Full Analysis of the New Technology for Mixed Farming of Ground Beetles and Scorpions

Ground beetles (Eupolyphaga sinensis) and scorpions are both valuable traditional Chinese medicines and delicious delicacies. In the past, they were mainly caught in the wild for medicinal use. Not only for medicine but also for food, they were exported in large quantities, making the contradiction between supply and demand particularly prominent, so artificial farming is imperative. Mixed farming 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, experiments were conducted on mixed farming of the two animals. 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 ratio, with ground beetle breeding stock and eggs placed in the bottom layer and scorpion breeding stock placed in the upper layer. Only wheat bran is used to feed the ground beetles; 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 separate farming. The specific practices are as follows:

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

II. Pool construction:

1. When building a pool in an idle room, the floor must be cemented to prevent entry by natural enemies such as rats and to prevent 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 the perimeter to prevent rats from entering the breeding pool and to 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 and 50 cm apart, place asbestos tiles on them, spread 5-10 cm of cement sand on top of the asbestos tiles, and place upper-layer tiles on the cement sand to make scorpion nests. The height depends on how many are being farmed, generally 30-100 cm. Ground beetles and scorpions move freely up and down through the support frames.

III. Stocking: Generally, place 2500 g of ground beetle breeding stock and 500 g of ground beetle eggs in the bottom layer per square meter, and place 400 pregnant scorpions and 100 male scorpions in the upper layer. If ground beetles multiply too much, they pose no harm to the scorpions and can be picked out and sold as medicinal material. Benefits of mixed farming of ground beetles and scorpions:

I. Ground beetles and scorpions adjust soil humidity by moving up and down on their own, solving the problem in separate scorpion farming where poor humidity control leads either to big belly disease or to difficulty in molting and death.

II. Combine long and short cycles, using short cycles to support long ones. Under 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 at about 30 yuan per kilogram, obtaining returns early and increasing the staying power and confidence for scorpion farming.