Mealworm, also known as bread worm. Its larvae contain 60% crude protein and 29% crude fat, which have high nutritional value and significant economic benefits from breeding.
Biological learning of mealworms
To raise a good mealworm, you must first understand its biological learning, the following introduction to the biological learning of mealworm and artificial feeding.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="35" > reproductive habits</h1>
Mealworms are only fertile in adult stages, with a natural male-female ratio of 1:1, the shortest lifespan of 2 days, the longest 196 days, an average of 51 days. The spawning period is 22 to 130 days after feathering, but more than 80% of the eggs are laid within 1 month. Female adults lay an average of 276 eggs, and the adults still feed, and the quality of the feed affects the amount of eggs laid.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="37" > movement habits</h1>
Adults have wings and cannot fly. Adults and larvae are extremely lively by crawling. If the inner wall of the feeding box of artificial mealworm is rough, the larvae and adults are very easy to climb out, so the inner wall of the feeding box should be as smooth as possible.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="39" > social and cannibalistic</h1>
Yellow mealworms like to live in groups, which is convenient for high-density feeding, and the optimal feeding density is appropriate for elderly larvae or adults of about 2 kg per square meter, that is, 6000 to 7000 elderly larvae or adults.
Cannibalism: refers to the phenomenon of adult insects eating eggs, biting larvae or pupae, and older larvae biting young larvae or pupae. Cannibalism affects the production of insects. This phenomenon occurs at high feeding densities, especially in polyculture of adults and larvae at different ages.
Solution: One is to control the feeding density, the second is to feed adults and larvae at different ages, use a special egg-laying screen to raise egg-laying adults, so that the insects and eggs are separated, which can better solve the problem of adult insects eating eggs and solve the problem of self-harm, the principle is that the development stage of each small group of feeding should be uniform, that is, each small group of feeding is raised with eggs laid at the same time or hatched larvae at the same time, and the relatively neat group of fertility stage can be obtained. This should be strictly controlled from the links of staged egg collection, stage hatching and group feeding, etc. Even so, there will also be the coexistence of old larvae and pupae or pupae and adult insects in the breeding group, which requires the adoption of sorting methods to sort out pupae or adult insects in time.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="41" > mealworm's response to light</h1>
Mealworm is suitable for living in a dark environment and does not require light. Therefore, mealworms can be reared in layers to make full use of space. The adults are exposed to strong light and flee into the darkness. Using this habit, it is possible to sort pupae from adults.
Environmental requirements
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="43" > temperature</h1>
The appropriate temperature for the growth and development of mealworms is 15 °C ~ 35 °C, and the optimal temperature is 26 °C ~ 32 °C. Under suitable temperature conditions, the normal growth period of mealworm's insect-state development shortens with increasing temperature.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="44" > humidity</h1>
Humidity includes two aspects: relative humidity of the air and water content of feed. The suitable air relative humidity of mealworm is 40% to 80%. The water required by mealworms is mainly obtained from the feed, and the water content of the feed not only affects the absorption of water by the mealworms, but also affects the effective use of nutrients. The water content of the feed should not be too high, generally controlled at about 20%.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="46" > predators</h1>
In the process of artificial rearing, mealworms are susceptible to rats, geckos, ants, mosquitoes and mites, of which rats and mosquitoes are the most serious. Rats and geckos tend to eat adult and elderly larvae, and ants and mosquitoes mainly eat eggs, hatching larvae and mites eat only eggs.
Feeding equipment
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="48" > spawning screen</h1>
For adult feeding and egg collection, the egg laying screen frame is 50 cm×50 cm × 10 cm, and the inner wall of the frame should be smoothed to prevent insects from climbing outside. The bottom of the sieve is nailed with a 30 mesh iron mesh, the lower edge of the net is nailed with a square wooden strip of 0.3 cm × 0.3 cm, and a slightly thicker egg laying paper is attached, and the upper and lower mouths of the spawning sieve are large and the lower mouth is small, so that the upper and lower buckles when the two sieves are stacked, which is convenient for multi-layer feeding. The uppermost spawning sieve is covered with a 30 mesh iron mesh to prevent insect escape and to screen insect feces.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="50" > insect box</h1>
For egg hatching and feeding of larvae. The material, size and structure are the same as the spawning screen. However, the bottom of the insect box should be sealed with a wooden plank. The insect box is also used as a multi-layer buckle knot, and the topmost box is also covered with a 30 mesh mesh mesh.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="52" > feeder</h1>
Is a layered frame for placing an egg-laying screen or insect cage.
Feeding techniques and methods
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="54" > feed</h1>
The food source of mealworm is extensive, wheat bran, cornmeal, bean cake, carrots, corn straw, peanut straw, peanut shells, vegetable leaves, mung bean skin, tofu residue, melon peel, etc. are all raw materials for feeding yellow mealworm. However, in order to produce mealworms as soon as possible, they can be prepared with a feed based on wheat bran. The ratio is: wheat bran 60%, corn flour 10%, peanut cake flour 10%, 20% of various food mixtures, which is beneficial to the growth and development of mealworms and saves feed.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="55" > spawning hatching</h1>
Adult insects feathered on the same day are raised in the spawning sieve at a density of 7000 to 8000 heads per square meter, that is, 1700 to 2000 adult worms are stocked per sieve. Feed is fed for adults.
Feed moisture content is controlled at about 10%. In order to maintain humidity and feed moisture content, adults can spray and release vegetable leaves in an appropriate amount of water to lay most of the eggs on the egg laying paper through the sieve hole, and only a small number of eggs stick to the feed, which can maximize the prevention of adult insects from eating eggs.
Change the spawning paper every 1 to 3 days while sifting out scraps, worm droppings and eggs stuck in the feed. The sifted eggs are transferred to an empty incubator along with the replaced egg-laying paper and sprinkled with a new layer of material. Mark the spawn date. After hatching, the adult insects are reared to lay eggs for 1 month, that is, the egg laying is terminated, the adults are blanched with boiling water, and the insect powder is dried. Each sieve can collect 18,000 to 22,000 yellow mealworm eggs, which can be expanded by about 100 boxes of insect species.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="57" > larval rearing</h1>
For the purpose of providing live insects or making and selling commercial powderworms, they only need to be raised until the old larval stage, and if they are collected, they need to continue to be raised until the adult stage. According to the analysis, although the main nutrients such as the protein of the elderly larvae are lower than those of their pupae and adults, they are close to imported fishmeal, and the larval powder produced can completely replace the fishmeal into compound feed. Customarily, it is also used as feed for birds, soil and so on by living larvae of the elderly. Therefore, in addition to eggs, commercial mealworms can be raised to old larvae, which can greatly shorten the feeding cycle, reduce feed consumption, and improve feeding efficiency and economic benefits.