Suitable Soil Types and Daily Management Key Points for Golden Cicada Farming

The golden cicada is a income-boosting project that combines forest fruit cultivation and landscaping planting, then comprehensively utilizes woodland resources.What soil type should be chosen when farming golden cicadas? What are the daily management key points?

1. What soil type should be chosen when farming golden cicadas?

1. Red soil is not suitable for farming golden cicadas

Red soil tends to harden and become compacted, and is a soil type unsuitable for golden cicada growth. Because golden cicada larvae are quite tender, if they encounter red soil that tends to harden and compact, it is not easy for them to burrow into the soil. Only in soft sandy soil or loam soil can small young cicadas quickly burrow down into the soil, find tree roots to feed on, and begin the normal growth process. Therefore, a cicada farming base is best on sandy land, followed by loam soil. Practice has proven that using sandy land to farm golden cicadas has characteristics such as a high survival rate, high yield and good taste, and it is the most ideal soil.

2. Sandy soil, black soil and silt soil can be used to farm golden cicadas

The most suitable soil for farming golden cicadas is sandy land, so does that mean other soils (such as silt soil or black soil) cannot be used to farm cicadas? The answer is no. According to relevant experience, even without sandy land, using silt soil or black soil can also smoothly produce golden cicadas and achieve high yields. The first trick is when choosing host plants, to plant fast-growing willow trees with well-developed root systems; the second is when inoculating seed, to put in more egg branches. After using these two methods, the shortcomings in soil can be completely compensated for.

3. Do not choose soil polluted by chemical fertilizers and pesticides

In addition, because chemical fertilizers and pesticides cause certain harm to golden cicadas, when choosing soil, it is best to use land that has not used chemical fertilizers or pesticides. After chemical fertilizers and pesticides are used, they will settle into the soil, and some may even sink to a depth of more than 100 m underground. Therefore, such land can be called polluted land, and if golden cicadas are farmed on such land, it may harm the golden cicadas or affect the yield.

2. What are the daily management key points for golden cicada farming?

1. Choose breeding trees

Dwarf fruit trees such as apricot trees, peach trees, apple trees or other dwarf shrub varieties are all good trees for golden cicada breeding. Pay attention to timely pruning of excessively tall branches to facilitate breeding management, interplant fruit tree seedlings in the gaps between trees to increase branches for golden cicadas to lay eggs on, and inoculate golden cicada seed eggs under the trees, referring to the method in “New Techniques for Golden Cicada Farming”

2. Build breeding greenhouses

Build breeding greenhouses on the eve of the golden cicadas emerging from the soil, with an area of 1 mu each as appropriate. Around the breeding area, use cement columns or bamboo poles to set up a fence, with a row spacing of 5 m for the cement columns, use bamboo poles to build a frame in the middle, then pull and fix iron wire, and then cover the outside with nylon window screen mesh. For breeding, choose a plot with high, dry terrain and convenient drainage and irrigation, and by no means build breeding greenhouses on low-lying plots that easily retain water.

3. Seed insect management and disease prevention

After golden cicadas emerge from the soil, because the adults have strong phototaxis, in the early stage wait until they have emerged as adults before entering the greenhouse. When catching them, newly emerged golden cicadas will fly around and bump everywhere upon seeing light, causing the death of seed insects. Therefore, all golden cicadas that emerge from the soil within the first 1 week can be caught, and only after one week begin letting golden cicadas naturally emerge and lay eggs. The seed retention density is about 10000 per mu, with females and males each accounting for about 50%, each female golden cicada can lay 500-1500 seed eggs, and each greenhouse can provide seed for about 20 mu of golden cicada breeding. About 20 days after emergence, golden cicadas can mate and lay eggs. When laying eggs, the golden cicada pierces the bark of the branch and lays the eggs in the xylem. During the mating and egg-laying period of golden cicadas, try not to walk around or make noise in the greenhouse, to avoid adverse effects on the golden cicadas.

Because the nymphs after emerging from the soil (cicada turtles) and the adults after emergence have many natural enemies, such as toads, sparrows and mantises, good protection work inside the greenhouse should be done. In addition, frequently check whether the screen mesh is damaged, and strictly prevent golden cicadas from escaping. Microorganisms such as Beauveria bassiana, Metarhizium anisopliae and entomopathogenic algae fungi (cicada flower) can all cause parasitic harm to golden cicada seed insects, and protection should be strengthened during farming. During the emergence period of mature nymphs, the egg stage under the trees and the occurrence period of cicada ants, the main natural enemies of golden cicadas are ants and red small flower bugs, and strict precautions must be taken. Strong ammonia essence etc. can be used for soil treatment.

4. Harvest and preserve seed eggs

In addition to naturally collecting cicada eggs, screen-mesh greenhouses can be built to provide space for adults to lay eggs. Fruit trees in abandoned orchards can be used, fruit tree seedlings can be replanted, cement columns or bamboo poles can be used around to set up a fence, iron wire etc. can then be pulled in the middle, and the outside can be covered with nylon window screen mesh. Emerged or collected adults mate and lay eggs inside, and afterward the number of adults to keep can be determined as needed, without needing to collect seed sources from the wild again.

Late September is the best season for harvesting golden cicada seed eggs in breeding greenhouses. Fruit branch shears or a long pole with a hook at the top can be used. On the tree, 1-2 year old thin dried branches that were killed by eggs and have an incomplete surface, with large amounts of milky white long oval eggs embedded in the xylem under the bark, are cicada eggs. Cut off the excess eggless dead tips above the egg-laying nest, leave 5-10 cm of eggless branch section below the egg-laying nest scar, tie 50-100 into 1 small bundle, put them into plastic bags or place them flat in the hatching room, and after natural treatment they can be used as seed.