Techniques for Breeding Tuyuan (Eupolyphaga)
Living habits of Tuyuan:
Tuyuan is an important medicinal insect that lives in dark, damp soil rich in humus. It fears sunlight, hides during the day, and becomes active at night. The optimal growth temperature is 28-30°C. Temperatures below 0°C or above 38°C can cause mass death of adult and nymph Tuyuan. Activity stops when the temperature drops to 8°C, entering a hibernation period.
Tuyuan completes one generation through three stages: egg, nymph, and adult. Male nymphs take about 8 months to develop wings, while females are wingless and mature in about 9-11 months. Male adults die 5-7 days after mating. Female adults can lay eggs one week after mating and continue laying eggs from a single mating.
Food sources for Tuyuan:
Tuyuan is an omnivorous insect that prefers fresh food. It particularly likes wheat bran and rice bran, followed by cornmeal, crushed grains, peanut cakes, soybean meal, fish, meat, various green grasses, vegetable leaves, fruit peels, chicken dung, cow dung, etc. Feeding only with green grass results in slow growth. A complete feed can be made using 72% wheat bran, 20% cornmeal, 5% soybean meal, and 3% animal feed (cooked). When feeding, use boiling water to scald the feed and add 30%-40% vegetables or fruits. Using complete feed, Tuyuan can grow into adults within 5-6 months.
Tuyuan breeding - How to control temperature and humidity
Heating: When the breeding environment does not reach the required temperature, stoves can be used to increase indoor temperature and local temperatures in pits or pools.
Cooling: If the temperature in the summer pits or pools exceeds the suitable range for Tuyuan, measures such as sprinkling water on the floor indoors, enhancing ventilation, installing exhaust fans, or adding water or ice basins in the pits or pools can be taken. If high temperatures persist and dead insects are found, they should be screened out promptly, and older nymphs or some adults should be processed for medicinal use to reduce insect density in the pits or pools and decrease food input.
Humidity Increase: If the humidity in the breeding area or pits/pools is below 15%, methods like spraying mist, sprinkling water on the ground, or placing items that absorb water and evaporate it effectively (such as wet sponge boards, cotton fabrics, clothes, or blankets) can be used.
Humidity Decrease: If the humidity in the pits/pools exceeds 30%, measures such as opening windows and doors, using exhaust fans, and enhancing ventilation should be taken. If outdoor atmospheric humidity remains high, calcium chloride boxes or lime containers can be placed in the corners of pits/pools to reduce humidity locally.
Tuyuan mainly grows in cement pools built for this purpose. Each layer of the pool has a height of 40 cm, and glass or plastic strips should be attached along the edges to prevent escape. Plastic basins can also be used, especially during the incubation period and before reaching the fourth instar stage, which facilitates management. The breeding soil primarily consists of sawdust mixed with 30% loose humus soil and a small amount of sand, sieved through a screen with a pore size of 3-4 mm. During incubation, the thickness of the breeding soil (including ova) should be 12-15 cm, and for young nymphs, it should be 5-6 cm. For medium-sized nymphs, the soil thickness is 11 cm, and for ovipositing adults, it is 15-17 cm. Feeding platforms can be used for young nymphs, while medium-sized nymphs can be fed directly and evenly on the surface of the breeding soil. Attention should be paid to controlling feeding amounts to avoid leftover food that could attract mites.
Breeding Tuyuan does not require special conditions and is relatively coarse in management. They can be bred in idle rooms, basements, balconies, or plastic greenhouses. A fifteen square meter room can accommodate two sets of Tuyuan eggs, with a growth cycle of eight months. Generally, Tuyuan can grow and develop at temperatures above 20°C. The optimal temperature range is 25°C to 35°C. Below 13°C, they enter hibernation, and below 0°C, they will freeze to death. During the breeding process, the space humidity should be maintained at 75%-80%, and the breeding soil's humidity should be around 15%. Generally, the breeding soil for young nymphs should be slightly drier, with increasing humidity as the insects grow. As long as the appropriate temperature and humidity are reached, Tuyuan can be bred nationwide.
The main diet of Tuyuan consists of wheat bran, supplemented by cornmeal, rough feed, and various vegetables, leaves, and fruit peels. Essentially, any feed that chickens eat, Tuyuan can consume. Watermelon peels in the summer and pumpkins and carrots in the winter are excellent feeds.
1. Selecting breeding soil: The requirements for breeding soil include being loose, moisture-retaining, and temperature-preserving. A mixture of sawdust and 30% loose, non-sticky humus soil works best, free from pesticide and fertilizer contamination. The soil should be sieved through a 3mm mesh, with the humidity controlled so that it forms a ball when squeezed but crumbles when released.
2. Building breeding pools: First, select a house with good thermal insulation and ventilation, considering heating facilities for winter. The construction of pools should be flexible based on the house area, ensuring there is a 1-meter-wide walkway for management. Pool widths of 1 meter are ideal; if managed from both sides, pools can be 2 meters wide. The bottom pool should be 50 cm high, with each upper layer being 40-45 cm high, determined by the house height. Anti-escape measures, such as attaching glass or plastic strips along the pool edges, should be implemented. Indoor environments should protect against natural enemies and rainwater intrusion.
3. Timely removal of male insects: Male Tuyuan matures one month earlier than females. At this time, female insects are not yet mature and cannot mate, affecting normal female growth. Once mature male insects are found, they should be removed promptly, killed with boiling water, their wings removed, and then boiled briefly in salted water, dried, and stored in the refrigerator to make delicious food. This method yields higher benefits compared to removing males before maturity. After one month, allow them to mate naturally, with one male capable of mating with more than ten females. Males die about 20 days after mating but can still be harvested for food before death, utilizing the male insects.
4. Timely separation into different pools: Tuyuan grows quickly in suitable environments, doubling in volume and weight with each molt. If not separated in time, it affects their growth. High density causes Tuyuan to climb the walls. Striking the soil surface produces wave-like movements, indicating the need for separation.
5. Management: After hatching nymphs, use a 4mm mesh sieve to separate them and place them in plastic basins. Feed them after 4-5 days. Nymphs prefer refined feed, such as cooked egg yolks mixed with hot wheat bran, or cookies or bread crumbs mixed with a small amount of green feed (preferably sweet). Feed once every night, preferably using feeding trays without leaving leftover feed. During the oviposition period, pay attention to the reasonable combination of refined, coarse, and green feed.
6. Sieving of ova: Female Tuyuan begins laying eggs one week after mating. Eggs drag behind for about two days before falling off into the soil. Use an 8mm sieve to separate adults first, then a 4mm sieve to separate ova. Sieve ova every 15-20 days.
7. Incubation of ova: Good quality ova are full-grained, brown-red, and free of impurities. Normal ova shells contain 6-16 seeds. Mix ova and soil in a 1:1 ratio (by volume), place them in a basin with a thickness of 12-15 cm, maintain a temperature of 27°C-30°C, and keep soil humidity at around 15%. Turn the ova twice daily to adjust dryness and humidity and ensure proper ventilation. Maintain indoor humidity at 75%-80%. Eggs hatch completely in about 45 days. Do not spray water directly onto the ova.
8. Processing of dried products: Screen out old adults that no longer lay eggs using an 8mm sieve, kill them with boiling water, wash thoroughly with clean water, dry them under the sun, and they are ready for sale as medicine.