Cultivation and breeding of worms as a business. Is it possible to breed worms at home?

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Today, almost everyone is trying to start their own business. However, not everyone succeeds. Often, competitors do not allow to break into a large market, or the occupation is not to their liking. Have you considered breeding worms at home as a business? Not? Then this material is for you.

Which worms to choose

First of all, remember that breeding such living creatures does not require selection by breed. For starters, you can use the local variety. For example, dung worms, whose breeding does not require special expenses, perfectly adapt to life in nurseries. Such individuals begin to multiply much faster. From this follows the first conclusion: it is better to collect worms on your own. The simplest of them is rain. Breeding worms as a business in this situation will not require large expenses.

Where to get worms

If you decide to start breeding worms as a business, then you should collect them. To do this, dig a shallow hole and place some rotting leaves or manure in it. Filler requiredmoisturize. The main thing - do not overdo it. After that, just cover the hole with a board or a layer of cardboard. A week later, the first tenants will appear in your "house". Transfer the individuals to the box along with the soil in which they lived. In order for worm breeding as a business to generate income, at least a kilogram of invertebrates is required per square meter. This is about 1000 individuals.

Choose a room

When you have collected the worms, you need to consider the place where they will live. Their breeding does not require a specially equipped room. It is important that its area matches your desires. Of course, it is best to breed California worms (or any other) in a heated building. For these purposes, a garage or cellar is perfect. If you are going to grow your pets in an ordinary barn, then get ready for the fact that a decrease in air temperature to 4 ° C will affect the activity of the worms. They will just go into hibernation. In this case, you will have to forget about breeding worms in the winter. If you want to do this throughout the year, then you should take care of heating and, of course, a large farm. After all, the number of individuals will grow. For example, on large farms where the breeding of dendrobene worms is considered a business, their number can reach 100,000 or more.

Special nursery boxes

California worm breeding as a business does not bring much trouble. The main thing is to create optimal conditions for its reproduction. Best to keep wormsin special boxes. You can make them yourself. At the same time, remember that each type of worm requires a box of a certain size. In such nurseries, the most comfortable conditions for invertebrates are created. You can make boxes from plastic or wood.

Tree nursery

To make it you will need boards. Their thickness should be 25 millimeters. If you are breeding an earthworm, then it is better for you to make a nursery box that meets the following parameters: 100X20X50 centimeters. When the box is ready, turn it over and drill holes in the bottom. After that, place the box on the bars so that it stands at a slight slope. This is necessary so that the valuable liquid ("worm tea" - the product of the vital activity of these animals) drains neatly. Cover all seams and corners with tin tape. This will prevent the penetration of rodents into the nursery. Don't forget the roof. You can simply make it from boards. If not, then you can use a sheet of plywood. Be sure to make holes in the roof. They are necessary for normal air circulation.

Plastic container

If you have achieved positive results, and breeding California worms as a business brings you income, then you can purchase special containers made of plastic. You should not buy such products if you are just starting out. Since such acquisitions are quite expensive. Agree if breeding wormsyou don’t like dendrobene or ordinary rain, then such a purchase will be simply in vain for you, and you will throw your money away.

If you still purchased these nursery boxes, then first make holes in them. After all, these containers are completely airtight. Make holes in the roof and on the sides. In addition, there should be a hole for draining valuable liquid.

Old fridge

You can use an old refrigerator as a hotbed. To do this, install it with the door up and remove all contents. You won't need it. Make holes in the walls of the refrigerator and on the door. Set it on the bars so that it is at an angle. Don't forget to make a hole in the bottom to let the liquid drain.

Carton boxes

If you have just started this business, and earthworm breeding is something new for you, then you can use cardboard boxes as nurseries. Their dimensions should be approximately 40 by 30 centimeters or more. Cardboard is an environmentally friendly material that passes air well and is often used by worms as food. The only disadvantage of such a nursery is a short service life. If the box is damp and starting to fall apart, you can put it in another one.

Let's discover the secrets of the worm business

Recently, many have been attracted to the breeding of worms. As a business, this business is quite profitable ifapproach him correctly. In order not to burn out, you should know some simple secrets. First of all, it is necessary to take into account the peculiarities of the natural habitat of worms, in what soil they live, what they eat. Their "house" can be conditionally divided into three floors. At the top, worms feed on the organic remains of animals and plants. In the lower tier of habitat, the product of their vital activity accumulates, in other words - humus, as well as a liquid that many call "worm tea". Between these "floors" your pets will feel most comfortable and will mostly stay there. It is important to properly fill the nursery. Then the worms will multiply well and increase your profits.

How to properly fill the nursery

If we consider breeding worms as a business, then first of all you should carefully study all the nuances of such an activity. Many novice breeders make many mistakes, the first of which is the wrong filling of nurseries. How to do it competently?

Half fill the prepared container with humus. If desired, you can mix it with shredded cardboard or pieces of newspaper. Be sure to moisten the finished mixture. However, do so with caution. If, when the lump is compressed, free moisture does not flow out of it, then you did everything right. Do not immediately populate the worms. The compost filler will release a substance such as ammonia for the first few days. When it completely evaporates, you can start settling.nursery.

In the prepared filler, make a hole and put part of the soil with worms into it. Gently level this place, moisten and cover with a piece of cardboard. For several days, do not disturb the residents. They must adapt to a new habitat.

If the worms have spread over the nursery, this is the first sign that the acclimatization was successful. Then you can feed. Remember, the place where worms breed should be calm and quiet. Therefore, install the nursery where there are no strong vibrations and noise.

Soil moistening

You need to moisten the soil of the nursery regularly. However, you should not overdo it. Remember, earthworms breathe through their skin. This explains the fact that they crawl out to the surface of the soil during rain. They just need it to saturate their body with oxygen. If the ground is too wet, your pets will simply die.

What and how to feed?

Earthworm breeding as a business does not require special expenses. This also applies to their food. You need to create a compost heap. For these purposes, manure, grass, leaves, tea leaves, coffee grounds, flour products, egg shells, vegetable and fruit peelings are perfect. Do not throw into the compost heap the waste products of cats and dogs, manure if the animals were treated for worms, peeling onions, garlic, citrus peels, fats, oils, dairy products, meat and fish waste.

When the food is ready, lay it in a small layer - 10 centimeters thick. You need to feed the worms once every 7 days. Toto determine the level of satiety of pets, you can use a piece of newspaper or regular toilet paper. Lay it on top of the food and moisten it a little. If the worms have started to eat this paper, then it's time to feed them and put a new layer of compost.

How worms reproduce

Earthworms can start producing offspring at the age of 2-3 months. For 4 months they lay cocoons. They ripen within a few weeks. No more than 20 individuals emerge from one such cocoon, which, after 2 months, already begin to actively breed. An exception is the prospector worm, whose breeding is a more complicated process. If you count, then in about six months the number of pets in one box will increase 50 times. Remember, if there are 50 adult individuals per liter of soil, then urgently you need to either sell them or plant them in new nurseries. Otherwise, their reproduction will stop naturally.

How to make a profit

Worm sorting every 5 months. To do this, carefully remove the top layer of soil and remove the soil where your pets live from the nursery. After that, you can remove the layer of humus. Send small worms back to the nursery, and adults - either to further expand your enterprise or for sale.

You can sell the goods in the form of bait for fishing, in a pet store as feed. Such a product is in demand by fish farms. You can sell not only invertebrates, but also worm tea, andhumus. The latest products are in demand among summer residents.

To collect worm tea, you made a special hole in the bottom of the nursery and a drain. This product is very valuable as an environmentally friendly and natural fertilizer. As you can see, there are a lot of opportunities to make money on breeding worms. The main thing is to know the right approach.