What are the risks of ground beetle farming? Detailed farming techniques included
Ground beetle, also known as Eupolyphaga sinensis, soil turtle, street-crosser, ground tortoise, etc., is called tubie in traditional Chinese medicine. It is an insect that often lives in the soil at the base of walls in old-style earthen houses. It is a medicinal material in short supply on the market. Wild ground beetles are far from meeting market demand, and the market price of ground beetles is rising year by year, which has given rise to a boom in ground beetle farming. So what risks exist in ground beetle farming? (Farming techniques included)
I. What are the risks of ground beetle farming
The ground beetle farming market is relatively tight in supply, but market conditions will affect the level of profit from ground beetles. Overall, the market risk for ground beetles is basically small, and the chance of losing money is also very small. The biggest risk lies in whether the ground beetles can be kept alive and raised well.
Although ground beetle farming is relatively simple compared with other types of farming, requires no special conditions, and its management is relatively extensive, if feeding and management are not done properly, it can also cause huge economic losses. Therefore, raising ground beetles requires careful management and close observation. For some careless farmers, if slight abnormalities occur in ground beetles, they will not notice without careful observation, and only when obvious symptoms appear do they become anxious. Perhaps these slight abnormal signs are the precursors of disease. Careful farmers can detect them and carry out early care and prevention, perhaps avoiding the economic losses caused by major diseases.
II. Ground beetle farming techniques
1. Hatching of egg masses
The quality of ground beetle egg masses is best when the grains are plump and brownish-red in color with no impurities. A normal egg shell contains 6-16 seeds. When hatching, mix the eggs and soil at a ratio of 1:1 (by volume), then place them in a basin at a thickness of 12-15cm, keep the temperature at 27-30 degrees, and keep the soil humidity at about 15%. Turn them once each morning and evening to regulate dryness and humidity as well as the air permeability of the egg pods. Keep the indoor relative air humidity at 75-80%. They can all emerge in about 45 days. Remember not to spray water directly into the egg masses.
2. Divide into pools in time
Ground beetles grow very quickly in a suitable environment. Each time they molt, their volume and weight increase by about one time. If they are not divided into pools in time, their growth will be affected. When the environmental density is too high, ground beetles will climb up the surrounding walls, rising and falling like waves. This is a sign that the growing environment is unsuitable, and at this point they should be divided into pools immediately.
3. Pick out male insects at the right time
Male insects mature one month earlier than female insects, but at that time the females are not yet mature and cannot mate, otherwise the normal growth of the females will be affected. If winged adult males are found, pick them out in time, scald them to death with boiling water, remove the wings, then briefly boil them in light salt water, drain the water, and put them in the refrigerator. They can then be made into delicious food. This is more profitable than picking out male insects before they emerge as winged adults.
After the females mature, they can be allowed to mate on their own. One male can mate with more than 10 females. After mating, the male will die in more than 20 days. Before it dies, it can still be picked out and made into food for full use.
4. Screening and collecting egg masses
Females begin to lay eggs one week after mating. The eggs laid are carried at the tail end and fall off automatically into the soil after about 2 days. When collecting eggs, first use an 8 mm sieve to screen out the adults, then use a 4 mm sieve to screen out the egg masses. The suitable time for screening eggs is 15-20 days.
The above is Tuliu.com's introduction to the risks existing in ground beetle farming and farming techniques. The ground beetle farming market is tight in supply, but much of what is on the market is hyped pricing. It is recommended that farmers visit their local medicinal herb markets more often themselves to learn relatively true and accurate market information, and never invest blindly!