What are the common diseases in centipede farming? A detailed guide to prevention and treatment
The centipede, together with the snake, scorpion, toad and gecko, is known as one of the “Five Poisons”, which shows just how “illustrious” its status was in ancient China. In today's society, with the development of science and technology, the value of the centipede has grown higher and higher, and artificial centipede farming projects have begun to appear in some places. Compared with traditional farming projects, centipede farming is very novel, and precisely because of this, some novice farmers, lacking experience when raising centipedes, have no idea how to prevent and treat centipede diseases. Today Qinnong Net introduces several of the more common centipede diseases and the corresponding prevention and treatment methods.
The common diseases of centipedes include green muscardine disease, gastroenteritis, molting disease and black spot disease, among others. These common diseases can all cause centipede death and bring considerable economic losses to farmers. Here Qinnong Net introduces the time of onset of these diseases and the corresponding treatment methods, for everyone's reference.
I. Green muscardine disease
From mid-June to the end of August, due to climate changes, high temperatures and high humidity, centipedes become infected with Metarhizium anisopliae (green muscardine fungus) and contract this disease. In the early stage of infection, the centipede mainly develops small black spots on the skin of its joints; afterwards the body surface loses its luster, and finally it dies from refusing food and wasting away.
The treatment method is: grind 0.6 grams of dried yeast, 0.25 grams of oxytetracycline and 0.25 grams of chloramphenicol together into powder, mix evenly with 400 grams of feed and feed it to the diseased centipedes until they recover.
II. Gastroenteritis
Don't think that gastroenteritis is a disease only humans get; many animals can develop gastroenteritis, and centipedes are no exception. Centipedes mostly contract this disease in the low-temperature, rainy period after autumn. In the early stage of the disease, the centipede's head turns purplish red, its venom hooks are fully extended, and it eats little or nothing; it dies 5 to 7 days after the disease sets in.
The treatment method is: grind 0.5 grams of sulfa tablets into fine powder and mix evenly with 300 grams of feed; separately, mix 0.25 grams of chloramphenicol with 300 grams of feed, and feed them alternately on alternate days.
III. Molting disease
It is caused by fungi parasitizing the body because the centipede's habitat is too damp. In the early stage the centipede appears restless, crawling back and forth; in the later stage it appears weak and moves sluggishly; finally it dies because it neither eats nor drinks.
The treatment method is: grind 0.25 grams of oxytetracycline, 0.6 grams of dried yeast and 1 gram of calcium tablets together into a fine powder, mix evenly with 400 grams of feed, and feed continuously for 10 days for a full recovery.
IV. Black spot disease
Black spot disease is the most common major disease in artificial centipede farming. Especially in summer, “black spot disease” caused by mold easily occurs in artificial farming pools, often causing the death of large numbers of young centipedes born that year, and sometimes adult centipedes also die from being infected with this mold disease. According to years of investigation, this disease is rarely found in wild centipedes. Therefore it can be considered that “black spot disease” is a serious disease under farming conditions.
When diseased centipedes are found, immediately isolate them and feed them; you can grind 0.25 grams of erythromycin tablets and chlortetracycline tablets into powder, add 600 milliliters of water, and force them to drink the medicated water, twice a day for 3 to 4 consecutive days; or grind erythromycin and chlortetracycline with water and spray the mixture on bricks and tiles. At the same time, pay attention to hygiene and to water quality.
In addition to the above preventive measures, the drugs for treating mold disease can be mixed with food to feed the diseased centipedes, which can have a therapeutic effect.
The drugs for “black spot disease” include emulsifiers such as nystatin, amphotericin, cycloheximide and candicidin. You can also try using ultraviolet light irradiation inside the pool (outside the nest) to prevent or assist in treating the disease, so as to kill the pathogenic mold and achieve the goal of preventing and treating the disease.
You can use 0.6 grams of dried yeast, 0.25 grams of chloramphenicol and 0.25 grams of oxytetracycline, grind them together, mix with feed insects and feed continuously for 7 days for prevention and treatment; for severe cases, feed them separately. You can also choose emulsifiers such as nystatin, amphotericin, cycloheximide and candicidin for prevention and treatment.
The above are several of the more common diseases encountered in the process of farming centipedes. Among them, black spot disease is the most common and also the most headache-inducing disease for centipede farmers, because this disease not only affects young centipedes but can also harm adult centipedes. This article has focused on introducing this disease, in the hope of being of some help to fellow farmers.