The nine-dragon worm is a traditional small medicinal insect, often kept as a household pet among the general public.
The nine-dragon worm, also known as the foreign worm, is a small beetle of the family Tenebrionidae in the order Coleoptera. It has a long history of being kept among the people of southern China, and related records also appear in some ancient herbal texts. Its adult body is only a few millimeters long, dark brown in color, and unremarkable in appearance, yet quite a few people keep it as a little treasure at home; folk explanations for how it got its name vary.
The nine-dragon worm goes through four stages in its life: egg, larva, pupa, and adult, making it a holometabolous insect. It likes warm environments and has poor cold tolerance; when the temperature is too low, it stops moving and may even die. Therefore, under natural conditions in the north, it cannot easily survive the winter, and keeping it usually requires attention to warmth. Larvae and adults have similar feeding habits, with grains and dried fruits as their main food.
The method of keeping nine-dragon worms at home is not complicated. Generally, prepare a ventilated jar or box with a lid, put in red dates, peanuts, lotus seeds, dried longan, and the like as feed and shelter, then place the insects inside and keep them in a warm, dark place. In daily care, attention should be paid to moisture and mold prevention, avoiding direct sunlight and high-temperature exposure, while also preventing mites and other stray insects from getting in; when the feed becomes moldy or is eaten up, it should be replaced and replenished in time.
Among the people, the nine-dragon worm is regarded as a traditional medicinal insect, often ground into powder and taken with water or eaten together with red dates, and it is believed to have a warming and strengthening effect. However, such claims mostly come from traditional experience, and its medicinal value still lacks sufficient verification by modern research; people with allergic constitutions should be especially cautious. If it really needs to be eaten or used as medicine, it is advisable to consult a professional physician first, and not to take large amounts blindly.