Video tutorial on ground beetle (Eupolyphaga sinensis) farming, with a detailed explanation of the key technical points

Although ground beetle farming is very simple, you cannot be too careless in actual farming; any living animal will die once it is not given attention, though the severity varies from case to case.

Build the rearing pools properly

First, choose a good room; the interior must have good insulation and ventilation, and heating facilities for winter should be taken into account. Build the pools flexibly according to the room area; in general, a 1 m wide walkway must be left for management, and a pool width of 1 m is best. If managing from both sides, a 2 m wide pool can be built. The bottom pool is 50 cm high, and each layer above is 40-45 cm high; the number of layers can be set according to the height of the room. Anti-escape measures should be added along the pool edges; glass strips or plastic strips can be attached. The room must be protected against natural enemies and rain.

Choose the rearing soil properly

The requirements for the rearing soil are looseness and good moisture retention and heat retention. Generally, it is best to use raw wood sawdust mixed with 30% relatively soft, non-sticky leaf mold soil; it must not be polluted by pesticides or chemical fertilizers. Sieve it into fine soil with a 3 mm aperture sieve. The soil moisture should be such that it forms a ball when squeezed and crumbles when released.

Hatching of egg pods

For egg pod quality, plump grains with a brownish-red color and no impurities are best. A normal egg shell contains 6-16 seeds. When hatching, mix the eggs and soil at a 1:1 ratio (by volume), then place them in a basin at a thickness of 12-15 cm. Keep the temperature at 27°C-30°C and the soil moisture at about 15%. Turn them once in the morning and once in the evening each day to regulate dryness and moisture and the air permeability of the egg pods. Keep the indoor air humidity at 75-80%. They will all hatch in about 45 days. Remember never to spray water directly onto the egg pods.

Rearing management ⟧11⟧After the nymphs hatch, sieve them out with a 4 mm aperture sieve, then place them in plastic basins. They can be fed after 4-5 days. Nymphs mainly eat concentrated feed; you can mix cooked egg yolk with wheat bran scalded with boiling water and feed that, or feed them biscuit or bread crumbs mixed with a small amount of green feed (sweet-tasting is best). Feed once every evening, preferably using feed trays, and no leftover feed should remain. During the egg-laying period, pay attention to a reasonable combination of concentrated, rough and green feed.

After the nymphs hatch, sift them out with a 4 mm mesh sieve, then place them in plastic basins. They can be fed after 4-5 days. The nymphs feed mainly on concentrated feed: cooked egg yolk mixed with wheat bran scalded with boiling water, or biscuit or bread crumbs mixed with a small amount of green feed (preferably something sweet). Feed once every evening, preferably using a feeding tray, and no leftover feed should remain. During the egg-laying period, pay attention to a reasonable combination of concentrated, coarse and green feed.

Separate into pools in time

Ground beetles grow very quickly in a suitable environment; with each molt, their volume and weight increase by about one times. If they are not separated into pools in time, their growth will be affected. When the density is too high, the ground beetles will climb up the walls, and if you tap the soil surface with your hand, they will rise and fall like waves; at this point, they should be separated into pools.

Pick out male insects at the right time

Males mature one month earlier than females, but at that time the females are not yet mature and cannot mate, which affects the females' normal growth. When newly emerged males are found, pick them out promptly. After picking them out, kill them with boiling water, remove the wings, then briefly boil them in light salt water, drain off the water, and place them in the refrigerator; they can be made into a delicious food. This gives higher returns than picking males before emergence. About 1 month after picking, allow them to mate on their own; one male can mate with more than 10 females. After mating, males die within about 20 days, and before they die they can still be picked out and made into food, so the males will be fully utilized.

Sieving and collecting egg pods

Females begin laying eggs one week after mating. The laid eggs are carried at the tail end for about 2 days before falling off into the soil on their own. When collecting eggs, first sieve out the adults with an 8 mm sieve, then sieve out the egg pods with a 4 mm sieve. A sieving interval of 15-20 days is suitable.

Processing of dried products

After sieving out the aged adults that no longer lay eggs with an 8 mm sieve, kill them with boiling water, then rinse them clean with clear water. After drying, they can be sold for medicinal use.