Rural farming of small insects can also make big money

Ground beetle

It was originally a wild insect, and in the past people relied on catching it as a source of medicine. In recent years, because old houses have been renovated, and wooden floors in oil mills, granaries and other places have been changed to asphalt and cement floors, and because eliminating the four pests and paying attention to hygiene have been included in daily work, the ground beetle has lost its natural growing places. Therefore, relying only on catching naturally growing insects is far from enough to meet domestic medicinal and export needs. In order to open up more medicinal sources, many places across the country have carried out artificial breeding and achieved remarkable results. Artificially bred ground beetles can reproduce in large numbers. Artificial breeding of ground beetles is a sideline project with low cost, high returns, convenient management, simple equipment, a wide range of feed, strong reproductive capacity, broad adaptability, no competition with grain and cotton for land, and no competition with different crops for fertilizer, benefiting both the country and oneself. Collectives, families and individuals can all raise them, and it has great development prospects. It also has the advantages of strong adaptability, relatively low breeding cost, easy rearing and fast growth, so it is deeply favored by specialty breeding households.

Golden cicada

The golden cicada is a representative species of insects in the cicada family. The golden cicada is edible and rich in nutrients. According to physicochemical analysis and research by the Chinese Academy of Food Nutrition, every 100 g of golden cicada nymphs is rich in 72 g of protein, 15 g of fat and 1.8 g of ash; in addition, it also contains calcium, phosphorus, iron and a variety of vitamins and trace elements essential to the human body. Scientific analysis shows that the golden cicada contains abundant amino acids, protein and trace elements, and essential amino acids for the human body account for 46.63% of total amino acids. Its medicinal value is also very high. The skin of the golden cicada (cicada slough) is also a kind of traditional Chinese medicine, and the idiom "the golden cicada sheds its shell" also comes from it. Now the living territory of cicadas is becoming smaller and smaller. To meet market demand, many people obtain golden cicadas through artificial breeding and achieve good returns.

Grasshopper

With social development and the continuous improvement of quality of life, human dining tables have shifted from traditional types such as chicken, duck, fish and meat to green wild-game types. They are rich in nutrients, with tender meat and a delicious taste like shrimp. In Hong Kong, China and other places, they have the fine name "flying shrimp" and are a favorite delicacy of people in many countries. In the United States, "insect banquets" are even held to entertain distinguished guests, and grasshoppers are among them. According to reports, some patients with obesity, high blood pressure and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases tend to eat insects, intending to achieve the purpose of losing weight and curing disease. Subsequently, insect foods have correspondingly risen in some countries and regions. Using insects to cook dishes, or making them into canned food, biscuits, ice cream and other foods, they sell very well.

Earthworm

Earthworm is commonly known as "qu shan", and in traditional Chinese medicine it is called dilong. Dilong is cold in nature and salty in taste. Functions: clear heat, calm the liver, stop asthma, and dredge collaterals. It mainly treats high fever and mania, convulsions, wind-heat headache, red eyes, hemiplegia, etc. Dilong extract has a good effect of relieving cough and calming asthma. A mixture of earthworm ash and rose oil can treat baldness. Earthworms are widely used in medicine, light chemical industry and breeding, so demand has increased greatly, and artificial breeding has received attention. In earthworm breeding, organic waste can be used (such as poultry and livestock manure, garbage, plant stems, sugar residue, edible mushroom residue, distiller's grains, etc.). The cost is low and the method is simple, which promotes the recycling of resources.

Scorpion

Although scorpions are widely distributed in our country, with the prosperity of the traditional Chinese medicine market and the gradual development of scorpions' economic value by humans, the social demand for whole scorpions, a traditional precious medicinal material, is increasing day by day. Scorpion farming has the characteristics of low investment, low labor demand and relatively mature breeding technology. The early fixed asset investment for scorpion farming is relatively small, and the breeding site can make full use of the courtyard and the back of the house, empty rooms and greenhouses. The facilities only need basins, bricks and other heat-preserving and moisture-preserving facilities. Breeding does not require much labor, and this work is more suitable for careful, resilient people with weaker physiques. The breeding technology is relatively mature.

Kewen