Key technical points for hibernation-free scorpion farming

Scorpions belong to the phylum Arthropoda, class Arachnida, order Scorpiones. They are nocturnal, carnivorous animals that prefer dry conditions and have the habit of entering dormancy and hibernation. They are ovoviviparous, and newly born young scorpions often ride on the mother's back and begin living independently after one molt. The best scorpion breed is the King Scorpion No. 9 scorpion breeding stock, which breaks the winter dormancy habit at the breed level. Artificial hibernation-free scorpion farming is a scorpion-raising technique developed and promoted in recent years, that is, a method of artificially creating conditions to break their habit of dormant overwintering, accelerate their growth cycle, and increase output and benefits.

Selection of breeding scorpions: be sure to choose King Scorpion No. 9 scorpion breeding stock to fundamentally ensure that the scorpions do not hibernate.

(1) Scorpion farm

The construction of a scorpion farm should imitate as much as possible the ecological environment of scorpions under natural conditions, choose conditions that suit their living habits, growth and reproduction, and provide a site convenient for feeding and management. The scale of the scorpion farm can be large or small, and the following points should be noted:

(1) For the terrain environment, choose a slope area that is sheltered from the wind and faces the sun, high in the north and low in the south. Good drainage, quiet, and free of pollution.

2) The area should be determined according to the farming scale.

3) Note that the soil pH of the scorpion farm is preferably between 6 and 8. Too high or too low is harmful to scorpions, especially young scorpions, and can cause death.

4) Equipment: the scorpion farm should be equipped with equipment for drinking water, feeding, disinfection, separate rearing, and catching, and especially heating and humidifying equipment. Ordinary heated brick beds, small coal-fired water heating, electric heaters, and other equipment can be used for heating, and solar greenhouses can also be used for farming; for humidifying equipment, a small sprayer or a medium-sized agricultural pesticide sprayer can be used. If an electronic humidifier is used, configure one unit for every 40 sq m of environment.

(2) Environmental factors
The two factors with the greatest impact on artificial hibernation-free scorpion farming are temperature and humidity. Temperature can break the scorpion's dormancy habit and shorten its growth, development, and molting. Therefore, the temperature for artificial hibernation-free scorpion farming should be controlled at 25-38°C. When the temperature is below 15°C, scorpions begin to enter dormancy; at 40-42°C they lose water severely; above 43°C, large numbers of scorpions will die. Scorpions like dampness but fear wetness and have strict requirements for environmental temperature. When the relative air humidity is 45%-60%, it is most suitable for scorpion growth and activity. In actual farming, the humidity of the scorpion's burrow is preferably 15%-18%, and that of the activity area 65%-75%. High temperature with low humidity and high temperature with high humidity will both cause scorpion death.

(3) Feed

Mainly live, fresh, soft-bodied, juicy insects and small animals, such as yellow mealworms, sterile fly maggots, earthworms, etc., as well as animal-based foods such as rabbit meat, rat meat, beef, and mutton, and sometimes fruit-based feed. The amount of feed put in should be limited to a slight surplus after the scorpions have been fed for one day and night. Put in feed before dusk each day, and remove leftover feed and clean the feeding equipment early the next morning. Providing water promptly and appropriately when putting in feed is also an important step, and special attention should be paid to water quality and water supply amount.

(4) Daily management

Scorpions are timid by nature and afraid of disturbance. They like clean habitats, fear microbial infection, and also engage in cannibalism. Therefore, during scorpion farming, care should be taken to keep the scorpion farm quiet and free of noise, especially during the pregnancy period of female scorpions and the molting period of young scorpions. Pregnant scorpions and scorpions of different ages should be managed and fed separately to avoid fighting with their pincers and cannibalism. The scorpion farm should also be kept sanitary to prevent infection and disease. Under normal conditions, scorpions get sick relatively rarely, but note that when heating with a stove in winter, pay attention to gas poisoning and indoor oxygen deficiency, and also prevent harm to scorpions from rats, geckos, and ants.

(5) Simple processing techniques

When scorpions grow to 15-20 grams, they are adult scorpions. If they cannot be sold in time, simple processing should be done. The methods include:

(1) Salted whole scorpions: before processing, first put the scorpions into a basin of cold water and wash off soil and feces. For each kilogram of scorpions, use 100-300 grams of table salt and add 5000 grams of water, soak for 7 hours to make them spit out the soil and filth in their abdomen, then remove and drain the water. Boil a 20%-30% salt water solution, put in the scorpions and boil for 20 minutes, then remove and spread them on a straw mat in a ventilated place to dry in the shade. Avoid sun-drying, as it affects the quality of the scorpion product.

(2) Clear-water scorpions: wash the scorpions in clean water, then remove them and put them into 5%-8% salt water and boil for 20 minutes. During boiling, stir slowly. After boiling, remove and dry in the shade. During storage, pay attention to moisture protection, insect damage, and rat bites; high-quality commercial scorpions should maintain a bright yellow color, complete limbs, and an impurity-free body. Finally, package and seal them and promptly deliver them to the medicinal materials department for sale.