. The essential fatty acid for the human body, linoleic acid, is an essential precursor for the synthesis of prostaglandins and can be converted into prostaglandins. Prostaglandins are hormone-like substances; an extremely tiny amount of prostaglandins can produce obvious physiological activity, regulate human blood pressure, and promote metabolism.

There are records of it in ancient Chinese texts, and it later spread to Japan. It was widely circulated and enjoyed among the upper classes such as the Japanese imperial family and aristocracy, and was respectfully called the “elixir of immortality insect” and the “longevity health insect.” After World War II, it spread to Germany. At the end of 2003, the Japanese imperial family introduced this insect and its feed formula into China.

This insect got its name because it contains abundant anti-cancer and cancer-preventing substances——antimicrobial peptides, exogenous lectins, and immune proteins——plus more than ten precious Chinese medicinal herbs fed to it, most of which have anti-cancer and cancer-preventing effects.

Ulomoides dermestoides is a very effective anti-aging longevity insect. I hope the above content can help everyone better understand how to feed Ulomoides dermestoides.