Horizontal resting bed: This type of resting bed is made by laying bricks entirely horizontally and stacking them. The bricks in the same layer are kept with a gap of 0.5-1.0 centimeters between each other, while the gaps between layers are staggered. Generally, it can be stacked up to 6-7 layers, and on the top layer, multiple sponges are placed at the seam openings for humidity adjustment and drinking water for centipedes. The advantage of this type of resting bed is that it can effectively keep the small environment around the centipedes clean, reducing the invasion of pathogenic bacteria, without the need for breeding soil, making operations more convenient and management easier. However, its disadvantage is that it consumes a large number of bricks, has high costs, and due to the poor water retention of bricks, it is difficult to maintain a stable humidity environment.
b. Horizontal-vertical resting bed: This type of resting bed involves laying a layer of bricks flat on the bottom of the pool, with a gap of about 1 centimeter maintained between the bricks. Then, another layer of bricks is placed vertically on this layer of bricks, also keeping a gap of about 1 centimeter between the vertical bricks. On top of the vertical bricks, another layer of horizontal bricks is placed, and some sponges are put on the horizontal bricks. Compared with the fully horizontal resting bed, the ventilation between the brick seams of this type is relatively better. However, the disadvantage is that, due to the excessively tall and narrow gaps between the vertical bricks, centipedes living there lack a sense of security and often curl up, leading to less feeding activity and delayed growth and development. Moreover, when the area of the resting bed is too small, there is a risk of collapse.
c. Roof-shaped resting bed: The basic structure of this type of resting bed is to code bricks into a human-shaped step on the periphery, with breeding soil filled in the middle, or alternatively, adobe blocks of the same specifications as the bricks are used for filling and coding. The construction process is as follows: first, pile up the breeding soil in the center of the pool, then along the long axis of the pool, lay two rows of bricks respectively 10 centimeters away from the pool wall on both sides, with the long axis of the bricks perpendicular to the long axis of the pool. Then adjust the breeding soil so that the second layer of bricks can be placed flat on the first layer of bricks, and shift half towards the center of the pool. Continue this process until the bricks on both sides meet in the middle, thus forming an eight-step shape. Note that there should be a gap of about 1 centimeter between the bricks, between the bricks and the adobe blocks, and between the adobe blocks themselves, providing space for centipedes to rest and move. This type of resting bed is currently one of the more commonly used models. Its advantages include good thermal insulation and moisture retention, convenience in operation, and comfort for centipedes, allowing them to live and move normally. The disadvantage is that the construction is slightly troublesome. Sometimes, indoor breeders build multi-layered立体 structures for centipede pools to save space or facilitate winter temperature rise breeding. When building, note that the distance between every two layers should be kept above 40-50 centimeters, and the pool surface should not be too wide, ensuring good ventilation and light transmission within the pool to prevent mold growth.
(2) Preparation of breeding soil. Breeding soil is not only the place where centipedes live, reproduce, and reside, but also serves as a shelter from various adverse factors, hence it is very important for centipedes. Centipedes do not have high special requirements for the soil quality of breeding soil; sandy soil and loam can both be used. However, the breeding soil must be loose, moist, and have good thermal insulation and moisture retention properties. Therefore, the best breeding soil is relatively loose loam, and clay should not be used as breeding soil because it easily becomes compacted, leading to uneven distribution of moisture after watering, seriously affecting the movement of centipedes inside.
The commonly used breeding soil is repeatedly cultivated vegetable garden land. The preparation process is as follows: In a vegetable garden that has not been sprayed with pesticides or fertilizers for a long time, dig up the surface soil from a loose and fertile section, crush it (high-quality vegetable garden soil usually only needs to be lightly knocked with a hoe or stick to become granular), pick out rotten leaves, stones, tiles, and other debris, and place it under intense sunlight, repeatedly turning it over for 2-3 days until it is completely dried. This not only facilitates storage but also kills any possible eggs of natural enemies or pathogens in the soil. After drying, it can be stored for future use.