Wasp Farming Brings a Beekeeping Family in Baoshan, Yunnan, a Fortune of Tens of Millions
The wasp, scientifically known as the “hornet”, also called the “horse wasp” or “yellow jacket”. It has a large body, a long body, and strong venom. Once a person is stung by its venomous stinger, the reaction may range from mild allergy to death in severe cases. People avoid it as soon as they hear its name, let alone farm it. But a beekeeper in Yunnan relied on it to achieve a fortune of tens of millions. I think everyone would very much like to know how this harmful wasp brings huge economic benefits to farmers.
The wasp is a widely distributed insect with many species that flies swiftly. It belongs to the family Vespidae in the order Hymenoptera. The female wasp has a powerful long stinger on its body, and when attacked or disturbed in an unfriendly way, the colony will attack together, which can cause allergic reactions and toxic reactions in humans, and in severe cases can lead to death. Such a terrifying-sounding insect bringing high economic income must have its economic and utilitarian value.
First, edible value
Wasp pupae are an edible insect rich in high protein and low in fat. They develop by feeding on royal jelly, honey and pollen. They have very high nutritional value and are an extremely high-grade natural nutritional food. Moreover, stir-fried wasp larvae have a nourishing and strengthening effect, and have a certain therapeutic effect on patients with conditions such as physical weakness, weak waist and knees, and impotence and spermatorrhea. Healthy people who eat them can strengthen their bodies and reduce illness.
Second, medicinal value
Adult hornets, larvae and hornet nests can be used in traditional Chinese medicine. Taken internally or applied externally, they can treat conditions such as poisonous insect bites and venomous boils.
The hornet is sweet and pungent in taste and warm in nature, and mainly treats rheumatism and arthralgia. The honeycomb can be used as a Chinese medicinal material, with effects of relieving pain, expelling parasites, reducing swelling and detoxifying, and mainly treats epilepsy, wind arthralgia, breast abscess, toothache, stubborn ringworm, cancer and so on. Hornet wine can dispel wind and remove dampness, and treat acute and chronic rheumatism pain and rheumatoid arthritis. Hornet venom can treat arthritis, has extremely high medicinal value, and is of great significance to the research, development and production of new medical products. More than 20 kinds of hornet venom are sold on the international market, and their prices are quite expensive. Bee therapy is also very effective.
Furthermore, agricultural production value
In provinces such as Henan, Shanxi and Yunnan in China, methods of artificial assisted overwintering and artificial assisted nest building and nest relocation are adopted, using hornets to control cotton pests, with very effective results and relatively economical. After autumn, capture female wasps and put them in cages, place the cages in sheltered places, and let them cluster together. By the following spring, put these female wasps into the fields and let them build nests naturally around the fields. Food, drinking water and building materials can also be provided in a large bee shed, letting them build nests inside the shed. When needed, move the nests to the fields, with 3 to 5 nests per mu and more than 100 wasps, which can basically control the harm of lepidopteran pests. Because hornets have the habit of returning to the nest, releasing them once is effective for a long time. They have a wide diet and can control many agricultural and forestry pests.
Therefore, Huang Guozhong, a beekeeper in Baoshan, Yunnan, recognized the huge economic benefits of wasps and carried out systematic and scientific farming of wasps. According to beekeeper Huang Guozhong, the bee colony has strict hierarchy and clear distinction between master and servant, with three levels: the queen bee (female, with a venomous stinger) specializes in bearing and raising offspring; male bees (without a venomous stinger) do not sting people and die naturally after mating with the female bee and completing their mission; worker bees (with a venomous stinger) undertake important tasks such as building nests, foraging and guarding the home. Most worker bees can live until they die naturally before winter arrives each year, and the bees find it difficult to resist the cold of winter. Apart from a small portion of bee pupae that metamorphose into bees, most are consumed as a delicacy on the tip of the tongue. A pack (nest) of hornets yields 1800 yuan per nest per year, while ground bees reach more than 2700 yuan. Bee venom (the secretion discharged by the bee stinger) is hailed as “biological gold” at 900 yuan per gram, and is an important raw material for producing specific medicines for cancer, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and other illnesses. In 2012, the largest nest of ground bees raised by Huang Guozhong weighed 160.2 jin, sold at 170 yuan per jin, with an income of more than 27,200 yuan.
Wasp farming requires attention to the following points:
1. Bee cage. Made of wood or iron gauze net, with a volume of about 0.03 to 0.04 cubic meters, giving them ample room to move.
2. Bee shed. The size depends on how many nests are harvested. A large glass greenhouse, a large factory building, or a dedicated bee-breeding shed can be used. The bee shed uses iron and wood as supports and iron window gauze as the surrounding net, generally with an area of about 100 sq m and a height of 2 m. Crops such as corn, soybeans and cotton that insects can easily access are planted inside the shed, and one side of the shed has a gauze door. Small plates containing feed such as honey water, fruit and melon rind should be hung inside the shed so that the bees can feed and move freely after being released.
3. Bee box. Made of wood, with side lengths of 15 to 20 cm, and a thin wooden board used for the top cover and bottom. A hook is installed on the cover, gauze windows are hung around it, and a movable door is left on one side.
Feed fruits, such as fully ripe apples and peaches; leafy vegetables with more moisture; molasses; melon rind and so on.
Feeding management The key issues in raising hornets are: protecting the female seed bees in winter so they safely pass through winter, and guiding them in spring to build nests early and build more nests.
4. Defending against enemies and pests. Hornets have many kinds of natural enemies, including insects, spiders, birds and mice, as well as diseases caused by pathogenic microorganisms.