Key Technical Points and Management Methods for Mixed Culture of Ground Beetles and Scorpions

    Ground beetles (Eupolyphaga sinensis) and scorpions are both precious traditional Chinese medicines and delicious delicacies. In the past, they were mainly captured from the wild for medicinal use. Not only for medicine but also for food, large quantities were exported, making the contradiction between supply and demand particularly prominent, and artificial breeding is imperative. Mixed culture of scorpions and ground beetles in 200 cubic meters yields an annual output value of 350,000 yuan. Based on the living habits of scorpions and ground beetles, mixed culture experiments of the two animals were conducted. Scorpions and ground beetles require roughly the same temperature. Scorpions mainly feed on ground beetles, and ground beetles mainly feed on wheat bran. Scorpions require low humidity, while ground beetles require high humidity. The upper layer of the breeding pool naturally has low humidity, and the bottom layer naturally has high humidity. Scorpions live in the upper layer, and ground beetles live in the bottom layer. Based on these characteristics, after the pool is built, scorpions and ground beetles are placed in a certain proportion, with ground beetle females and eggs placed in the bottom layer and scorpions placed in the upper layer. Only wheat bran is used to feed the ground beetles, and the scorpions feed on the ground beetles on their own and adjust humidity by moving up and down on their own. Other management methods are the same as for raising them separately. The specific practices are as follows:

I. Site selection: Adapt to local conditions. Pools can be built in idle rooms or courtyards, or smooth, large-area plastic basins or porcelain basins can be used as pools.

II. Pool construction:

1. When building a pool in an idle room, the floor needs to be cemented to prevent rats and other natural enemies from entering and scorpions from escaping.

2. When building a pool in a courtyard, build a water trough 0.5 m wide and 0.5 m high around it to prevent rats from entering the breeding pool and prevent ground beetles and scorpions from escaping. Carp or ornamental fish can be raised in the water trough.

3. Build the ground beetle pool at the bottom layer. According to the width of the asbestos tiles, build two asbestos tile support frames 70 cm wide, 50 cm high, with a spacing of 50 cm, place asbestos tiles on them, spread 5-10 cm of cement sand on top of the asbestos tiles, and place upper-layer tiles on top of the cement sand to make scorpion nests. The height depends on how many are being raised, generally 30-100 cm. Ground beetles and scorpions can freely move up and down through the support frames.

III. Stocking: Generally, place 2,500 g of ground beetle females and 500 g of ground beetle eggs in the bottom layer per sq m, and 400 pregnant scorpions and 100 male scorpions in the upper layer is appropriate. If ground beetles breed in large numbers, there is no harm to the scorpions, and they can be picked out and sold as medicinal material. The benefits of mixed culture of ground beetles and scorpions:

I. Ground beetles and scorpions adjust soil humidity by moving up and down on their own, solving the phenomenon that when scorpions are raised alone, poor humidity control causes them either to develop big belly disease or to die due to difficulty in molting.

II. Combining long and short cycles, using short cycles to support long cycles. Under the condition of maintaining a constant temperature of 30C, young scorpions need two years to grow into adult scorpions, and many people often give up management because scorpion farming shows results slowly, leading to failure in scorpion farming. Young ground beetles can grow into adult ground beetles in 6-8 months and can be sold on the market, with a price of about 30 yuan per kg, obtaining returns early and increasing the staying power and confidence for scorpion farming.