Device for separating male and female eupolyphaga sinensis

Abstract

The utility model discloses a kind of female and male of earthworm separating device, including the support screen net being installed in breeding tank, the central portion of support screen net upper portion is equipped with the light-tight collection cylinder;The side wall top of the collection cylinder is provided with collection hole;The left end of the collection cylinder is closed structure, the other end is open structure and is communicated with collecting hopper, and the outlet end of collecting hopper is detachably connected with collector;The open end of the collection cylinder is slidably installed with the end baffle for sealing the open side of collection cylinder;The utility model is simple in structure, convenient to take and place, without separating female and male by up and down carrying breeding tank, solve the problem that the activity space of farm is limited, equipment use is limited, and need manual frequent carrying;Through support screen, earthworm group is initially dispersed, then the biological characteristics of earthworm male, strong activity ability at night and having negative phototaxis, cooperate with the use of collection cylinder, effectively complete the separation of earthworm female and male.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the technical field of ground beetle breeding equipment, specifically to a ground beetle male and female separation device. Background Technology

[0002] Ground beetle, also known as earthworm or winnowing beetle, is a traditional and valuable Chinese medicinal herb with a long history of use. Currently, wild ground beetle resources are nearing depletion, and artificial breeding has become the dominant method to meet market demand. Large-scale ground beetle breeding typically employs 6-7 layer vertical breeding racks, maximizing breeding efficiency within a limited space. However, in large-scale breeding, male ground beetles, after emerging as adults, have short lifespans, are shriveled, and have very low medicinal value, while females have a lifespan of 2-3 years and are the primary source of eggs and value.

[0003] If male and female insects are raised together during the breeding process, the males will continuously harass the females, affecting their normal feeding, growth, and egg-laying rhythm, leading to a decrease in the quantity and quality of oothecae (eggs) if they are not separated in time. Furthermore, males will continue to consume large amounts of feed before they die; statistics show that males waste approximately 30%-40% of feed costs without generating direct economic returns. Therefore, separating the males after they emerge and before they consume large amounts of feed is a crucial step in ensuring the profitability of the breeding operation.

[0004] Currently, the separation of male and female ground beetles generally includes two methods: manual separation and mechanical separation. Manual separation relies entirely on the experience of the breeders, who manually sort the beetles by visually observing their body shape and morphology. However, manual sorting is extremely inefficient, labor-intensive, time-consuming, and has low accuracy. Furthermore, modern aquaculture commonly uses 6-7 layer vertical farming racks with narrow aisles (approximately 1 meter wide), requiring repeated climbing and carrying of farming containers, resulting in extremely high labor intensity, safety hazards, and significant operational inconvenience.

[0005] Mechanical separation commonly uses sieves and electric intelligent sorting equipment. Simple sieves only utilize the size difference between male and female insects, and their separation efficiency is only slightly higher than manual sorting (about 1.2 times). However, relying solely on physical screening for separation is relatively passive. This method also cannot be effectively adapted to the three-dimensional structure of multi-layer breeding racks, requiring manual handling of breeding tanks layer by layer to complete the screening, which is labor-intensive and greatly reduces its practicality.

[0006] Electric intelligent sorting equipment uses image recognition technology combined with robotic arms or air jets for sorting. While such equipment can improve accuracy to 85%-90%, its high cost (approximately 30,000-50,000 yuan per unit) prevents its widespread adoption in small and medium-sized farms. Furthermore, the equipment relies on a stable power supply, and its core sensors are highly susceptible to failure in the inherent high temperature, high humidity, and abundant insect debris environment of farms, leading to high maintenance costs (which can account for more than 15% of farming costs) and insufficient reliability.

[0007] Because current mainstream intensive breeding farms typically have 6-7 layers of brick or cement breeding troughs built on both sides inside breeding rooms that are 3-5 meters high, with only 0.4-0.6 meters between layers and a passageway width of 1-1.2 meters in the middle, the activity space is limited. In this specific scenario, fixed equipment cannot be used. Large electric equipment is difficult to move and lift flexibly in narrow passageways due to its size and weight. This results in a large amount of manpower being required for repeated handling and positioning when separating male and female insects, completely losing the efficiency advantage that the equipment should have.

[0008] In summary, existing separation technologies cannot meet the needs of small and medium-sized farms and individual farmers regarding manufacturing costs, maintenance, and adaptability to different scenarios. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a physical separation device that is simple in structure, low in cost, and easy to operate, to achieve rapid separation of male and female insects. Utility Model Content

[0009] The technical problem to be solved by this utility model is to provide a device for separating male and female ground beetles, which can be adapted to the current cost and usage needs of breeding farms, solve the problems of limited activity space, restricted equipment use, and the need for frequent manual handling, and realize the rapid separation of male and female ground beetles.

[0010] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the technical solution adopted by this utility model is as follows.

[0011] A device for separating male and female ground beetles includes a supporting screen installed in a breeding tank. An opaque trapping cylinder is installed at the center of the upper part of the supporting screen. The top of the side wall of the trapping cylinder has trapping holes that allow male beetles to pass through while preventing female beetles from passing through. The trapping holes are evenly distributed in an arc shape along the circumference of the trapping cylinder and evenly distributed along the axial direction of the trapping cylinder. The left end of the trapping cylinder is a closed structure, and the other end is an open structure that is connected to a collection hopper. The outlet end of the collection hopper is detachably connected to a collector. An end baffle is slidably installed at the open end of the trapping cylinder to seal the open side of the trapping cylinder and ensure that the inside of the trapping cylinder remains dark. The end baffle is set perpendicular to the axial direction of the trapping cylinder.

[0012] The above-mentioned device for separating male and female ground beetles has an arc-shaped groove on the upper part of the trapping cylinder near the opening side. The end baffle includes a square plate and an arc plate. The square plate is slidably connected to the arc-shaped groove, and the width of the square plate is greater than the diameter of the trapping cylinder. The arc plate is set at the bottom of the square plate and matches the shape of the inner wall of the trapping cylinder. The central axis of the square plate is coplanar with the axis of the trapping cylinder, and the center of the arc plate coincides with the axis of the trapping cylinder.

[0013] The above-mentioned device for separating male and female ground beetles includes a screen frame at the bottom of the supporting screen. The screen frame is an inverted V-shaped structure that initially disperses the ground beetles. Screen legs are provided on both sides of the bottom of the screen frame, and anti-slip pads are provided at the bottom of the screen legs.

[0014] In the aforementioned device for separating male and female ground beetles, the mesh of the supporting screen is one of square, round, or hexagonal.

[0015] The above-mentioned device for separating male and female ground beetles has side guards installed on the left and right sides of the supporting screen to prevent the ground beetles from escaping from the side. The top of the side guards has an inward bending structure.

[0016] The above-mentioned device for separating male and female ground beetles has a funnel-shaped structure with a wider top and a narrower bottom, and the tilt angle of the funnel is 45°-60°.

[0017] The aforementioned device for separating male and female ground beetles includes a collector made of transparent or semi-transparent material.

[0018] The above-mentioned device for separating male and female ground beetles has evenly distributed drainage holes at the bottom of the collector.

[0019] Due to the adoption of the above technical solutions, the technical progress achieved by this utility model is as follows.

[0020] This invention provides a device for separating male and female ground beetles. It features a simple structure and convenient placement, eliminating the need to move the breeding tank up and down to separate the males and females. This solves the problems of limited space, restricted equipment use, and frequent manual handling required in breeding farms. The device initially disperses the ground beetle population using an inverted V-shaped support screen. Then, taking advantage of the male ground beetles' strong nocturnal activity and negative phototaxis, an opaque trap is used to induce them to enter the trap through trap holes. These holes allow smaller males to pass through while preventing larger females from doing so, effectively separating the males and females. The male ground beetles are collected using a collection hopper and a detachable collector. After separation, the entire device is simply removed from the breeding tank, and the collector is removed for processing of the males, eliminating the need to move the breeding tank.

[0021] This invention achieves efficient separation of male and female ground beetles through a dual mechanism of dark environment attraction and physical screening. It achieves stable and reliable separation through a purely physical method. The structure is lightweight and sturdy, requires no electric drive, and has extremely low manufacturing cost per unit. It is particularly suitable for multi-layer three-dimensional breeding scenarios, effectively solving the industry problems of low efficiency, high labor intensity, high cost and complex maintenance of traditional manual sorting and electric equipment. It provides an economical and practical standardized solution for large-scale ground beetle breeding. Attached Figure Description

[0022] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the specific structure of the present utility model; Figure 2 This is a side view of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the specific structure of the trapping cylinder described in this utility model; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the specific structure of the end baffle described in this utility model; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram showing the specific structure of the connection between the collection hopper and the collector in this embodiment.

[0023] Among them: 10. trapping cylinder, 11. supporting screen, 12. screen frame, 13. side guard, 14. handle, 15. trapping hole, 16. end baffle, 161. square plate, 162. arc plate, 163. horizontal plate, 17. collecting hopper, 18. collector, 19. screen support leg, 20. arc groove, 21. threaded part, 22. threaded sleeve. Detailed Implementation

[0024] The present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0025] Devices for separating male and female ground beetles, such as Figures 1 to 5 As shown, the device includes a support screen 11 installed in the breeding tank. An opaque trapping cylinder 10 is installed at the center of the upper part of the support screen 11. The top of the side wall of the trapping cylinder 10 has trapping holes 15 that allow male insects to pass through and prevent female insects from passing through. The trapping holes 15 are evenly distributed in an arc shape along the circumference of the trapping cylinder and evenly distributed along the axial direction of the trapping cylinder. The left end of the trapping cylinder 10 is a closed structure, and the other end is an open structure that is connected to the collection hopper 17. The outlet end of the collection hopper 17 is detachably connected to the collector 18.

[0026] In this embodiment, the aperture of the trapping hole 15 is 10 mm. This size design is based on a systematic study of the body size of male and female beetles of common ground beetle species, ensuring that male beetles can pass through smoothly while female beetles are effectively blocked outside.

[0027] An end baffle 16 is slidably installed at the open end of the trapping tube 10 to seal the opening side of the trapping tube. The end baffle 16 is set perpendicular to the axis of the trapping tube. The trapping tube is sealed by the end baffle to ensure that the inside of the trapping tube remains dark before the male insects are collected.

[0028] Specifically, an arc-shaped groove 20 is provided on the upper part of the trapping cylinder 10 near the opening side. The end baffle 16 includes a square plate 161 and an arc-shaped plate 162. The square plate 161 is slidably connected to the arc-shaped groove 20 and the width of the square plate 161 is greater than the diameter of the trapping cylinder 10. The arc-shaped plate 162 is located at the bottom of the square plate 161 and matches the shape of the inner wall of the trapping cylinder 10. The central axis of the square plate 161 is coplanar with the axis of the trapping cylinder 10, and the center of the arc-shaped plate 162 coincides with the axis of the trapping cylinder 10.

[0029] A horizontal plate 163 is provided on the top of the square plate 161, which can act as a handle to facilitate lifting the end baffle upward to open the trapping tube, allowing the male insects to enter the collector along the collecting hopper.

[0030] The bottom of the supporting screen 11 is provided with a screen frame 12, which has an inverted V-shaped structure to effectively disperse the ground beetle population and prevent the insects from accumulating.

[0031] Screen frame 12 has screen support legs 19 on both sides of the bottom, which maintains an appropriate ventilation distance between the screen and the breeding substrate, while allowing small impurities such as insect excrement to pass through the screen, thus keeping the breeding environment clean.

[0032] The bottom of the screen support leg 19 is equipped with an anti-slip pad to prevent the screen from sliding and ensure the stability of the screen support.

[0033] The mesh openings of the support screen 11 are square, round, or hexagonal. In this embodiment, the mesh openings of the support screen 11 are round, and the mesh opening diameter is 8mm.

[0034] Side guards 13 are installed on the left and right sides of the supporting screen 11 to prevent the ground beetles from escaping from the sides and ensure that the ground beetle population is concentrated in the effective screening area.

[0035] In this embodiment, the height of the side guard 13 is 2-3cm, and the top of the side guard is a structure that bends inward.

[0036] A handle 14 is installed on the outer side of the side guard to facilitate the handling, positioning and installation of the equipment.

[0037] The collecting hopper 17 has a funnel-shaped structure that is wider at the top and narrower at the bottom. The inclination angle of the collecting hopper 17 is 45°-60°. The inlet end of the collecting hopper 17 is quickly connected to the flange seat at the opening of the attracting cylinder through an elastic buckle. A sealing ring is installed between the collecting hopper and the attracting cylinder.

[0038] The collecting bucket 17 is made of food-grade polypropylene injection molding, and its upper opening diameter is 150mm. In this embodiment, the tilt angle of the collecting bucket is designed to be 55°, which can ensure that the male insects slide down smoothly and avoid impact damage caused by excessive angle.

[0039] In this embodiment, the outlet end of the collecting hopper 17 is provided with a threaded portion 21, the collector 18 is a reusable plastic collecting box, and the inlet end of the collector 18 is provided with a threaded sleeve 22.

[0040] In other embodiments, the collector 18 may be a breathable cotton mesh bag or a non-woven bag, and the collector opening may be provided with an elastic drawstring or quick clamp for easy connection to the collection hopper.

[0041] Collector 18 is made of transparent or semi-transparent material, making it easy to observe the collection process inside the collector.

[0042] The bottom of the collector 18 is provided with evenly distributed venting holes to prevent moisture from accumulating inside the bag.

[0043] When using it, first place the support screen stably on the substrate surface of the breeding tank, ensuring that the screen legs are firmly on the ground. Then place the assembled attractant cylinder, collection hopper, and collector in the center of the support screen, and use the positioning pins to ensure accurate relative positions.

[0044] Taking advantage of the strong nocturnal activity and negative phototaxis of male ground beetles, this device is placed in the breeding area around sunset. At night, the male beetles are attracted by the dark environment and will actively crawl towards the trapping tube and enter the tube through the trapping holes on the side wall. The larger female beetles are effectively blocked outside the trapping tube.

[0045] Once a certain number of male insects have been collected inside the trap, lift the end baffle upwards to open the trap, allowing the male insects to enter the collection bag through the opening of the trap.

[0046] The following morning, operators easily removed the entire device and took off the collector using a handle. The separated male insects were then collected and processed. The entire separation process required no electricity, achieving truly zero-energy operation.

[0047] Maintenance of the device is extremely simple. After use, disassemble each component and rinse with clean water to remove any adhering substances. For deep disinfection, soak in a 3% hydrogen peroxide solution for 10 minutes, then rinse with clean water and air dry.

[0048] All materials meet food-grade safety standards, ensuring no contamination of the ground beetles. The material cost per unit can be controlled within 100 yuan, and the service life can reach more than 10 years, providing practical and economical equipment support for ground beetle farming.

[0049] This invention provides a device for separating male and female ground beetles. It features a simple structure and convenient placement, eliminating the need to move the breeding tank up and down to separate the males and females. This solves the problems of limited space, restricted equipment use, and frequent manual handling required in breeding farms. The device initially disperses the ground beetle population using an inverted V-shaped support screen. Then, taking advantage of the male ground beetles' strong nocturnal activity and negative phototaxis, an opaque trap is used to induce them to enter the trap through trap holes. These holes allow smaller males to pass through while preventing larger females from doing so, effectively separating the males and females. The male ground beetles are collected using a collection hopper and a detachable collector. After separation, the entire device is simply removed from the breeding tank, and the collector is removed for processing of the males, eliminating the need to move the breeding tank.

Claims

1. A device for separating male and female ground beetles, characterized in that: The system includes a support screen (11) installed in the breeding tank, with an opaque trapping cylinder (10) installed at the center of the upper part of the support screen (11); the top of the side wall of the trapping cylinder (10) is provided with trapping holes (15) for male insects to pass through and for female insects to pass through, and the trapping holes (15) are evenly distributed in an arc shape along the circumference of the trapping cylinder and evenly distributed along the axial direction of the trapping cylinder; the left end of the trapping cylinder (10) is a closed structure, and the other end is an open structure and is connected to the collection hopper (17), and the outlet end of the collection hopper (17) is detachably connected to the collector (18); the open end of the trapping cylinder (10) is slidably installed with an end baffle (16) to seal the opening side of the trapping cylinder and ensure that the inside of the trapping cylinder is kept dark, and the end baffle (16) is set perpendicular to the axial direction of the trapping cylinder.

2. The device for separating male and female ground beetles according to claim 1, characterized in that: An arc-shaped groove (20) is provided on the upper part of the trapping cylinder (10) near the opening side. The end baffle (16) includes a square plate (161) and an arc-shaped plate (162). The square plate (161) is slidably connected to the arc-shaped groove (20) and the width of the square plate (161) is greater than the diameter of the trapping cylinder (10). The arc-shaped plate (162) is set at the bottom of the square plate (161) and matches the shape of the inner wall of the trapping cylinder (10). The central axis of the square plate (161) is coplanar with the axis of the trapping cylinder (10), and the center of the arc-shaped plate (162) coincides with the axis of the trapping cylinder (10).

3. The device for separating male and female ground beetles according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bottom of the supporting screen (11) is provided with a screen frame (12), which is an inverted V-shaped structure that initially disperses the ground beetles. Screen legs (19) are provided on both sides of the bottom of the screen frame (12), and anti-slip pads are provided at the bottom of the screen legs (19).

4. The device for separating male and female ground beetles according to claim 1, characterized in that: The mesh of the supporting screen (11) is one of square, round or hexagonal.

5. The device for separating male and female ground beetles according to claim 1, characterized in that: The supporting screen (11) is equipped with side guards (13) on the left and right sides to prevent the ground beetles from escaping from the side. The top of the side guards (13) is a structure that bends inward.

6. The device for separating male and female ground beetles according to claim 1, characterized in that: The collecting hopper (17) is a funnel-shaped structure that is wider at the top and narrower at the bottom, and the tilt angle of the collecting hopper (17) is 45°-60°.

7. The device for separating male and female ground beetles according to claim 1, characterized in that: The collector (18) is made of transparent or translucent material.

8. The device for separating male and female ground beetles according to claim 1, characterized in that: The collector (18) has evenly distributed dehumidification holes at its bottom.

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