How long is the growth cycle of the ground beetle (Eupolyphaga sinensis) generally?
The growth cycle of the ground beetle is 8-9 months. Completing one generation requires passing through three stages: egg, nymph, and adult. It takes about 8 months for the male to grow wings from nymph, while the female has no wings and takes about 9-11 months to mature. The male dies 5-7 days after mating, and the female can lay eggs one week after mating, and after a single mating, she lays eggs for life.
Ground beetle breeding techniques:
1. Rearing conditions: Ground beetles live in dark, humid, loose soil rich in humus. They fear sunlight, hiding by day and active at night. The optimal temperature for growth is 28-30°C. Below 0°C or above 38°C will cause mass death of adults and nymphs, and at 8°C they stop activity and enter dormancy. When rearing, the scale can be adjusted as needed, with no strict size limits and many forms: they can be kept in jars, pits (ponds), basins, cabinets, boxes, etc.
2. Rearing facilities: The equipment used for raising ground beetles is relatively simple. For small-scale rearing, plastic basins will do. For large-scale rearing, a three-dimensional multi-tier rearing stand can be used: build bricks against the walls inside the room, with each tier about 30-38 cm high, and the tier boards are best made of cement board. Each wall can have 5-7 tiers of rearing stands. Practice has shown that this kind of rearing stand can make the indoor temperature 6-10°C higher than flat ponds, significantly speeding up the growth and development of ground beetles, so that completing one generation takes only about 7 months, and annual output is markedly increased.
3. Rearing soil: In winter, choose humus-rich, loose and fertile garbage mud, vegetable garden soil, ditch mud, stove-foot soil, sandy soil, loam, etc., mix in 20-30% chicken manure, pig manure, cinder ash or plant ash, and sun-dry it in the sun. For instars 1-4, use 7-10 cm; for instars 5-8, use 16-20 cm; for nymphs of instar 9 and above and adults, use 20-26 cm.
4. Temperature and humidity: The suitable ambient temperature for ground beetle growth is 25-30°C. Above 10°C they begin to move and forage, below 10°C they burrow into the soil to hibernate, and at -5°C they die. Therefore, in winter, put some straw, chicken feathers and other warming materials in the pond, and remove them promptly when the foraging period comes the next year. The relative humidity is best kept at 75-80%.
5. Feed formulation: Ground beetles are omnivorous. Animal feed includes earthworms, crickets, mole crickets and various animal scraps, etc. Plant feed includes wheat bran, rice bran, oilseed meal, powder residue, tofu residue, corn, broken rice, and green vegetable leaves, cabbage leaves, pumpkin flowers, mulberry leaves, melon and fruit peels, etc.
6. Timely separation of young: During rearing, mother ground beetles often eat larvae and eggs. Therefore, after the larvae can move and forage on their own (referring to nymphs of instar 5 and above), the mother ground beetles should be promptly moved to another pond, and at the same time the larvae should also be reared in separate grades.
7. Rearing density: Per square meter, 1.5 kg of adults can be reared, 0.15 kg-0.5 kg of instar 1-3 nymphs, 0.6 kg-1.2 kg of instar 4-6 nymphs, and 0.6 kg-0.9 kg of nymphs of instar 6 and above.
8. Feeding larvae well: Young nymphs mainly refer to instar 1-4 nymphs, which are small and weak, so concentrated feed should be the main food. The feed can be evenly scattered on the surface of the feed soil, then use your hand to rake about 2 cm deep into the central soil, mixing the feed into the surface layer of the soil, and take care to prevent escape.
9. Scientific management: Scientific management in artificial rearing of ground beetles is the key to success. Mites are a common parasite in ground beetle rearing. Control methods include mixing trichlorfensulfone and 20% ovotran powder in a 1:400 dilution into the rearing soil, or removing mites by promptly replacing the rearing soil or using fried dough sticks, bones, or pumpkin flowers as bait.
The above is the relevant introduction to the growth cycle of the ground beetle. We hope it is helpful to everyone.