Frequently Asked Questions About the Early Stages of Locust Farming

Locust Farming: Early-Stage Q&A

1. Just how big a shed should you build for locust farming?

A. Generally 50—100 sq m is suitable, though you can also decide the shed size based on the actual space available.

2. How much does a 50 sq m locust net cost?

A. Lu Jianmin here uses special locust netting, made by buying the raw materials and anti-aging materials and processing them himself; there are no inferior or recycled materials in it, so you can use it with confidence for more than three years. We also handle the processing to turn it into a shed. Length 10 m, width 5 m, height 1.8 m, fully made, it is now 350 yuan excluding shipping, including 1 zipper door, and you can just cover it when you get home. The size of the shed can be calculated accordingly.

4: What raw materials are used to build a locust shed?

A: The simplest way is to use two bamboo strips with a support post in the middle; you can use wood or bamboo poles. You can also use steel pipes, depending on what is convenient for you. Two 4 m bamboo strips arched together in a pair give an actual ground width of 5 m, and two 3 m bamboo strips arched together in a pair give a ground area 4 m wide. The length of the shed can be set according to your actual space, and you can also come to our place anytime for a free inspection.

5: What shape is best for a locust shed?

A: Locust sheds come in arched, square, and vegetable greenhouse styles. The arched shed is the simplest, using two bamboo strips in a pair. The cost is relatively low, but the advantage is that it is easy to cover with plastic sheeting. The square one is taller on both sides, so it is easy for people to feed grass and work inside, and also easy to catch locusts, but the middle of the shed must be high, otherwise once the plastic sheeting is on, drainage will be poor. The vegetable greenhouse style costs more, but it can keep warm. You can raise multiple batches of locusts a year. They will not freeze to death.

6: Must plastic sheeting be placed over the shed?

A: For farming in the south, it is best to cover with plastic when it rains. In the north, the rainy periods are short, so sometimes you can skip covering. But during 5--10 days of continuous overcast rain, it is best to cover with plastic.

7: How many sheds can be built on one mu of land?

A: On one mu of land you can build 10 sheds of 50 sq m, 8 of 60 sq m, or 5 of 100 sq m.

8: What temperature is suitable for locust growth?

A: The optimal temperature for locusts is 25—30; when the temperature rises above 35 degrees, it is best to cover part of the shed with a shade net at noon.

9: How many times a day should locusts be fed?

A: Feed locusts 3—4 times a day: in the morning before 8 o'clock, at 11—12 noon, at 2—3 in the afternoon, and at 5—6 in the evening. These times are not very strict either. You can feed more grass in the evening. If you feed too much at noon and they cannot finish it, it will dry out once the sun hits it. If the locust density is very high, put out more grass each time; if the density is low, you can feed less.

10. How many eggs should be placed per sq m of farming area, and how many eggs for a 50 sq m area?

A. At most 1000 per sq m, and a 60 sq m shed can hold at most 60,000.

11. How many jin of locusts can one sq m of shed produce?

A. One sq m produces at most about 2 jin each time; at the lowest, half a jin to one jin. Actual yield depends on how well they are fed: well-fed ones are large, 280 per jin; poorly fed ones are small, 300--350 per jin. 3—4 batches a year. In recent years the bulk purchase price has been 11—13 yuan per jin; selling retail to restaurants yourself will fetch a higher price.

12: How much should be invested in locust farming?

A: The minimum investment in locust farming is 1000-5000 yuan; there is no limit on the maximum. With a smaller investment you can farm part-time. If you want to do it professionally, you should farm at least 1—2 mu of land. One laborer can farm at most 2 mu; when it is large, one person cannot keep up, and when it is small, one person finds it fairly easy.

13: How much money can locust farming make in a year?

A: In the first year of locust farming, some can recover their costs, and some cannot; those are all kept for breeding seed stock. Good farming can make money. There is no way to guarantee absolutely how much you can earn in a year. Locust farming means buying eggs once, and afterward eggs hatch into locusts, locusts lay eggs, and so on in an endless cycle. If you want to expand the scale yourself, sell fewer finished locusts and let them lay eggs to breed. If you do not want to farm that many, sell more finished locusts and keep fewer for breeding. The specifics are decided by your own farming situation.