A method and apparatus for raising adult brown ant lacewings

Abstract

This application provides a method and apparatus for rearing adult brown antlions. The method includes: S1: setting up a rearing space, placing a midge rearing device, planting live soybean and rice plants in the rearing space, and placing at least one sand tray filled with sand; S2: ensuring the rearing space is under suitable rearing conditions for brown antlions; S3: continuously producing adult midges through the midge rearing device for the brown antlions to prey on, and using the live soybean and rice plants to provide supplementary nutrition and dew for the brown antlions; S4: female adult brown antlions laying eggs in the sand in the sand tray, and periodically replacing the sand tray to collect the egg-containing trays. This method constructs an ecosystem integrating live midge rearing, sand tray egg laying, and molting facilities, requiring a small area, being easy to operate, and achieving the goal of large-scale propagation; it can also provide experimental data and materials for subsequent morphological and molecular biological studies related to brown antlions.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of insect rearing, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for rearing adult brown ant lacewings. Background Technology

[0002] Red imported fire ants, a highly destructive invasive species, have caused severe outbreaks in several southern provinces of my country, posing a serious threat to agricultural and forestry ecological security, public facilities, and even human health. Currently, control of red imported fire ants still relies primarily on chemical pesticides. However, the long-term and extensive use of chemical pesticides not only leads to environmental pollution and pesticide residues but also triggers a chain reaction of problems, including increased pesticide resistance in red imported fire ants and a decline in the population of natural enemies. Therefore, developing sustainable and environmentally friendly biological control technologies, especially utilizing natural enemy insects for "insect-to-insect" control, has become an important research direction for controlling red imported fire ants. The brown antlion (Myrmeleonsp.) is a newly discovered natural enemy insect of red imported fire ants with excellent predatory abilities. Its larvae (commonly known as antlions) can prey on large numbers of red imported fire ant workers, demonstrating significant ant control effects in field release trials and showing promising application development prospects. However, the antlion's life cycle is quite unique, with significant differences between larvae and adults in morphology, behavior, and ecological needs. The larvae live in burrows and are easily reared in sandy soil; however, the adults have well-developed wings, strong flight capabilities, do not build traps, and their diet has long been unclear, making it impossible to provide suitable food and living conditions for the adults indoors. To date, there are no successful cases of artificial rearing of brown ant lacewing adults, either domestically or internationally, nor have any systematic rearing methods been publicly disclosed. This technical bottleneck directly prevents the large-scale indoor propagation of brown ant lacewings, severely restricting their industrial application as a biological enemy in the control of red imported fire ants.

[0003] Therefore, developing an indoor rearing method that can meet the nutritional needs of adult brown ant lacewings, provide a suitable environment for emergence and egg laying, and is operable and replicable has become an urgent technical problem to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a method and apparatus for raising adult brown antlions. The method constructs a micro-ecosystem that integrates live midge rearing, sand tray oviposition, and molting facilities. It occupies a small area, is easy to operate, and achieves the goal of large-scale propagation. At the same time, it can provide a reliable experimental basis and experimental materials for subsequent morphological and molecular biological research on brown antlions, and has important application value.

[0005] Firstly, a method for raising adult brown antlions is provided, the method comprising: S1: Set up a breeding space, place a midge breeding device, plant live soybean plants and live rice plants in the breeding space, and place at least one sand tray filled with sand. S2: The rearing space is under suitable brown ant rearing conditions, which include: a temperature of 26°C to 28°C, a relative humidity of 65% to 75%, and a photoperiod including 14 hours of light and 10 hours of darkness. S3: The midge feeding device continuously produces adult midges for the brown antlions to prey on themselves, and the live soybean plants and the live rice plants provide supplementary nutrition and dew for the brown antlions. S4: The female adult brown antlion lays its eggs in the sand of the sand tray, and the sand tray is replaced periodically to collect the egg-containing sand tray.

[0006] It should be understood that this application uses insect gut DNA barcoding detection technology to identify the types of food from the intestinal residues of adult brown antlions. This clarifies that adult brown antlions feed on foods such as midges, soybeans, and rice tissues in their natural environment, thus overcoming the limitations of previous methods that relied solely on experience or blind trial and error to select feed. Based on this detection result, this invention specifically uses adult midges as animal feed, while introducing live soybean and rice plants to provide supplementary nutrition and water, making the food composition closer to the actual needs of adult brown antlions.

[0007] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the midge breeding device is a water tank with silt at the bottom, aquatic plants planted on the silt, midge larvae introduced into the water, and dry yeast fed regularly.

[0008] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the silt thickness at the bottom of the water tank is 6cm, the number of midge larvae introduced is approximately 500 per tank, the amount of dry yeast fed is 10g per square meter of water surface each time, the dry yeast is activated with warm water, fed in small amounts and frequently, and the water quality is changed once a month.

[0009] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the rice seedlings have a plant height of 18 to 22 cm and a planting density of 15 to 25 plants / m²; the soybean seedlings have a plant height of 28 to 32 cm and a planting density of 8 to 16 plants / m².

[0010] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the sand tray is covered with 5 cm thick fine sand with a particle size of 30 to 40 mesh, and at least one of the sand trays contains dry branches for the brown antlion adults to spread their wings and inhabit after emergence.

[0011] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, step S4 includes: During peak spawning season, the sand tray should be changed every 1 to 2 days; during off-peak spawning season, it should be changed every 2 to 3 days.

[0012] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: The cocoons of brown ant larvae are placed in the sand of the sand tray for molting. Specifically, a 4cm thick layer of sand is laid at the bottom of the sand tray, and the cocoons are evenly placed on the sand, with about 400 cocoons per square meter. Then, a 1cm thick layer of sand is laid on top of the cocoons to cover them. The twig is inserted into the sand of one of the sand trays.

[0013] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the midge is an adult midge, the tender leaves or pollen of the live soybean and rice plants serve as a supplementary nutrient source for the adult brown antlion, and the dew produced by the plants in the early morning serves as a water source for the adult brown antlion.

[0014] Secondly, a rearing device for adult brown antlions is provided, the device comprising: a rearing cage, a midge rearing device, at least one sand tray, a rice seedling placement area, and a soybean seedling placement area; the sand tray, the rice seedling placement area, and the soybean seedling placement area are all placed inside the rearing cage; the sand tray is covered with fine sand, and dry branches are placed on the fine sand.

[0015] The beneficial effects of the technical solution in this application include: 1) Adapts to the protobiological learning characteristics of adult brown antlions, eliminating the need for frequent artificial feeding and intervention, significantly reducing the labor costs and operational difficulties of raising them, and enabling stable indoor rearing and large-scale propagation of adult brown antlions. 2) The rearing effect is stable and controllable, and the survival rate of adults is high, which can meet the production capacity requirements of standardized mass breeding. It can not only provide natural enemy insect sources for the green biological control of red imported fire ants, but also provide stable standardized materials for ant larvae-related scientific research experiments. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1 A flowchart illustrating a method for raising adult brown antlions provided in this application embodiment.

[0017] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a rearing device for adult brown antlions provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0018] The attached diagram lists the components represented by each number as follows: 1. Sand table, 2. Rice seedling placement area, 3. Soybean seedling placement area, 4. Midge breeding device, 5. Rain shelter, 6. Door, 7. Breeding cage. Detailed Implementation

[0019] The terminology used in the following embodiments is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of this application. As used in the specification and appended claims of this application, the singular expressions “a,” “an,” “the,” “the,” and “this” are intended to also include expressions such as “one or more,” unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that in the following embodiments of this application, “at least one” and “one or more” refer to one, two, or more than two. The term “and / or” is used to describe the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist; for example, A and / or B can indicate: A alone, A and B simultaneously, or B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character “ / ” generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects are in an “or” relationship.

[0020] References to "one embodiment" or "some embodiments" as described in this specification mean that one or more embodiments of this application include a specific feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment. Therefore, the phrases "in one embodiment," "in some embodiments," "in other embodiments," "in still other embodiments," etc., appearing in different parts of this specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, but rather mean "one or more, but not all, embodiments," unless otherwise specifically emphasized. The terms "comprising," "including," "having," and variations thereof mean "including but not limited to," unless otherwise specifically emphasized.

[0021] Red imported fire ants are a highly destructive invasive species that have caused serious outbreaks in many southern provinces of my country, posing a significant threat to agricultural and forestry ecosystems, public facilities, and human health. Currently, red imported fire ant control still relies primarily on chemical pesticides. However, long-term and excessive application can easily lead to environmental pollution, pesticide residues, and problems such as increased pesticide resistance and decline in natural enemy populations. Therefore, environmentally friendly biological control technologies are urgently needed.

[0022] Brown ant lacewings are natural enemies of red imported fire ants, and their larvae are highly effective at controlling ants in the wild, showing great promise for application. However, the diet of the adults has long been unclear, and there are no mature indoor rearing techniques available domestically or internationally, hindering large-scale propagation and severely restricting their industrial application. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop suitable indoor rearing methods for brown ant lacewing adults.

[0023] This application provides a method and apparatus for raising adult brown ant larvae, which can effectively overcome the above-mentioned problems.

[0024] The technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0025] Figure 1A flowchart illustrating a method for raising adult brown antlions provided in this application embodiment.

[0026] refer to Figure 1 In some examples, the method includes: S1: Set up a breeding space, place a midge breeding device, plant live soybean plants and live rice plants in the breeding space, and place at least one sand tray filled with sand. S2: The rearing space is under suitable brown antlion rearing conditions, which include: a temperature of 26°C to 28°C, a relative humidity of 65% to 75%, and a photoperiod consisting of 14 hours of light and 10 hours of darkness. S3: The midge feeding device continuously produces adult midges for the brown antlions to prey on themselves, and the live soybean plants and the live rice plants provide supplementary nutrition and dew for the brown antlions. S4: The female adult brown antlion lays its eggs in the sand of the sand tray, and the sand tray is replaced periodically to collect the egg-containing sand tray.

[0027] In some examples, the midge rearing device is a water tank with silt at the bottom, aquatic plants planted on the silt, midge larvae introduced into the water, and dry yeast fed to them regularly.

[0028] In some examples, the silt thickness at the bottom of the tank is 6cm, the number of midge larvae introduced is about 500 per tank, the amount of dry yeast fed is 10g per square meter of water surface each time, the dry yeast is activated with warm water, fed in small amounts and frequently, and the water quality is changed once a month.

[0029] In some examples, the rice seedlings are 18 to 22 cm tall and planted at a density of 15 to 25 plants / m²; the soybean seedlings are 28 to 32 cm tall and planted at a density of 8 to 16 plants / m².

[0030] In some examples, the sand tray is filled with 5 cm of fine sand with a particle size of 30 to 40 mesh, and at least one of the sand trays contains dry branches for the brown antlion adults to spread their wings and inhabit after emergence.

[0031] In some examples, step S4 includes: During peak spawning season, the sand tray should be changed every 1 to 2 days; during off-peak spawning season, it should be changed every 2 to 3 days.

[0032] In some examples, the method further includes: The cocoons of brown ant larvae are placed in the sand of the sand tray for molting. Specifically, a 4cm thick layer of sand is laid at the bottom of the sand tray, and the cocoons are evenly placed on the sand, with about 400 cocoons per square meter. Then, a 1cm thick layer of sand is laid on top of the cocoons to cover them. The twig is inserted into the sand of one of the sand trays.

[0033] In some examples, the midge is an adult midge, the tender leaves or pollen of the live soybean and rice plants serve as a supplementary nutrient source for the adult brown antlions, and the dew produced by the plants in the early morning serves as a water source for the adult brown antlions.

[0034] In one possible implementation, embodiments of this application use brown ant larvae collected from Guangchang County, Fuzhou City, Jiangxi Province, which are reared in a laboratory after the larval stage to obtain cocoons. Midge larvae are collected from the same area and bred indoors. Rice and soybeans are grown in a greenhouse.

[0035] Brown ant larvae cocoons were placed in a sand tray with a 4cm layer of fine sand at the bottom. The cocoons, approximately 7-13mm in diameter, were nearly spherical, silky, and covered with a layer of hardened sand. The larvae's outline could be observed through the cocoons. The cocoons were arranged at a density of approximately 400 per square meter, covered with about 1cm of sand. A dry twig was inserted into one of the sand trays. Emergence conditions were controlled as follows: temperature 25±1℃, relative humidity 70±5%, and photoperiod L:D = 14:10.

[0036] After emerging from their molts, the adults climb onto tree branches and spread their wings. In the early morning, the adults replenish their water supply by drinking the dew on the leaves of soybeans and rice. In the evening, the adults prey on adult midges. Each adult brown antlion eats 1-2 midges per day, and also feeds on the tender parts of rice and soybean plants.

[0037] After mating, the female adult lays eggs in the sand tray at night, inserting her ovipositor about 5 mm into the sand. She lays 5-10 eggs each time, 3-5 times a night. The eggs are oval, about 2 mm long and 1 mm wide, bluish-yellow in color, and are laid singly with fine sand grains adhering to their surface, located inside the sand.

[0038] After the eggs hatch, use a 40-mesh sieve to sift out the first-instar larvae of the brown antlion from the sand and transfer them to a rearing box filled with sand for centralized rearing. Repeat the above steps for successive generations of rearing.

[0039] To verify the reproductive performance of adult brown antlions under the rearing method provided in the embodiments of this application, and to clarify the rearing stability and large-scale propagation capacity of the technical solution of the implementation case of this application, a systematic biological characteristic observation was conducted on the adult brown antlions under the rearing conditions of the implementation case of this application.

[0040] This application's embodiments included three independent biological replicates, i.e., three independent rearing units. Each unit initially used 30 adult larvae in a 1:1 female-to-male ratio. All adult larvae were healthy, undamaged, and emerged from the same batch. The rearing environment parameters and facilities were consistent with Example 1, with fixed rearing conditions: temperature 25±1℃, relative humidity 70±5%, and photoperiod L:D = 14h:10h. Daily observations and records were kept throughout the experiment. Statistical indicators included the pre-oviposition period, oviposition period, and lifespan of both male and female adults. The statistical sample size for these indicators was the number of adults who completed the full life cycle. The number of eggs laid per female was counted based on the number of larval traps after hatching, calculated as: Number of eggs laid per female = Total number of larval traps during the statistical period / Total number of females who completed the full oviposition cycle.

[0041] The observation results of this experiment are shown in Table 1. Under the breeding conditions of this invention, the pre-oviposition period of adult brown ant lacewings was 7.23±0.22 days, the oviposition period was 15.00±0.72 days, the number of eggs laid by a single female was stable at 225±18, the average lifespan of male adults was 19.5±0.8 days, and the average lifespan of female adults was 24.2±1.2 days. According to the large-scale production capacity calculation, each square meter of breeding space can stably produce 150 brown ant lacewings per month, which fully meets the production capacity requirements of large-scale propagation.

[0042] Table 1. Reproductive characteristics of adult brown antlions under rearing conditions according to the embodiments of this application.

[0043] Note: Data in the table are mean ± standard error. Different letters after the data in the same column indicate significant differences at the P<0.05 level using the LSD test.

[0044] To verify the scientific validity and necessity of the core animal-based feed selected in this application, and to clarify the effects of different feeds on the survival and reproductive performance of adult brown ant lacewings, this controlled experiment was conducted. The experiment consisted of one experimental group and two control groups, with three independent biological replicates in each group. Each replicate contained 20 adult brown ant lacewings (10 males and 10 females), all from the same batch, healthy and undamaged. Except for the animal-based feed, the rearing environment parameters, supporting facilities, and management methods for each group were consistent with those in Example 1. The experimental group was fed live adult midges; control group 1 was fed red imported fire ant workers; and control group 2 was fed 4th-5th instar mealworm larvae.

[0045] The observations were conducted for 10 consecutive days, with 2 hours of observation each day during the peak activity period of the adults in the evening. The results showed that the experimental group of brown antlions were able to autonomously prey on adult midges, complete mating and oviposition, and their reproductive characteristics were basically consistent with those of Example 1 (pre-oviposition period 7.23±0.22 days, single female oviposition rate 225±18 eggs). In control groups 1 and 2, the brown antlions did not exhibit any active predation behavior, and no mating or oviposition was observed during the observation period. These results indicate that ants and mealworms, which are preyed upon by brown antlions, cannot serve as effective food for the adults. Therefore, the selection of adult midges as the core animal food source in this invention has clear experimental basis.

[0046] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a rearing device for adult brown antlions provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0047] refer to Figure 2 In some examples, the device includes: a rearing cage 7, a midge rearing device 4, at least one sand tray 1, a rice seedling placement area 2, and a soybean seedling placement area 3; the sand tray 1, the rice seedling placement area 2, and the soybean seedling placement area 3 are all placed inside the rearing cage 7; the sand tray 1 is covered with fine sand, and dry branches are placed on the fine sand.

[0048] Optionally, the device has a door 6 on one side, and a rain shield 5 is also provided inside the door 6 near the door.

[0049] The above are merely preferred embodiments of this application. The scope of protection of this application is not limited to the above embodiments. Any equivalent modifications or changes made by those skilled in the art based on the content disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection recorded in the claims.

Claims

1. A method for rearing adult brown antlions, characterized in that, The method includes: S1: Set up a breeding space, place a midge breeding device, plant live soybean plants and live rice plants in the breeding space, and place at least one sand tray filled with sand. S2: The rearing space is under suitable brown antlion rearing conditions, which include: a temperature of 26°C to 28°C, a relative humidity of 65% to 75%, and a photoperiod consisting of 14 hours of light and 10 hours of darkness. S3: The midge feeding device continuously produces adult midges for the brown antlions to prey on themselves, and the live soybean plants and the live rice plants provide supplementary nutrition and dew for the brown antlions. S4: The female adult brown antlion lays its eggs in the sand of the sand tray, and the sand tray is replaced periodically to collect the egg-containing sand tray.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The midge rearing device is a water tank with silt at the bottom, aquatic plants planted on the silt, midge larvae introduced into the water, and dry yeast fed to them regularly.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The bottom of the water tank has a silt thickness of 6cm. Each tank contains approximately 500 midge larvae. The amount of dry yeast fed is 10g per square meter of water surface each time. The dry yeast is activated with warm water and fed in small amounts multiple times. The water quality is changed once a month.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The rice seedlings are 18 to 22 cm tall and planted at a density of 15 to 25 plants per square meter; the soybean seedlings are 28 to 32 cm tall and planted at a density of 8 to 16 plants per square meter.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The sand tray is filled with 5cm thick fine sand with a particle size of 30 to 40 mesh, and at least one of the sand trays contains dry branches for the brown ant lacewing adults to spread their wings and inhabit after emerging from the larvae.

6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Step S4 includes: During peak spawning season, the sand tray should be changed every 1 to 2 days; during off-peak spawning season, it should be changed every 2 to 3 days.

7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method further includes: The cocoons of brown ant larvae are placed in the sand of the sand tray for molting. Specifically, a 4cm thick layer of sand is laid at the bottom of the sand tray, and the cocoons are evenly placed on the sand, with about 400 cocoons per square meter. Then, a 1cm thick layer of sand is laid on top of the cocoons to cover them. The twig is inserted into the sand of one of the sand trays.

8. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The midges are adult midges. The tender leaves or pollen of the live soybean and rice plants serve as a supplementary source of nutrition for the adult brown antlions. The dew produced by the plants in the early morning serves as a source of water for the adult brown antlions.

9. A rearing device for adult brown antlions, characterized in that, The device includes: a breeding cage (7), a midge breeding device (4), at least one sand tray (1), a rice seedling placement area (2) and a soybean seedling placement area (3); the sand tray (1), the rice seedling placement area (2) and the soybean seedling placement area (3) are all placed inside the breeding cage (7); the sand tray (1) is covered with fine sand and dry branches are placed on the fine sand.

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