After three years of grasshopper farming, Li Shuqi recouped 200,000 yuan
At the mention of grasshoppers, many people think of locust plagues. But Li Shuqi of Yongning Town, Yanqing, treats grasshoppers as honored guests. He built greenhouses and raised 2 million of them, and not only recouped the 200,000 yuan of initial investment but also began making a profit.
"Grasshoppers, grasshoppers, leave only stubble." A farming proverb has branded this six-legged little insect with a "negative image" it can never wash away for life - at the mention of it, many people think of locust plagues. But Li Shuqi of Yongning Town, Yanqing, treats grasshoppers as honored guests. He built greenhouses and raised 2 million of them, and not only recouped the 200,000 yuan of initial investment but also began making a profit.
Li Shuqi tending grasshoppers in the greenhouse. Photo by reporter Tian Baoxi
To prevent intrusions by toads, crows, chickens and other animals, Old Li patrols with his dog every day.
Catching grasshoppers can only be done at night. He used his hands to scoop handful after handful of grasshoppers into net bags, and it took a whole night just to finish one greenhouse.
The grasshoppers are raised in greenhouses, so the toads can only stare helplessly.
Grasshoppers survive and breed by eating forage, and Old Li specifically planted wheat in the greenhouses.
The forage must not be contaminated with pesticides, otherwise the grasshoppers will die, so Old Li rinses the forage repeatedly every day.
The whole family pitched in they caught all night and still were not done
At 11 p.m. on the 15th, in Yongning Town, Yanqing, stars dotted the sky, and crickets in the fields chirped from time to time.
61-year-old Li Shuqi tilted his head, listening intently to the sounds from the five greenhouses outside the door. The rustling sounds in the greenhouses gradually grew softer. He led the whole family in putting on headlamps, picking up net bags and mugwort, and walking out the gate...
What they were going to catch was nothing rare, but in the eyes of this family, the several hundred jin of grasshoppers in the greenhouses were all treasures.
5 greenhouses, 2 million grasshoppers, 75 days of feeding, and over 10,000 jin of forage. The grasshoppers caught tonight would turn into a hefty harvest. Thinking that a buyer had already been arranged to purchase them early the next morning, Li Shuqi was already smiling so much that his eyes narrowed into slits.
"Once it gets cool at night, the grasshoppers cannot fly anymore, and only then can you go into the greenhouse to catch them!" he said.
The grasshoppers all over the ground made it feel as if there was no "room to stand," and mugwort could only be used to drive them back to clear a small patch of open ground for people to stand on. The whole family stood on tiptoe, afraid of crushing these little creatures.
The elders were responsible for driving them with mugwort, the younger ones for opening the nets, and the bold ones, together with Old Li, used their hands to scoop handful after handful of grasshoppers into the net bags. After finally scooping up a handful and putting it into the net bag, several more would suddenly jump out. The "tug-of-war" lasted more than two hours before the whole family finally finished catching the grasshoppers in one greenhouse.
Selling the insects for cash the 200,000 yuan investment has been recouped
After a whole night of struggle, the grasshoppers in the five greenhouses finally "obediently gave in."
At around 7 in the morning, everyone beat their aching backs and slumped sitting in the greenhouse, letting the "fish that slipped through the net" hop around on their heads, too tired to bother with them.
At around 8, the sound of a car driving up came from the distance, and Old Li's dog began barking wildly to tip off its master. He quickly climbed out of the greenhouse, and a white Jinbei van stopped beside the greenhouses. The merchant who bought grasshoppers had arrived!
The family picked up the 23 fully stuffed bags of grasshoppers and placed them in front of the car.
Old Li trotted all the way back home, carried out the platform scale and put it in the yard, then weighed bag after bag and called out the numbers, while his wife stood to one side, each calculating the weight in jin along with the merchant. Every time Old Li called out a number, his wife made two strokes.
All 23 bags of grasshoppers were weighed, more than 220 kilograms. The buyer complained that the quantity was too small, while Old Li began complaining that the grasshoppers had not cooperated and that many that could not be caught were still left in the greenhouses.
After weighing and checking the numbers, the buyer handed over 48 hundred-yuan bills, and Old Li showed a simple, honest smile, because the egg pods had cost only a little over 800 yuan, and even more because after this sale, the 200,000 yuan previously spent on renting land and building greenhouses had been recouped, and he would soon be able to earn pure profit.
After taking the money and counting it three times, the family busily helped the buyer load the grasshoppers onto the Jinbei van. Photo for this page by reporter Tian Baoxi
First raising grasshoppers villagers feared a locust plague
Three years ago, Old Li learned by chance that raising grasshoppers could make money, so he discussed with his wife making a living from it, but unexpectedly his wife said he was letting his imagination run wild. Helpless, he had to take his wife to the city market to see for herself.
When his wife saw that one jin of grasshoppers could sell for 30 yuan at the market, she finally made up her mind to support Old Li, and the couple then invested more than 200,000 yuan to build greenhouses and raise grasshoppers.
There are more than 800 varieties of grasshoppers, and only the Southeast Asian migratory locust and the rice migratory locust are edible. After investigation and study, Old Li chose the second generation of the Southeast Asian migratory locust as the breeding variety.