Issue 09, 2021
Foreword: In the previous issue, we talked about what a shovel is, and in this issue we continue to talk about how to buy, raise adult insects, and what are the precautions.
Perhaps some insect lovers will think that adult breeding has something to say, too simple!
But from our actual contact, we found that many new people do not know how to start, do not know the correct breeding method, and the new insects may die the next day. At present, on the entire Internet, there is not much information related to shovel breeding, which is basically just the experience shared by some insect friends, and there is no systematic content.
Tip: The full text is longer, it is recommended to read and digest it slowly after collection
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="236" >1, how to choose shovel adult feeding</h1>
When formally explaining how to raise adult insects, let's first briefly talk about how to choose and purchase adult shovels.
At present, there are many varieties of adult spades circulating in the market, ranging from 20 to 30 yuan to hundreds of yuan, or even thousands of yuan, how to choose the right adult insects to breed? From the perspective of different user needs and our experience, we will give two suggestions.
1.1 How should new people choose adult species?
Step by step: Pure newcomers still recommend starting with introductory varieties, and there is no need to play with some expensive high-end species (euphorbia, Nanyang, woolly elephant, Sumen, Palawan, etc.).
The introductory species as a whole is inexpensive and cost-effective, and can fully understand some of the basic habits of the shovel (including reproduction, etc.), and can also be used to practice making specimens after the death of the insect, laying the foundation for possible future shovel collection.
<< Specimens in a posture >>
At present, the conventional shovel nail entry species are usually medium flat, medium large, indian gold, as well as some of the more common saws and spades (such as two-point red saw shovel, PGK, yellow stripe, Y stripe, etc.) and thin red shovel, and the pocket worm is mainly based on some ji du (domestic origin of the country ji and Vietnam ji du, Thai ji du, etc.).
Note 1: Originally, the one-horned fairy (double-forked rhinoceros golden turtle) was the first choice of introductory insects, but it now belongs to the three protected insects and cannot play as much as you want.
Do what you can: how much money you can do! If you have a stable economic income, you can choose adult breeding according to your personal preferences and economic conditions, such as feeling rainbow shovels, good looking, then buy! The long halberd was handsome and took it down; the grumpy old brother Nanyang was domineering and received. Rich and willful, who loves whom, happy yourself!!!
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But if it is a student group or just a whim of 5 minutes of heat, including parents buying for children to observe and cultivate interest, it is still necessary to consider it carefully. After all, the overall life of the shovel is not long, short is 3 months long or one year (some flat spades, large shovel exceptions, the life span can reach 2 years to 3 years or so), can not be accompanied for a long time, the cost performance of high-end insects is obviously low, which is also one of the biggest differences between shovels and other pets.
In addition, don't think about collecting high-end varieties at low prices, there has never been a free lunch in the world, and unscrupulous profiteers have always existed. Below the normal market price, please be cautious, we have seen many new people being deceived and pitted. Try to choose a regular worm society to go through the normal trading process.
1.2 What do I need to pay attention to when purchasing adult worms?
: The adult insects sold on the market can be divided into two major types: wild insects and artificial, the former is basically based on domestic shovels, the advantage is that the price is relatively low, the disadvantage is that some wild insects may be old insects, the life expectancy is shorter; the price of artificially bred adult insects is relatively high, after all, artificial breeding has a lot of costs in it (time cost, labor management cost and food costs, etc.).
: Artificial feeding insects need to pay attention to the generational information, some shovels will have "generational disease", popular understanding is similar to the human close relatives marriage caused by a variety of bad problems.
Raising high-generation adults is not a big problem in itself, but there may be more problems involving reproduction, usually infertility, low egg laying, and high rate of loss in the larval stage.
Different spade varieties have different tolerances for successive generations, such as high generations such as jidou and thin-bodied red shovels.
Usually there are special terms for generations, such as CBF1, WF2, the specific meaning can be found in "Shovel Breeding These Generational Terms You Understand!" 》
: Some merchants will mark artificially bred insects as "untung" or "stung", what does this mean?
After the shovel feathers into an adult, it still needs a period of time to fully mature its organs (coleopterosis, body color fixation, etc.), during which it is completely in a state of not eating, drinking, or active, usually we call this the dormant period.
The time of the dormancy period varies from insect to insect, different species are completely different, as short as 3 weeks, as long as half a year or even a year, some difficult species may die violently in the dormancy.
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Thai Ji Du, who is in a dormant period, reacts to external interference
When an adult insect in the original dormancy is observed to be more active and has a crawling forage (sometimes the mouthparts will protrude), this basically means that it is about to or has already been dormant, and it needs to start normal feeding.
In addition, since the wild harvest can also collect the hibernation insects, the wild insects sold in the market may also be dormant.
: In February this year, the new edition of the "List of Wild Animals under National Key Protection" was officially announced, of which all species of the arm golden turtle family, such as the wearing fork rhinoceros golden turtle, the coarse rhinoceros golden turtle, the slender horned rhinoceros golden turtle (five-cornered big pocket), the shin Xiaobian rhinoceros golden turtle, the giant fork deep mountain shovel and the Anda shovel are the national second-level protection. This also means that from this year onwards, the above spade ordinary insect friends can no longer touch, if the program is online, this is a criminal case.
In addition, in accordance with the Wildlife Protection Law (2018 amendment), China has formulated three protected animals (full name: list of terrestrial wild animals with important ecological, scientific and social value protected by the state), among which the species involved in the shovel include the brown-armed golden turtle, the forked rhinoceros golden turtle (all species), the Ge borer rhinoceros golden turtle, the Chinese spade, and the lucky deep spade.
Some areas in China (such as Beijing, Liaoning, etc.) have their own management regulations for the three protected animals, and there will be corresponding penalties for catching, trading and breeding.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="236" >2</h1>
Adult insects as a whole are still relatively easy to raise, and feeding boxes + bedding + food can basically get most shovels raised. However, there are many details in this piece, and too Much Buddhism may lead to the rapid death of insects.
2.1, breeding environment configuration:
A: Feeding container, using a feeding box/feeding tank with a capacity of 1 to 10 liters;
B: Lay the bedding (wood chips, water moss, dry moss) at the bottom of the feeding container, usually about 2 to 3 cm thick, and appropriately sprinkle or spray water (insects need a slightly humid environment);
C: Place climbing items such as bark or branches on top of the bedding, which is very important and can effectively prevent the sudden death of insects due to turning over;
D: Put food (insect jelly or fruit), if you feed jelly can be placed next to the bark (can be parallel to the bark), if it is fruit can be placed directly on the bark; if you want to save trouble, you can also use a professional jelly table;
E: Put in the adult worms and cover the lid of the feeding container, otherwise the worms will easily escape from prison.
2.1.1 Feeding environment FAQ:
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According to the size of the shovel raised, it is determined: small and medium-sized spades /small hoods (with a body length of less than 7 cm) use 1-4L containers; large spade beetles or large and medium-sized hoods (more than 7 cm) need 4 to 16L and other larger space feeding containers.
The feeding container should not be too small, and the six legs of the spade adult cannot be extended for a long time, which can easily lead to the rupture of claw hooks, tarsal joints, etc., resulting in unnecessary disability.
Adult worms must have a pad, the main role:
A. Provide a pleasant humid environment for insects, and absorb excrement at the same time (insects only pull urine and do not pull shit) to prevent serious odors;
B, branches, bark, leaves and other climbing items in addition to imitating the wild environment, the most important thing is to prevent insects from turning over after they can not turn over, turning over is the first major cause of death of insects, it is easy to cause them to die of energy exhaustion in a short period of time;
C. Provide a space for insects to hide and hide, so that it can inhabit with peace of mind, otherwise it is easy to panic and affect lifespan.
D. It can well protect the adult tarsal joint and reduce the wear and tear of daily climbing. Be aware, however, that too wet and too dry feeding environments can have an impact on adult tarsal joints.
At present, the commonly used bedding for raising shovels is wood chips, water moss, dry moss, all three have advantages and disadvantages, and can be selected according to their actual situation.
Wood chips: inexpensive, with a certain degree of moisturizing properties. Note that raw wood chips are referred to here, not fermented wood chips.
Water moss: the best moisturizing, but whether it is domestic water moss or imported Chilean water moss, the price is much higher than that of wood chips and dry moss.
Dry moss: Poor moisturizing, but inexpensive, with a certain degree of decoration.
Branches or bark these mats must be available, not too much attention, just choose at will.
During the feeding process, if it is found that the bedding (wood chips or water moss) becomes viscous, discolored or emits a serious odor, it should be replaced; if the replaced bedding is not seriously deteriorated, it can be reused after drying, otherwise it should be discarded.
In captivity, the food of adult spade beetles is mainly fruits (bananas, apples, mangoes, etc.) and insect jelly, if there are more adult insects, it is recommended to feed insect jelly.
Feeding fruits: low-moisture and high-sugar fruits (bananas, mangoes, etc.), feeding high-moisture foods such as watermelon may lead to the death of insects and insects; such as feeding fruits, please be sure to change frequently, fruits are easy to spoil and pollute the feeding environment, and it is also easy to attract fruit flies (especially in summer). When using fruits as the staple food, it is recommended to attach breathable tape to the breathable holes to avoid fruit fly invasion to a certain extent.
Eat mangoes
Insect jelly: The amount of shovel nails to eat is about 2 to 3 days, even if it is not eaten at the end, it should be replaced (especially in summer, winter can be appropriately extended). If there are more adult insects, it is recommended that each adult (mainly small and medium-sized spade nails) give half or a quarter jelly; the hooded insects eat a large amount (a considerable part of them are foodies), and each adult should be given a complete jelly, and the large hood should be given a whole jelly, and the large hood should be given one per day. The biggest advantage of feeding jelly is that it is easy to clean up.
Note: Insect jelly is a special item for insects to eat, although it is produced by regular manufacturers, it is not recommended for people to eat.
2.2, how to correctly raise adult insects
2.2.1 Polyculture of adult insects is not recommended
Adult shovels (male insects) in the wild often fight for food and land and daughter-in-law, and it is easy to be disabled, and the same phenomenon is also found in the artificial breeding environment, and polyculture is not recommended in principle.
Male and female insects of the same species of spade nails can be polycultured, but some grumpy spade species (such as giant spades, spades, etc.) are also not recommended for polyculture, and it is easy to have a mother explosion. If you want to breed and pair, tie the male worms (pictured below) and raise them separately as soon as possible after confirming mating.
In principle, it is not recommended for male and female polyculture. The desire to mate is stronger, and excessive mating can lead to a significant reduction in the lifespan of male insects (spade nails have similar conditions, but relatively small impact).
2.2.2 Correctly set the feeding temperature
Different spade species have different requirements for feeding temperature, such as medium flat, medium and large spade armor has cold and high temperature resistance characteristics, while deep mountain spades are mostly not tolerant to high temperatures, and need to be controlled below 26 degrees (some need lower temperatures).
Overall, if conditions permit, please control the feeding temperature to 18 to 28 degrees, which is in line with the needs of most adult spade worms.
2.2.3 How do adult spades survive the winter?
Most of the shovel species can not survive at a lower temperature, usually the room temperature below 15 degrees to consider the heating treatment, in addition to air conditioning, oil and other heating equipment, can be used foam box + heating pad method for insulation.
Some species (such as medium flat, medium and large, etc.) have strong hardiness characteristics, usually as long as appropriate measures are taken (such as adding more bedding, etc.), even at extremely low temperatures, they can survive the cold winter smoothly.
In general, at low temperatures, the insects will enter a dormant state, at which time the food is significantly reduced (or even almost no eating), hiding in the feeding mat is basically not moving.
2.2.4 Placement of feeding containers
The feeding container should be placed in a dark and ventilated place, trying to avoid direct sunlight. Do not spray insect repellent or insect repellent products in the room where the adults are raised, as these items may cause discomfort and death to adult worms or spade beetles.
In addition, most of the adult spades are nocturnal insects, which are quite active in the dead of night, and the noise such as climbing and biting the box is obvious (especially serious when there are many insects). If you have poor sleep quality at night, noise sensitivity is not recommended to put in the bedroom, can make you sleep through the night.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="236"> 3、FAQ </h1>
Q: Do male worms fight together?
A: Polycultures of the same species or male insects of different species may fight. We do not recommend frequent insect fighting, frequent fighting is easy to cause additional damage, such as broken feet, broken jaws, cracks, etc., and even cause death in severe cases.
Q: Why do adults hide in the mat and don't come out?
A: Normal phenomenon, in its eyes we humans are big monsters, what else can you do without hiding? Some shovels are timid by nature, such as medium and large, etc., when they encounter you panic to death, it is important to hide and save your life.
In addition, most shovels are nocturnal insects, and it is their nature to hide during the day, and only in the dead of night will they come out to play and feed happily.
Q: My worm is not moving, is it dead?
A: I often encounter new bug friends who ask us this question! In fact, most of the shovels have the habit of pretending to be dead, after all, there are too many natural enemies in the wild, and this trick can save lives.
Therefore, seeing the shovels not moving does not mean that they are "heavenly", but more just want to deceive you, a terrible human being. If you want to judge whether the shovels are really dead, you can touch their tentacles, and to be able to move is to live. In addition, the rotting odor will soon appear after the death of the worm, which takes 1 to 2 days.
However, if you see a shovel on all fours, turn it over not long after helping it, or walk stiffly after turning it over, it really means that you are about to go to the western sky.
Q: Will the worms "jailbreak" and how to prevent it?
A: No one wants to stay in a cage for years, and the same goes for a shovel. Therefore, the evening is both the time of their activity and the time of the great escape, as long as there is a one percent chance to run, and if there is no chance, they will also create opportunities (such as biting the box, etc.).
We do not recommend poking too many ventilation holes in the feeding box, which will cause the moisture to evaporate too quickly and cannot maintain a humid environment, and the ventilation holes are also the main attack points for insects to "escape".
In addition, the strength of the shovel itself is not small, and some of the feeding boxes with loose buckles may "break the defense", and it is recommended to press heavy objects on such feeding boxes.
Q: What should I do if the worm "escaped" and ran away?
A: If the doors and windows are closed, the worms are basically still indoors, go directly to the dark corners where you can hide objects to search.
Most adult spades are nocturnal insects, and most of them will run out at night to move, at which point you can search. You can also take advantage of the phototropism of adult insects, try to light a small light, or turn on the TV set, computer screen, there is a certain chance that it will fly over.
In addition, you can also search early in the morning, when you may encounter bugs that are still running outside (many of our jailbreak bugs are found in this way).
Q: What should I do if an adult worm crawls on my hand and can't get it down?
Answer: The claw hook hook of the shovel is very strong, do not pull hard in this case, the adult claw hook is very sharp, and pulling hard will not only scratch the skin, but also easily cause damage to the claw hook of the insect. The correct approach is to place a branch or other climbing object in front of the worm, then gently touch the adult's butt, let it climb to the branch, and then remove it.
Q: What should I do if I get caught in the jaw of an adult spade beetle?
A: If you are accidentally caught in the jaw of the spade nail, don't break it hard, this will only make it clamp tighter and tighter, the correct way to deal with it: quickly shake the finger or hand that is clipped, usually it will be released quickly. Be careful not to throw too hard, avoid falls, and preferably shake in places where there are soft objects.
Note that not only the spade nails will take the large jaw clip, but also the large hood can take the head horn, chest angle, and even the front chest back plate to clip.
The right way to take the worm: pinch the sides of the front chest back plate, and be careful not to let your fingers be located in the middle of the spade nail jaw, or in the middle of the chest corner of the head horn of the worm.
Q: Why did the tarsal joint (leg) break on its own?
A: Without the influence of external forces, the insects themselves break their arms and legs, basically two situations.
1, aging, most of the shovel to the old age stage will appear tarsal phenomenon, essentially similar to human beings, this situation can be prepared for the "aftermath", the basic limit has arrived. If you want to keep the specimen, it is recommended to freeze it directly before you have dropped more "parts"!
2, if it is a new insect to appear this phenomenon, it may be a problem of the feeding environment, too dry and too wet will affect the adult tarsal joint, and even the wear and tear of the tibia and leg joints.
Q: Why doesn't the insect jelly eat when I observe the insect?
A: The food can be left on hold, and it will come to eat itself when needed. Some insects have very little guts (especially some spade armor), and only when they feel that the current environment is safe will they run out and eat with peace of mind. If you are not hungry and crazy, you will not take the risk of eating.
If you want to observe the insects eating, you can be hungry for a period of time before feeding, or put the food away first, and then return to the feeding box to look at the observation later.
Q: Are insects poisonous?
A: This is a problem that many parents are worried about, and it can be said with certainty that the shovel is non-toxic! The mouthparts of the shovel are mainly used to eat and do not release any toxins.
The only way they can inflict damage on people is to use their jaws or head horns and chest horns to pinch you, which is how they deal with external threats.
Postscript: Adult feeding content ends here, the above is what we can think of (there may be some that have not been missed) is also more common adult feeding problems, if there are other problems welcome to leave a message in the comment area. In the next issue, we will explain the breeding of shovels, hoping to help new insect lovers who want to continue the life of shovels.
If there is any error in the above, I hope to correct it, thanks for reading!
Note: Welcome to reprint, indicate the source!
End
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="236" > previous period review</h1>
Introduction to Shovel Breeding Episode 1 Getting started with shovels | Roche Worm Society
How many subspecies of the domestic yellow-edged ghost spade are there? | Roche Worm Society
Insect friend literacy class, a text to understand the genus of the white pocket population of the genus Euphorbia! Which one will you fall in love with?