A Detailed Guide to Centipede Breeding Techniques and Methods
Centipedes are not pleasing in appearance and are venomous; their bite causes pain and swelling. However, they are an excellent Chinese herbal medicine with extremely high medicinal value. In recent years, market demand for them has increased, and catching wild centipedes by hand can no longer fill the market gap. Therefore, artificial breeding of centipedes has emerged in response. So how should centipedes be raised? Let's take a look together with QinNongNet.
1. Construction of the breeding pond
Centipedes mainly live in low mountain areas with many stones and little soil. After temperatures rise, they awaken from hibernation and begin to move outside. They like to live in damp, shady weed thickets or rock gullies, sheltering from the heat in cool areas during the day, moving about at night, and preferring to live in dark, damp caves. Therefore, when breeding them artificially, we should build a similar environment according to their living habits, planting trees and grass in the breeding pond or placing some tiles for them to climb on and hide under.
2. Feeding
Centipedes are typical carnivores. They like to eat live insects, such as common insects like crickets, locusts, and dragonflies. They also like to eat the eggs of bees and flies, and they also eat spiders, earthworms, and crawling creatures such as snakes, frogs, and birds. Their food range is extremely broad, and when hungry they can feed on tender plant leaves and buds. During artificial rearing, sufficient food must be prepared for their rapid growth. Generally, in artificial rearing, yellow mealworms are chosen for feeding. Yellow mealworms reproduce extremely quickly and can be bred on their own when raising centipedes, reducing breeding costs.
3. Rearing density
When selecting breeding stock, you can choose to catch wild centipedes, selecting robust ones free of injury and disease to stock in the pond, but attention must be paid to rearing density. If the rearing density is too high, they may bite each other, causing cannibalism. In addition, when they are excessively frightened or lack feed and drinking water, cannibalism can also occur. Therefore, during rearing, inspections must be strengthened. Once insufficient feed or drinking water is found, it should be added and fed promptly. Generally, rearing density is between 200-300 centipedes per square meter, and as the centipedes grow, the rearing density must be continuously reduced.
4. Prevention of natural enemies and diseases
During centipede rearing, many natural enemies and diseases often cause trouble. Common natural enemies include rats, toads, and ants, which take advantage when centipedes are molting or sleeping and gnaw the centipedes clean. In addition, attention must also be paid to poultry and birds. Diseases mainly include green muscardine disease, gastroenteritis, molting disease, and black spot disease. These diseases can all cause centipede death. During breeding, environmental work must be done well, and the rearing environment must be kept cool and damp. It should not be too hot or too humid, otherwise it easily leads to the breeding of pathogens and harms centipede growth. After discovering disease, it must be handled promptly. After confirming the condition, apply the right treatment promptly, and never miss the best treatment time.
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