Detailed explanation of key technical points for artificial centipede breeding

The centipede is also called Tianlong, Baijiao, Wugong, or Qianchuanzi. The medicinal centipede is the whole body of the animal Scolopendra subspini-pes mutilans L.Koch, of the family Scolopendridae. It is produced in Shaanxi, Henan, Anhui, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Hubei, Hunan, Guangdong, Sichuan and other places. It is generally caught in spring and summer. A bamboo strip pointed at both ends is inserted into the head and tail, then it is stretched tight and sun-dried. It can also be blanched in boiling water, sun-dried, and used raw.

Centipede breeding technology (brief 1):

I. Construction of the centipede breeding pond The breeding pond should be built in a sunny, ventilated place with good air exhaust conditions that is relatively shady, damp, and quiet. The breeding pond can be built indoors or outdoors. The breeding pond is built with materials such as bricks or stone blocks, with the surface plastered with cement. A pond depth of 80 cm is suitable. The inner walls around the pond should be pasted with smooth, undamaged plastic film, or a ring of glass should be set at the pond mouth as an inner eave at a right angle to the pond wall, with a width of 15 cm being suitable. This is to prevent the centipedes from escaping. Inside the pond, near the walls all around, dig a water ditch 10 cm wide and 4 cm deep. On the inner side of the water ditch, dig another feed trough 30 cm wide and 3 cm deep for putting in feed. Weeds and trees can be planted in the pond, and some stone blocks, tiles, etc. can be piled up for the centipedes to inhabit. After stocking the seedlings, the pond should be covered with a layer of grass curtain to shade the light. The pond should be kept clean, moist, shady, cool, and hygienic.

II. Feeding method Centipedes are generally fed once every 2-3 days, and once a day during the active period. No feeding or watering is needed during the hatching period. The feeding time is between 16:30 and 18:00 each day. On the morning of the next day after feeding, the leftover food must be picked out. The feed for centipedes can refer to the following formulas: ① 70% various insect-type animals, 20% cooked potatoes, 10% broken grains, green vegetables or bread fragments; ② 70% minced meat of various poultry and livestock or other animals, 20% fish meal or silkworm chrysalis meal, 10% chopped green vegetables. Every day, place a small dish containing clean water in the feed trough for the centipedes to drink.

III. Reproduction and hatching of centipedes Centipedes generally mate from March to June and lay eggs from May to July, laying 40-50 eggs each time. After laying eggs, the centipede holds the eggs in its embrace to hatch them. They hatch in about 20 days, and only after 45 days can they leave the mother and live independently. During the hatching period, quiet and suitable temperature and humidity should be maintained. Generally, the temperature should be controlled between 25°C and 32°C, and the humidity should be controlled between 50% and 70%.

Living habits of centipedes:

Centipedes mainly live in low mountain areas with much stone and little soil, and are only distributed in small amounts in plain areas. Every year after Awakening of Insects, as the temperature turns warm, centipedes awaken from hibernation and begin to come out and move about. They are good at living in damp, shady weed thickets or gullies with scattered rocks. From Grain in Ear to Summer Solstice, as the temperature gradually rises, they gradually move to shady trenches, graveyards, field ridges, or cracks in earthen banks, avoiding the hot daytime. In late autumn, they mostly inhabit the lower slopes of loose soil on the leeward and sunny side or warmer places such as tree holes and tree roots. In short, centipedes are afraid of light and shy of brightness, hide by day and come out at night, and like to live in dark, damp, warm, ventilated caves. Therefore, when artificially breeding centipedes, it is necessary, according to their living habits, to try to create the living conditions they require. For example, planting trees and grass in the breeding site and placing bricks and tiles are among the measures taken to meet the centipedes' requirements for their living environment.

Centipedes generally come out at night to move about alone. Although they have 8 simple eyes, their eyesight is weak, especially very poor during the day. When moving alone, they only detour when their antennae touch, each avoiding the other. On clear, windless nights, 20:00-23:00 is their peak activity period. Their activity is characterized by more activity at night and less during the day; more activity when the temperature is above 25°C and less activity during the day at 10-15°C; even less activity or even stopping activity below 10°C; more activity on stuffy, hot nights and nights after rain, and less activity on nights with low temperature; more activity on windless or slightly windy nights, and less activity on nights with strong wind (wind force above level six); more activity on nights after rain, and less activity on rainy nights. It can thus be seen that the frequency of centipede activity is closely related to meteorological factors such as temperature, air pressure, relative humidity, rainfall, and light intensity. Therefore, when artificially breeding centipedes, attention must be paid to the influence of the above meteorological factors on their lives. At the same time, centipedes are very strong at drilling into cracks, so they can smoothly drill through crevices in rocks, earthen banks, etc., and can inhabit these cracks.

When the living density of centipedes is too high or there is much disturbance, they are prone to killing each other and dying. However, under breeding conditions, with the improvement of the living environment and breeding conditions, such as providing enough fresh feed and water and not increasing disturbance to their lives, even if the breeding density is relatively high, it has little effect on their lives. In particular, centipedes produced by the same mother, because they have lived together since childhood, can live together harmoniously even when dozens of them curl up together after growing up. Therefore, providing enough fresh feed and water and maintaining a quiet environment are essential conditions for artificial centipede breeding.