Detailed Explanation of Key Techniques for Mixed Breeding of Scorpions and Ground Beetles

      Ground beetles are commonly used medicinal materials, but the profit from breeding them alone is not very high. By using a scorpion breeding room to raise ground beetles and scorpions together, the profit generated by the ground beetles can cover the heating, feed and labor costs of scorpion breeding, while the scorpions represent pure profit.

Under mixed breeding conditions, the hatched ground beetle larvae can serve as food for the scorpions, and the skins shed by young scorpions and the leftover dried bodies of yellow mealworms are eaten by the ground beetles, thus forming a beneficial cycle. The mixed breeding method for ground beetles and scorpions is as follows:

First, evenly spread a 5 cm thick layer of rearing soil in the breeding pool, and place tiles on top for the scorpions to rest on. The humidity inside the resting tiles is key to the growth and development of scorpions. If the humidity is too low, young scorpions cannot shed their skins; if the humidity is too high, it will cause water accumulation in the scorpions' book lungs, leading to difficulty breathing and death by suffocation. At present, one form of scorpion resting nest is to build nests with bricks, tiles and stones in the breeding pool for the scorpions to rest in, with sponges on top or water sprayed every other day to provide moisture. Although the surface appears moist, the humidity in the nests where the scorpions actually rest simply cannot meet the requirements. Another form is the nest-grid type (or honeycomb type), filled with soil and water to provide moisture, but the moisture supply is uneven, and the phenomenon of death from water accumulation in the scorpions' book lungs is quite serious, and regular disinfection and mite removal in the scorpion room cannot be carried out. Yet another form is the pit type, that is, digging pits in flat ground to build multiple independent small pools. Although the seepage moisture at the ground surface basically meets the requirements, the pools are connected to the ground, and the surface temperature fluctuates with the seasons, making it very difficult to achieve rapid growth of the scorpions. Therefore, we recommend using plastic pipes with a length 5 cm greater than the nest and a diameter of 5 cm, with holes of 2 to 3 mm diameter drilled in the pipe walls, filled with sand or sponge (for adding water), and with a 2 to 3 cm thick seepage soil layer between the pipes and ordinary tiles. The effect is relatively ideal. If conditions permit, using grid-type resting tiles for scorpion breeding with a built-in automatic seepage device gives an even better effect.

Place 2nd-instar scorpions into the breeding pool. Put in 1000 per square meter of breeding area in a single release. At the same time as releasing the 2nd-instar scorpions, sieve out 2nd-instar ground beetle nymphs and also release them onto the rearing soil, at 50 grams per square meter. The scorpions rest on the rearing soil in the gaps between the tile stacks; food boxes or food trays can be placed, sprinkled with yellow mealworms of the same instar as the scorpions as their main food. The food box is 50 cm long, 5 cm wide and 1.2 cm high. A shallow dish can be used as the food tray. Every 3 to 5 days, mix roasted wheat bran, peanut cake and other mixed feed with green vegetables and scatter it into the food box or food tray to maintain the normal survival of the yellow mealworms. A small amount should also be scattered on the surface of the other rearing soil for the ground beetles to feed on; it is better to give too little than too much, with the standard being that the ground beetles eat up the feed within 2 days. This not only avoids the remaining feed from rotting and contaminating the rearing soil, but also, when the ground beetles cannot get enough food, they will eat the skins shed by young scorpions and the leftover dried bodies of yellow mealworms, thus playing a role in cleaning the environment.

When the scorpions enter the 5th instar, the pool can be cleaned once, the nests replaced and disinfection carried out. For the rearing soil in the breeding pool, sieve out the ground beetles with an 8-mesh screen, use the screen to sort out ground beetles of the 5th instar and above and place them in another breeding pool for concentrated rearing; after they grow into adults, they can be used as breeding stock or processed and sold as commodities. The sieved rearing soil is exposed to the sun, then fresh rearing soil is added, and the mixture is stirred with a 0.3% potassium permanganate aqueous solution for use. If the density of the sorted small ground beetles is too low, weak insects of the 2nd to 3rd instar can be added and put back into the scorpion pool to continue mixed breeding.