Full Analysis of Scorpion Non-Diapause Breeding Technology
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 diapause and hibernation. They are ovoviviparous, and newborn scorpions often ride on their mother's back, beginning to live independently after one molt. The best scorpion breed is the Wang Scorpion No. 9 scorpion seed stock, which breaks the winter dormancy habit at the breed level. Artificial non-diapause scorpion breeding is a scorpion-rearing technology developed and promoted in recent years, that is, a method of artificially creating conditions to break their hibernation and overwintering habits, accelerate their growth cycle, and increase output and efficiency. For the selection of breeding scorpions, one must choose Wang Scorpion No. 9 scorpion seed stock to fundamentally ensure that the scorpions do not hibernate.
Scorpion Farm Construction
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, with higher ground in the north and lower ground in the south. Drainage should be good, and the site should be quiet and pollution-free.
2. The area should be determined according to the breeding scale.
3. Note that the soil pH of the scorpion farm is best 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 capture, and especially heating and humidifying equipment. Ordinary heated brick beds, soil heating, electric heaters, and other equipment can be used for heating, and solar greenhouses can also be used for breeding; small sprayers or medium-sized agricultural pesticide sprayers can be used for humidification equipment. If an electronic humidifier is used, configure one unit per 40 sq m of environment.
Environmental Factors
The two factors with the greatest impact on artificial non-diapause scorpion breeding are temperature and humidity. Temperature can break the scorpion's dormancy habit and shorten its growth, development, and molting. Therefore, the temperature for artificial non-diapause scorpion breeding should be controlled at 25-38°C. When the temperature is below 15°C, scorpions begin to enter dormancy, and at 40-42°C they lose water severely; above 43°C, large numbers of scorpions will die. Scorpions like moisture but fear dampness, 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 breeding, the humidity of the scorpion's resting burrows should be 15%-18%, and that of the activity area should be 65%-75%. Both high temperature with low humidity and high temperature with high humidity will cause scorpion death.
Feed
The main feed is 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. Sometimes they also eat fruit-based feed. The amount of feed placed should be controlled so that after the scorpions have fed for a full day and night, a slight remainder is left. Place feed before dusk each day, and remove leftover feed the next morning and clean the feeding equipment. Providing water promptly and appropriately when placing feed is also an important part, and special attention should be paid to water quality and water supply amount.
Daily Management
Scorpions are timid by nature and afraid of being disturbed. They like clean habitats and fear microbial infection, and they also engage in cannibalism. Therefore, during scorpion breeding, 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 mutual fighting with pincers and cannibalism. The scorpion farm should also be kept sanitary to prevent infection and disease. Under normal circumstances, scorpions get sick relatively rarely, but attention should be paid to gas poisoning and indoor oxygen deficiency when heating with a stove in winter, and the harm to scorpions from rats, geckos, and ants should also be prevented.
Simple Processing Technology
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 place the scorpions in a basin of cold water and wash off soil and excrement. 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 abdomens, then remove and drain the water. Boil a 20%-30% salt water solution, place the scorpions in 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, remove them, and place them in 5%-8% salt water to boil for 20 minutes. During boiling, turn them slowly. After boiling, remove them and dry them 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 body, and no impurities on the trunk. Finally, package and seal them and promptly deliver them to the medicinal materials department for sale.