Insect Farming
Insect farming is the practice of raising and breeding insects as livestock. Insects may be farmed for the commodities they produce (like silk, honey, lac or insect tea), or for them themselves; to be used as food, as feed, as a dye, and otherwise.
Let us see some popular insects for farming-
Silkworms: Silkworms, the caterpillars of the domestic silkmoth, are kept to produce silk, an elastic fiber made when they are in the process of creating a cocoon. Silk is commonly regarded as a major cash crop and is used in the crafting of many textiles.
Mealworms: The mealworm (Tenebrio molitor L.) is the larvae form of a species of darkling beetles (Coleoptera). The optimum incubation temperature is 25 ̊C - 27 ̊C and its embryonic development lasts 4 – 6 days. It has a long larvae period of about half a year with the optimum temperature and low moisture terminates. The protein content of Tenebrio Molitor larvae, adult, exuvium and excreta are 46.44, 63.34, 32.87, and 18.51% respectively.
Superworms: Zophobas morio is a species of darkling beetle, whose larvae are known by the common name Superworms, King Worms, Morio Worms or simply Zophobas. Superworms are common in the reptile pet industry as food like Mealworms.
Buffaloworms: Buffaloworms, also called lesser mealworms, is the common name of Alphitobius diaperinus. Its larvae superficially resemble small wireworms or true mealworms (Tenebrio spp.). They are approximately 7 to 11 mm in length at last instar. Freshly-emerged larvae are a milky color. The pale color tinge returns to that of the first/second instar larva when preparing to molt, while a yellowish-brown appearance after molting. In addition, it was reported that it has the highest level of iron bioavailability.
Honey Bees: Commodities harvested from honeybees include beeswax, bee bread, bee pollen, propolis, royal jelly, brood, and honey. All of the aforementioned are mostly used in food, however, being wax, beeswax has many other uses, such as being used in candles, and propolis may be used as a wood finish. In recent years, wild populations of honeybees have declined significantly.
Lac insects: Lac insects secrete a resinous substance called lac. Lac is used in many applications, from its use in food to being used as a colorant or as a wood finish. The majority of lac farming takes place in India and Thailand, with over 2 million residential employees.
Cochineal: Made into a red dye known as carmine, cochineal are incorporated into many products, including cosmetics, food, paint, and fabric. About 100,000 insects are needed to make a single kilogram of dye. The shade of red the dye yields depends on how the insect is processed. France is the world's largest importer of carmine.
Crickets: Among the hundreds of different types of crickets, the house cricket (Acheta domesticus) is the most common type used for human consumption. The cricket is one of the most nutritious edible insects, and in many parts of the world, crickets are consumed dry-roasted, baked, deep-fried, and boiled. Cricket consumption may take the form of cricket flour, a powder of dried and ground crickets, which is easily integrated into many food recipes. Crickets are commonly farmed for non-human animal food, as they provide much nutrition to the many species of reptiles, fish, birds and other mammals that consume them. Crickets are normally killed by deep freezing, where they feel no pain and are sedated before neurological death.
Waxworms: Waxworms are the larvae of wax moths. These caterpillars are used widely across the world for food, fish bait, animal testing and plastic degradation. Low in protein but high in fat content, they are a valuable source of fat for many insectivorous organisms. Waxworms are popular in many parts of the world, due to their ability to live in low temperatures and their simplicity in production.
Black soldier fly: Hermetia illucens, the black soldier fly, is a common and widespread fly of the family Stratiomyidae. This species is native to the Neotropical realm, but in recent decades has spread across all continents, becoming virtually cosmopolitan.
Beetles Insect Farming
Beetles are insects that form the order Coleoptera, in the superorder Endopterygota. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. Beetles Insect Farming is mainly consisting of Darkling beetles like Mealworms and Superworms.
Darkling beetle is the common name of the large family of beetles Tenebrionidae. The number of species in the Tenebrionidae is estimated at more than 20,000 and the family is cosmopolitan in distribution. But our discussion will be limited to Mealworms and Superworms only.
Mealworms and Superworms are both Darkling beetles used mainly as food of various animals and have almost the same characteristics. But there are some small differences between them. The difference between Mealworms and Superworms is given below:
Use of Darkling beetle
As feed and source of protein: Darkling beetle are good source of protein.
Carbon Reduction:
In waste disposal:
Superworms Farming
Superworms
Zophobas morio is a species of darkling beetle, whose larvae are known by the common name Superworms, King Worms, Morio Worms or simply Zophobas. Superworms are common in the reptile pet industry as food, not to be confused with giant mealworms, which are Tenebrio molitor larvae sprayed with juvenile hormone.
The insect's larvae resemble very large mealworms, about 50 to 60 mm (1.7–2.25 in) long when full size, but unlike mealworms, the ends of their bodies are very dark, almost resembling a black color. They have 6 small legs and two rudimentary hind prolegs. Once they reach adult size, the larvae pupate, and later emerge as large, light coloured beetles, which in time darken to black beetles. The larvae will not pupate if kept in a container with many other larvae and plentiful food, where they receive constant bodily contact. Keeping superworms this way is commonly used to hinder pupation. To mature the superworms into darkling beetles, they must be kept alone for about 7–10 days. They will then, upon maturation, emerge from their pupal stage as darkling beetles.
Use of Superworms
Superworms are accepted by lizards, turtles, frogs, salamanders, birds, koi and other insectivorous animals, as well as pet ants. Their nutritional values are similar to those of mealworms, so it is possible that supplementation with calcium is necessary if they are used as a staple food item. In some cases, they are preferred over mealworms due to their softer exoskeleton, making them more digestible to some reptiles. The larvae are odor-free (but the beetles possess a pungent chemical defense that may be released when provoked), and can be easily contained, making them ideal for raising at home to feed a collection of captive insectivores. The nutritional profile of the Zophobas morio is, "46.80% proteins, 43.64% lipids, 8.17% ashes and 1.39% carbohydrates."
Different between male and female Superworms:
Male Superworms have c shape on their face and female have a strait line.
https://www.wikihow.com/Breed-Superworms
https://www.wikihow.com/Care-for-Superworms
Life cycle of Superworms:
Superworms are the larvae of darkling beetles. A darkling beetle experiences complete metamorphosis which means that it has four distinct stages of life. The four stages are egg, larva, pupa, and adult. The amount of time a darkling beetle spends in each stage can vary greatly due to environmental factors like temperature, humidity, food, and water.
Egg
The first stage of life is spent as an egg. The white bean-shaped egg is tiny and about the size of a speck of dust. The egg is sticky and is quickly concealed by dirt, dust, and substrate. It will take around 7 to 10 days for an egg to hatch and very small white larvae will be visible.
Larva
The second stage of life lasts about three months and is spent as a brown larva. This is the stage where the insect is a Superworm. When first hatched, it is quite small but will grow to two inches long within two months.
Since it has a hard exoskeleton, the worm will need to molt and shed its hard-outer shell in order to grow. Molts will occur ten to twenty times during this stage of life. A recently molted worm will be soft and white, but the exoskeleton will quickly harden.
Fig: Life cycle of Superworms
Pupa
During a Superworms’s last molt it will turn into a white alien-like pupa. It has no mouth or anus so does not eat. It does have leg and wing buds, but they do not function. The pupa is quite helpless and the only movement it can do is wiggle. This stage of life will last one to three weeks as the pupa transforms its organs and body into an adult.
Adult
The final stage of the insect’s life is as the darkling beetle and lasts three to five months. The beetle will be white with a soft exoskeleton. As the outer shell hardens, it will turn brown and then black. The beetle does have hard wings, but it is unable to fly.
After about two weeks of adult life, beetles will begin to mate and reproduce. A few days after mating, female beetles will burrow into soil or substrate and lay eggs. Darkling beetles are prolific breeders and females can lay thousands of eggs during their adult lives.
Breeding Superworms
Breeding superworms is a relatively easy process. Start by isolating some larvae in individual containers to promote pupation. Once the mature beetles emerge, put them together in an appropriate breeding habitat and wait for baby superworms to arrive.
Pupating Larval Superworms:
1. Purchase about 50 to 100 superworms. This is a good starting number for beginning own superworm colony. If superworms purchased on online, check to make sure that the worms are shipped live.
2. Place each larva in an individual, ventilated container. Plastic film canisters, partitioned craft boxes, condiment cups, or empty plastic cosmetic jars can be used for this purpose. Poke or drill a small hole in the lid of each container so that the superworms can breathe.
It’s important to store pupating superworms in their own containers so that adults and other larvae won’t nibble on them while they mature.
Isolating the superworms in dark containers will also stimulate the pupation process, which could otherwise take up to 5 months to occur naturally.
3. Keep the containers in a warm, dark place for about 10 days. Once the superworms are in their containers, put the containers in a dark area, such as a drawer or cabinet. Make sure that the storage area is warm, preferably around 80 °F (27 °C).
It is especially important to keep superworms in a dark place if transparent or translucent containers, such as glass jars or clear plastic condiment cups are used as isolating containers.
4. Check the larvae to see if they have transformed into pupae. Peek in on superworm larvae occasionally over the next week to 10 days. After a few days, most of the superworms have curled up into a "c" or "e" shape. By the end of a week or so, they should begin to transform into "alien"-looking pupae, with a shorter, cream-colored body and ridges that will eventually become legs.
Any larvae that are stiff and straight or have turned dark in color are probably dead. Discard any dead larvae and replace them with live ones.
5. Wait about 2 weeks for the pupae to mature. Check the pupae occasionally to look for signs that they are maturing, such as darkening of the legs. It will take about 2 more weeks for the pupae to transform into beetles.
Continue to store the pupae in separate containers until they mature. If pupae are kept together, the beetles that mature first might snack on the other pupae.
Creating a Habitat for Superworm Beetles
1. Select a housing container with sides at least 5 inches (13 cm) high. Once the superworms mature into beetles, it will need to offer them a habitat where they can thrive and breed. Look for a container with smooth sides that is ventilated (e.g., with either a screened lid or a solid lid with a mesh-covered air hole) and easy to clean. A few good housing options include:
A) A small glass or plastic aquarium or small animal habitat.
B) A plastic food storage bin.
C) A kitty litter tray.
2. Put 2 inches (5.1 cm) to 3 inches (7.6 cm) of substrate in the container. Use an edible substrate material such as rolled oats, oat bran, wheat germ, or wheat bran. This material will serve as bedding, a source of food, and a place for beetles to lay their eggs.
3. Add a piece of fruit or vegetable to the top of the substrate. Offer superworm beetles a piece of carrot, a slice of potato, or a little bit of fruit. This will provide both food and a source moisture for the beetles. This is critical for preventing your beetles from eating each other and any eggs and larvae in the substrate. Change out fruit or vegetable daily to prevent it from getting moldy. Fruit or vegetable pieces can be placed on a section of paper or egg crate.
Don’t put a dish of water in the habitat, or it could cause the substrate to become moldy. Your beetles will get enough moisture from the fruit and vegetable pieces.
4. Keep the habitat at 70 °F (21 °C) to 80 °F (27 °C). House your beetles in a warm environment. Superworm beetles are temperature sensitive, and will die if they become too hot or too cold.Never put superworms or superworm beetles in the refrigerator. Unlike mealworms, the superworms will die if they are exposed to temperatures below 60 °F (16 °C).
Breeding Adult Superworm Beetles
1. Place the adult beetles in the habitat. Once pupae mature into adult beetles, safely remove them from their individual containers and put them together in the prepared habitat. The adult beetles will breed and lay tiny eggs in the substrate.
A female superworm beetle can lay up to 1500 eggs (On average 500 eggs) in her lifetime. Superworm beetles are fertile for their entire adult lives. Most adult superworm beetles live about 5 months. It may take a few weeks for beetles to start producing eggs and larvae. Check the habitat occasionally for any dead beetles or larvae, and remove them.
2. Move the beetles to a new container every 2 weeks to protect the larvae. Set up a second habitat with fresh substrate and carefully transfer the adult beetles to their new environment. This will prevent them from eating their eggs and larvae before they have a chance to mature.
3. Allow the baby superworms to mature in the original habitat. Keep the newly hatched larvae in the habitat and continue to feed them pieces of fresh fruit or vegetables. It may take a few weeks or a few months for the larvae to reach their full size.
Caution:
1. Keep water out of the habitat. Unlike other insects, you should not mist a superworm container or place water in it. Superworms should never be exposed directly to water as this can cause health problems. Keep water out of a superworm's container as much as possible.
2. Be careful, super-worms can bite!
3. Superworms are very sensitive to fumes and airborne contaminants. Store them in an area that is well-ventilated and free of smoke, perfumes, chemical fumes, incense, or aerosol sprays. Keep poison away from Superworms.
4. Superworm beetles can fly. They typically do this when they are in search of food.
5. Humidity should be below 50% for Superworms.
6. Maintain the temperature within tolerable limits. The ideal temperature is 70 °F (21 °C) to 80 °F (27 °C), but an acceptable temperature range is 68 - 88 degrees.
7. Be careful about ants, rats and other predators.
8. Keep Superworms in a dark places.
Comments
Post a Comment