What are the methods for selecting soil insects for breeding and hatching soil insect larvae?

Soil insect, also called ground beetle or soil turtle insect, is an insect that tolerates cold and heat, likes to live in groups, and grows in remote, moist, loose, and fertile soil. It has the habit of hiding by day and coming out at night to feed. With the development of the medicinal value of the soil insect, many farmers are artificially breeding soil insects. Each growth period of the soil insect is generally 7-9 months, so how do you select soil insects for breeding? What are the hatching methods for soil insect larvae? Let's take a look together below.

1. How do you select soil insects for breeding?

Soil insects have long reproduced through natural mating, and the offspring they produce degenerate year by year. The insects become smaller, their constitution worsens, the egg-laying rate declines, and the individual egg sheaths become smaller and smaller. In order to benefit the reproduction and development of soil insects and ensure insect quality, selection work must be done well. Female insects that are large in body size, fast in crawling, robust, glossy on the back, full in the abdomen, and oblong should be selected as mother insects. Male insects should be introduced by exchange with other breeders. Breeding insects must also be raised separately, and regular work of selecting the superior and eliminating the inferior must be done. In this way, the offspring can grow normally and the yield of soil insects can be increased.

2. What are the hatching methods for soil insect larvae?

1. Hatching of eggs

Place the removed egg sheaths in a hatching vat (or pond) to hatch. The egg sheaths should first be soaked for 1 minute in a 5000-fold potassium permanganate solution for disinfection, then dried for later use. The hatching soil should also first be evenly mixed with a 1000-fold benzalkonium bromide solution for disinfection, then dried for later use. During hatching, the ratio of soil to eggs is 1:1. The soil moisture content is 25%-30%, and the temperature is 22-32°C. During the hatching period, the temperature and humidity requirements differ slightly between the early and late stages, with slightly lower temperature and humidity in the early stage and slightly higher in the late stage being better.

2. Rearing density

Soil insects like to live in groups and can be raised at high density, but the rearing density must not be too high. It should generally be determined according to insect age. Rearing density per square meter: 1-3 instar nymphs 6000-10000; 4-6 instar 3000-5000; 7-9 instar 1500-2000; 10-11 instar 1000-1100; breeding insects 400-500

3. Feed feeding

Feed should be "a mix of green and concentrated, mainly green." Feeding time should be in the evening. Select clean various fresh tree leaves, vegetable leaves, and bran, and evenly scatter them into the pond or box for soil insects to feed freely. Coarse feed is given once every 4 days, and concentrated feed once every 7 days. The concentrated feed should be just enough to eat. Various succulent feeds such as fruit peels and melon rinds also need to be fed. Because feeding depends on insect size, and the amount eaten and the depth of the soil layer for feeding differ, the feeding method and amount also differ. 1-2 instar nymphs search for food on the surface layer of the rearing soil, so feed can be scattered on the surface soil, toward the surroundings of the pit. After 2 instar, green feed can be added. Nymphs above 5 instar come out of the soil to search for food, so a layer of rice husks can be scattered on the surface of the feed soil, then plastic cloth or a wooden board laid on top, with concentrated feed placed on it.

4. De-maleing

Male adults cannot be used as medicine. Male insects are used as medicine in the last few instars before they grow wings. During rearing, male insects generally account for 30% of the total insect number, while keeping only 5% male insects is enough to meet mating needs. Therefore, when most nymphs develop to 7-8 instar, the excess male nymphs can be picked out and processed for medicinal use.

5. Collecting egg sheaths

Soil insects have the habit of eating their own egg sheaths, especially when feed is insufficient, which can cause massive loss of egg sheaths. Therefore, egg sheaths should be removed in time and placed in a hatching vat (or pond) to hatch. Generally, egg sheaths are collected once every 15 days. When collecting, a 2-mesh screen can first be used to sift out adults, then a 6-mesh screen used to sift out egg sheaths.

The above is an introduction to soil insect larvae. Under suitable temperature and moisture conditions, soil insect egg sheaths generally hatch after 40-60 days, and 30-35°C is the best temperature for hatching. The key to artificial hatching of soil insect larvae is to master temperature, humidity, and turning of the egg sheaths. I hope the above content can be helpful to soil insect breeders.

For wonderful pictures, text, and popular comments about soil insect larvae, you may be interested in the content recommended below by Nongxun Network. Welcome to read.

Agricultural products you may be interested in: High-quality soil insect larvae supplied nationwide