Centipedes have a relatively long incubation period, usually requiring 43 to 50 days. During the hatching process, both external appearance and internal structure gradually change with the continuous development of the embryo. After one month, the larval form begins to take shape within the egg, with a body length of about 1.2 cm, and the wriggling of the larva inside the egg membrane can be seen; after 35 to 40 days, the juvenile is about 1.5 cm in length and can crawl up and down but cannot yet leave the mother's body; after 43 to 45 days, the larva is approximately 2.5 cm long, able to leave the mother's body and feed independently. During the entire incubation period, the mother has already stored sufficient nutrients and does not need to be fed, otherwise it could easily cause contamination of the eggs or larvae by food, leading the mother to consume them, thus affecting the hatching rate and survival rate of the larvae.
The centipede's food sources are broad, but they require fresh food and do not eat rotten food. Therefore, when raising them artificially, fresh feed must be provided every 2-3 days. Before feeding, any leftover food from the previous feeding should be thoroughly cleared. Centipedes have a large appetite and strong resistance to hunger. When hungry, they can consume up to 1/5 to 3/5 of their own body weight at once. After eating until full, they will not starve for ten to fifteen days without food. Meanwhile, centipedes cannot withstand thirst and need water daily. Therefore, water containers must be placed in the breeding area, and the water must be changed regularly to keep the drinking water fresh and clean.
Agricultural Science and Technology Feed: Centipedes are typical carnivorous insects, quite ferocious. They capture various small animals much larger than themselves using their venomous mandibles. Centipedes have a wide range of food sources. From field observations and trial farming results, combined with experiences from various breeding locations, the main types of feed for centipedes include: one category being various insects, such as crickets, locusts, tobacco bugs, June beetles, rice bagworms, horned beetles, cicadas, grasshoppers, dragonflies, spiders, flies, bees, etc., in the forms of adult insects, pupae, larvae, and eggs. Another category includes worms, earthworms, snails, slugs, and other invertebrates, as well as muscles, bones, and internal organs of vertebrates like frogs, snakes, lizards, geckos, sparrows, mice, and bats. A third category involves consuming small amounts of young green grass, twigs, root tips, watermelons, cucumbers, and other fruits, as well as eggs, milk, bread, and other cooked products when the above food sources are insufficient. Additionally, centipedes raised artificially in Zhejiang mainly feed on loaches, eels, small fish, shrimp, and crabs.
2) Egg-laying and Hatching: Every late spring to early summer is the egg-laying season for centipedes. Each female centipede generally lays between 20 to 60 eggs, mostly 40 to 50 eggs, and occasionally less than 10 eggs. Before laying eggs, the centipede’s abdomen tightly adheres to the ground, digging a shallow hole itself. During egg-laying, the centipede’s body curves into an "S" shape, and the eggs are laid one by one in a series into the self-dug shallow hole. Without external disturbance, the egg-laying process takes 2 to 3 hours. After laying, the centipede immediately turns its body sideways, using its legs to gather the eggs into a cluster and hugging them in its "arms" for incubation. The eggs laid by centipedes are elliptical in shape, varying in size, with a general diameter of about 3 to 3.5 mm, yellowish in color, semi-transparent, and the egg membrane is elastic.
During the incubation period, the mother never leaves the egg cluster or the juveniles, carefully incubating and guarding them. It frequently uses its antennae to move nearby small insects away and often uses its feeding claws to manipulate or suckle the egg cluster or juveniles. Observations suggest that this is due to the liquid secreted by the base glands of the mother’s feeding claws or oral glands cleaning the egg cluster or juveniles to prevent bacterial contamination and other pollutants.
If disturbed during egg-laying or incubation, centipedes will stop laying eggs and eat all the eggs already laid or those in the process of hatching. This is what is known as the "protective" reaction of centipedes. After eating the eggs, most centipedes can re-lay and incubate eggs. However, this significantly delays the egg-laying and incubation periods, reduces the number of eggs, and lowers the hatching rate, affecting the quantity and quality of centipedes. Therefore, during artificial breeding, it is essential to maintain a quiet environment around centipedes while they lay and incubate eggs, avoiding disturbances. This is a crucial point to note in breeding management.
Huazhong Agricultural University Support: As part of the national "211 Project", Huazhong Agricultural University collaborates with Wuhan Agri-science & Technology People-benefiting Bioengineering Co., Ltd. to jointly research and promote scientific farming and technology-enriched agriculture through centipede breeding techniques: People-benefiting No.2 Golden Head Centipede.
Advanced Technical Advantages: Through years of observation and breeding, multiple biological experts and professors of bioengineering from Wuhan Agri-science & Technology People-benefiting Bioengineering Co., Ltd. and Huazhong Agricultural University have used advanced purification techniques and biological gene improvement engineering to cultivate a new generation variety - People-benefiting No.2 Golden Head Centipede. Observations show that this variety is easy to breed, gentle in nature, strong in adaptability, fast-growing, highly reproductive, with better medicinal value and more significant economic benefits. It is an ideal investment project for many breeding enthusiasts.
Complete Breeding Facilities: With agricultural science as an advantage and life sciences as a feature, the company relies on experts and scholars from the College of Animal Science and Technology, focusing on modern bioengineering, special breeding, and insect resource development. It is a high-tech enterprise integrating scientific research, breeding, teaching, promotion, technical services, production, sales, and import-export trade. It owns large-scale ecological breeding areas, solar house breeding areas, greenhouse breeding areas, and separate technical training centers, seedling breeding centers, germplasm rooms, incubation rooms, gene transformation rooms, etc., with excellent foundations and a complete system.
Wuhan Agri-science & Technology People-benefiting Company: Upholding the tradition of "diligent reading and hardworking farming, establishing oneself and helping others," our company is committed to "scientific farming" as its mission, promoting the industrialization of centipede resources with the business philosophy of "integrity, dedication, pragmatism, innovation, and win-win." We aim to provide our farming friends with higher-quality and high-yield seedlings, advanced technology, and comprehensive services, allowing us to keep pace with the times and create a more brilliant future together.
Wuhan Agri-science & Technology People-benefiting Centipede Breeding Official Website: hm9188.com/index1.asp
Consultation: 027-87672386 or 87672385 (Teacher Yu), QQ for detailed inquiries: 1229441013
Teacher Guo: 1 5 5 2 7 8 2 6 1 5 8
Hubei Agri-science & Technology People-benefiting Centipede Breeding Base Address: Room 318, Tianhui Building, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuchang District, Wuhan City