Detailed Explanation of the Key Points of Ground Beetle (Eupolyphaga) Farming Techniques
The ground beetle, also known as the soil turtle, the bubble bug, the bug mother, and so on, is a valuable traditional Chinese medicinal material with very high medicinal value. In recent years, due to market shortages, large-scale artificial farming has gradually developed. So, what farming techniques are there for the ground beetle? Let's find out together!
1. Site Construction
The ground beetle likes to live in dark, damp, loose soil rich in humus, so the soil must be fully prepared when raising them. First, choose garden soil or sandy loam soil that is rich in humus and loose and fertile, add an appropriate amount of chicken manure, pig manure, or plant ash to it, and place it in direct sunlight to make it ready. Because the ground beetle fears light, it generally hides by day and comes out at night. The suitable growth temperature is 28-30 degrees; below 0 degrees or above 38 degrees will cause the death of the ground beetle. Basin rearing, cabinet rearing, and box rearing are all fine, as long as attention is paid to the rearing temperature.
2. Larva Management
When farming, larva rearing is very important. During hatching, the humidity of the rearing soil should be kept at about 40%, and the temperature at about 25-30 degrees. After one month, the larvae can break out of their shells. During the incubation period and the larva rearing period, the larvae and the mother insects need to be raised separately, because the mother insects often eat the larvae and eggs. When the larvae are in the young stage, feeding is mainly based on fine feed. When feeding, evenly scatter the feed on the rearing soil, then turn it into the soil layer 2-3cm to prevent the larvae from escaping.
3. Feeding Management
The ground beetle is an omnivorous animal. Plant-based feeds include wheat bran, rice bran, melons, fruits, and vegetables, and so on, while animal-based feeds include earthworms, crickets, and so on. The ground beetle has strict requirements for temperature and humidity. The suitable growth temperature is 25-30 degrees; below 8 degrees it enters hibernation, at 10 degrees it begins to move and eat, below 0 degrees it will freeze to death, and above 38 degrees it will die of heatstroke. Therefore, when farming in summer, because the weather is hotter, sufficient drinking water must be supplied, and water should often be sprayed in the farming site to maintain the humidity of the rearing soil and lower the soil temperature. In winter, keep it dry and feed semi-dry and semi-moist feed. At low temperatures, straw and other materials can be used for insulation measures. In spring, humidity between 70%-80% can allow it to grow quickly.
4. Diseases, Pests, and Natural Enemies
During rearing, the ground beetle will suffer harm from various diseases, pests, and natural enemies. The main diseases are big belly disease and fungal infection disease. The prevention and control method for big belly disease is to regulate the dryness and humidity of the feed and rearing soil; the moisture should not exceed 10%. The prevention and control method for fungal infection disease is to replace the rearing soil, disinfect and sterilize in time, then grind 0.25 grams of tetracycline into powder, mix it with feed, and feed it to cure the disease. The insect pests of the ground beetle include mites, ants, as well as rats, cats, snakes, and so on. During farming, attention should be paid to the defense and sealing off of the farming site so that other pests do not get an opportunity. For small pests such as ants and mites, tung oil or sticky substances can be applied on the walls of the pool, while mites are controlled with pesticides.
The above is the ground beetle farming technique summarized for you by the editor. I hope it can help all farmers.