Breeding device and breeding method

Abstract

To provide a breeding technology effective for heightening a survival rate, when collecting organisms such as insects having ecology of cannibalism.SOLUTION: A breeding device 1 for breeding organisms C having ecology of cannibalism includes multiple breeding boxes 10 for breeding cannibalism C at the same age respectively; and a live bait feeding device 20 for feeding organisms C at a first age G1, from a young breeding box 10L in the state of the first age G1 in which organisms C are young among the multiple breeding boxes 10, into an old breeding box 10H in the state of a second age G2 which is older than the first age G1, as live baits for the organisms C at the second age G2.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a breeding technique for breeding organisms such as insects.

Background Art

[0002] The following Patent Document 1 describes a breeding device for tree frogs. According to this breeding device, egg laying, hatching, and breeding of tree frogs are all carried out within a breeding case. In order to breed tree frogs until they grow, it is preferable to provide a water absorption means and a feeding means in the breeding case.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, it is known that tree frogs have an ecology of cannibalizing the same kind of solid. For this reason, when breeding tree frogs until they grow, there is a risk that the number of surviving tree frogs at the time of collection will decrease due to the influence of cannibalism. And when the survival rate, which is the number that can be collected relative to the number of tree frogs born, decreases, the breeding cost required for breeding tree frogs per unit increases. In particular, when older tree frogs are lost due to cannibalism, the time, labor, and food costs required during the previous breeding period are wasted, resulting in a large loss.

[0005] Therefore, it is effective to prevent tree frogs from cannibalizing in such a situation. However, it has been confirmed that cannibalism still occurs even when sufficient protein as food is given to tree frogs during breeding. It is difficult to prevent cannibalism itself. For this reason, breeding this type of organism that has an ecology of cannibalism like tree frogs has a problem that the breeding cost becomes high because the survival rate of the organisms is low.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and aims to provide a breeding technique effective for increasing the survival rate when collecting organisms such as insects having a cannibalistic ecology.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] One aspect of the present invention is a breeding device for breeding organisms having a cannibalistic ecology, a plurality of breeding boxes for breeding the organisms by age, and a food supply device for supplying the organisms in a younger-age breeding box, which is one of the plurality of breeding boxes and in which the organisms are in a younger-age state, as live food for the organisms in an older-age breeding box, which is in a state older than the younger age, from the younger-age breeding box to the older-age breeding box, comprising a breeding device, is provided.

[0008] Another aspect of the present invention is a breeding method for breeding organisms having a cannibalistic ecology, preparing a plurality of breeding boxes for breeding the organisms by age, and supplying the organisms in a younger-age breeding box, which is one of the plurality of breeding boxes and in which the organisms are in a younger-age state, as live food for the organisms in an older-age breeding box, which is in a state older than the younger age, from the younger-age breeding box to the older-age breeding box, is provided.

Effects of the Invention

[0009] The breeding device of the above aspect is a device for breeding organisms having a cannibalistic ecology, and includes a plurality of breeding boxes and a food supply device. In each of the plurality of breeding boxes, the organisms are bred until they grow by age. At this time, the food supply device is used to supply organisms in a younger-age breeding box as live food for organisms in an older-age breeding box from the younger-age breeding box to the older-age breeding box.

[0010] The breeding method of the above-described aspect is a method for breeding organisms having a cannibalistic ecology, and the organisms are bred in each of the plurality of prepared breeding boxes until they grow at the same age. At this time, the young organisms are supplied as live food for the old organisms from the young breeding box to the old breeding box.

[0011] According to each of the above-described aspects, instead of the old organisms that are the targets of cannibalism in the old breeding box, younger organisms can be supplied as live food from the young breeding box. Here, compared with the younger individuals, the older individuals have exceeded the time, labor, and food cost required for the breeding so far, and the loss of losing the older individuals by cannibalism is greater than the loss of losing the younger individuals as live food.

[0012] Therefore, if the younger individuals are supplied as live food, it is expected that the larger old individuals will preferentially prey on the smaller young individuals. Therefore, by supplying the young individuals in the young breeding box to the old breeding box, it is possible to prevent the old individuals from cannibalizing each other in the old breeding box, and it is possible to suppress the loss of the old individuals, whose loss has a greater impact compared with the younger individuals.

[0013] As described above, according to each of the above-described aspects, it is possible to provide a breeding technique effective for increasing the survival rate at the time of collecting organisms such as insects having a cannibalistic ecology.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0014]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0015] Hereinafter, the specific structure of the breeding device, which is an embodiment of the above - mentioned aspect, will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0016] In this specification, unless otherwise specified, the horizontal direction in which a plurality of breeding boxes constituting the breeding device are juxtaposed is indicated by arrow X, and the vertical direction of each breeding box is indicated by arrow Y.

[0017] (Embodiment 1) 1. Breeding Target The organisms to be bred have a cannibalistic ecology. For example, they are small organisms such as arthropods. The "cannibalism" mentioned here refers to the behavior of an individual organism eating other individuals of the same species. For example, as organisms used for food, feed, research, etc., insects such as crickets, locusts, and grasshoppers can be mentioned. In particular, they are arthropods with incomplete metamorphosis in which larvae directly transform into adults, and furthermore, larvae in incomplete metamorphosis are preferred. In this example, among insects, the larvae of crickets and locusts of the order Orthoptera are described as preferred examples of the organisms to be bred. However, adults (hatched arthropods with incomplete metamorphosis) may also be used as the breeding target. Also, the breeding device may breed from eggs or breed organisms after hatching.

[0018] 2. Basic Configuration of the Breeding Device As shown in FIG. 1, the breeding device 1 of Embodiment 1 is used to breed organisms C having a cannibalistic ecology. In FIG. 1, a cricket, which is a kind of insect, is exemplified as the organism C. As its basic configuration, the breeding device 1 includes a plurality of breeding boxes 10 for breeding organisms C of the same age, and a live food supply device 20.

[0019] The plurality of breeding boxes 10 are juxtaposed in the horizontal direction X on the installation surface for the breeding device 1. Each breeding box 10 is a box-shaped case that forms a sealed breeding space 10a. In the breeding space 10a of each breeding box 10, in addition to a large number of organisms C to be bred, water supply means and feeding means (both not shown) are accommodated.

[0020] Here, it is known that crickets grow in multiple stages while increasing their physique while repeating the ecology of renewing the tissue on the surface of the body, so-called "molting". Therefore, in this example, for the sake of convenience, one unit period determined from the molting ecology is defined as "the first instar", and the organisms C are bred at the same age in each of the plurality of breeding boxes 10.

[0021] The age of the organism C during the period from hatching until it molts for the first time (the first molt) can be defined as "the first instar". In this case, the age of the organism C during the period from the first molt of the organism C to the next molt (the second molt) becomes "the second instar", and the age of the organism C during the period from the second molt of the organism C to the next molt (the third molt) becomes "the third instar". Thus, in organisms having a molting ecology, the age of the organism during the period from after the (M - 1)-th molt to the M-th molt can be defined as "the M-th instar" (where M is a natural number).

[0022] In this example, when the cricket grows to the 8th instar, the breeding is terminated and the crickets are collected, and eight breeding boxes 10 are prepared. The eight breeding boxes 10 are composed of a first breeding box 11, a second breeding box 12, a third breeding box 13, a fourth breeding box 14, a fifth breeding box 15, a sixth breeding box 16, a seventh breeding box 17, and an eighth breeding box 18. Note that the number of breeding boxes 10 is not limited to this and can be appropriately changed as needed.

[0023] When the organism C being bred in the first breeding box 11 is in the state of the first instar G1, the organism C being bred in the second breeding box 12 is in the state of the second instar G2. At this time, the organism C in the third breeding box 13 is at the third instar G3, the organism C in the fourth breeding box 14 is at the fourth instar G4, the organism C in the fifth breeding box 15 is at the fifth instar G5, the organism C in the sixth breeding box 16 is at the sixth instar G6, the organism C in the seventh breeding box 17 is at the seventh instar G7, and the organism C in the eighth breeding box 18 is at the eighth instar G8.

[0024] 3. Structure of the live food supply device The live food supply device 20 functions to supply the young organism C as live food for the old organism C from the breeding box 10 (the low-instar breeding box 10L described later) in which the organism C is in a young state to the breeding box 10 (the high-instar breeding box 10H described later) in which the organism C is in an old state. Here, "old age" means an age exceeding "young age", and the ages may be in a continuous relationship with each other, or may be in a relationship with one or more ages in between. That is, when the first instar is regarded as "young age", not only the second instar, but also any age of the third instar or above can be "old age" with respect to the first instar.

[0025] The live bait supply device 20 includes a connecting member 21 that connects two adjacent breeding boxes 10, 10. In this example, the live bait supply device 20 is constituted by the connecting member 21 itself. Each breeding box 10 is provided with a through hole (not shown in the figure) for attaching the connecting member 21. In this example, seven connecting members 21 are used according to the number of eight breeding boxes 10. Each connecting member 21 has a communication passage 21a that connects the breeding spaces 10a of the two breeding boxes 10, 10. Therefore, the breeding space 10a of one breeding box 10 and the breeding space 10a of the other breeding box 10 communicate with each other through the communication passage 21a of the connecting member 21.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 2, when the organism C of the first age G1 is being bred in the first breeding box 11, the organism C of the second age G2, which is older than the organism C of the first age G1, is being bred in the second breeding box 12. Therefore, when comparing the first breeding box 11 and the second breeding box 12, the first breeding box 11 is in the relationship of the lower-age breeding box 10L with respect to the second breeding box 12, and the second breeding box 12 is in the relationship of the higher-age breeding box 10H with respect to the first breeding box 11. Also, the first breeding box 11 has the same relationship with respect to each of the remaining breeding boxes 13 to 18 other than the second breeding box 12. Therefore, the first breeding box 11 becomes the lower-age breeding box 10L with respect to the breeding boxes 12 to 18, all of which are the higher-age breeding boxes 10H.

[0027] In the following description, the connecting member 21 that connects the first breeding box 11 and the second breeding box 12 is also referred to as the first connecting member 21A, and the connecting member 21 that connects the second breeding box 12 and the third breeding box 13 is also referred to as the second connecting member 21B.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 3, the first connecting member 21A has a cylindrical portion forming a communication passage 21a with a circular cross-sectional shape, the inner diameter of this cylindrical portion is d1, and the outer diameter of this cylindrical portion is configured to be d2. As shown in FIG. 4, the second connecting member 21B is configured such that the inner diameter of the cylindrical portion forming the communication passage 21a is d3, which is greater than the inner diameter d1 in the case of the first connecting member 21A, and the outer diameter of this cylindrical portion coincides with the outer diameter d2 in the case of the first connecting member 21A. That is, the second connecting member 21B differs from the first connecting member 21A only in that the passage cross-sectional area, which is the size of the communication passage 21a, is different. Although not particularly shown, the same applies to the other connecting members 21 in this regard.

[0029] By unifying the outer diameter of the cylindrical portion to d2 in all the connecting members 21, the mounting through-holes provided in advance in each breeding box 10 can be commonly used by all the connecting members 21. For this reason, it becomes possible to replace the connecting member 21 connected to a predetermined breeding box 10 with another breeding box 10. For example, the first connecting member 21A connecting the first breeding box 11 and the second breeding box 12 can be easily diverted to the connecting member 21 connecting the second breeding box 12 and the third breeding box 13.

[0030] In addition to connecting the breeding spaces 10a of the first breeding box 11 and the second breeding box 12, the communication passage 21a of the first connecting member 21A is set such that its passage cross-sectional area enables the movement of the organism C in the state of the first instar G1 and disables the movement in the state of the second instar G2 or higher and older. Similarly to the case of the first connecting member 21A, the passage cross-sectional area of the communication passage 21a of the second connecting member 21B is set such that it enables the movement of the organism C in the state of the second instar G2 or lower and disables the movement in the state of the third instar G3 or higher and older. Although not particularly shown, the same applies to the other connecting members 21 in this regard.

[0031] Therefore, each connecting member 21 that constitutes the live food supply device 20 is configured to allow the young organism C to move in one direction from the young breeding box 10L to the old breeding box 10H through the communication passage 21a, while restricting the reverse movement of the old organism C from the old breeding box 10H to the young breeding box 10L through the communication passage 21a.

[0032] Note that the cross-sectional shape of the communication passage 21a of each connecting member 21 is not limited to a circular shape, and an elliptical or polygonal cross-sectional shape may be adopted as necessary.

[0033] 4. Effects of the Live Food Supply Device As shown in FIG. 2, the organism C of the first age G1 in the breeding space 10a of the first breeding box 11 can be attracted to food, water, etc. in the breeding space 10a of the second breeding box 12, for example, and move to the breeding space 10a of the second breeding box 12 through the communication passage 21a of the first connecting member 21A. Therefore, the organism C of the first age G1 can become live food for the organism C of the second age G2 in the breeding space 10a of the second breeding box 12. In contrast, the organism C of the second age G2 in the breeding space 10a of the second breeding box 12 is unable to move to the breeding space 10a of the first breeding box 11 through the communication passage 21a of the first connecting member 21A.

[0034] Similarly, the organism C of the second age G2 in the breeding space 10a of the second breeding box 12 can be attracted to food, water, etc. in the breeding space 10a of the third breeding box 13, for example, and move to the breeding space 10a of the third breeding box 13 through the communication passage 21a of the second connecting member 21B. Therefore, the organism C of the second age G2 can become live food for the organism C of the third age G3 in the breeding space 10a of the third breeding box 13. In contrast, the organism C of the third age G3 in the breeding space 10a of the third breeding box 13 is unable to move to the breeding space 10a of the second breeding box 12 through the communication passage 21a of the second connecting member 21B.

[0035] 5. Breeding Forms of Organisms in the Breeding Device As shown in Fig. 5, during the first-stage breeding, organism C is bred in the first breeding box 11 in the state of the first instar G1. The organism C will become the second instar G2 during the second-stage breeding by subsequent molting, and further become the third instar G3 during the third-stage breeding. At this time, the arrangement of the first breeding box 11 is sequentially changed to the right side in Fig. 5 as the organism C grows. That is, the first breeding box 11 during the first-stage breeding becomes the second breeding box 12 during the second-stage breeding and the third breeding box 13 during the third-stage breeding. Correspondingly, another breeding box 10 is replenished, and each connecting member 21 is appropriately replaced with the corresponding breeding box 10. At this time, the number of breeding boxes 10 increases as the breeding of organism C progresses, and finally, the number of breeding boxes 10 becomes eight. The organism C in the eighth breeding box 18 during the eighth-stage breeding is in the state of the final instar, the eighth instar G8, and the organism C is collected in the state of the eighth instar G8. The collection of organism C is also referred to as "harvesting".

[0036] When the number of breeding boxes 10 reaches eight, while the eighth breeding box 18 is recovered, a new first breeding box 11 is added. At this time, it is preferable that the eighth breeding box 18 after the organism C is collected is reused as the first breeding box 11. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the number of breeding boxes 10 from increasing more than necessary, and it is possible to keep the equipment cost required for the breeding device 1 low.

[0037] As described above, in the breeding method using the breeding device 1 of Embodiment 1, first, a plurality of breeding boxes 10 for breeding organism C at the same age are prepared. Then, among the plurality of breeding boxes 10, the low-age breeding box 10L in which the organism C is in a low-age state and the high-age breeding box 10H in which the organism C is in a state older than that low age are connected by a connecting member 21 having a communication passage 21a so that the low-age organism C can be supplied as food for the high-age organism C. In this breeding method, instead of forcibly supplying the low-age organism C as food to the high-age breeding box 10H, the connecting member 21 is provided so that the low-age organism C can easily move to the high-age breeding box 10H through the communication passage 21a.

[0038] According to the above-mentioned Embodiment 1, the following operational effects can be obtained.

[0039] According to the breeding device 1 of Embodiment 1, by using the connection member 21 of the live food supply device 20, a younger organism C can be supplied as live food from the low-age breeding box 10L to the older organism C that is the target of cannibalism in the high-age breeding box 10H. For example, an organism C of the first age G1 is supplied from the first breeding box 11 to the second breeding box 12 as live food for an organism C of the second age G2 (see FIG. 2).

[0040] Here, compared with younger individuals, older individuals have exceeded the time, labor, food costs, etc. required for breeding so far. The loss of losing an older individual due to cannibalism is greater than the loss of losing a younger individual as live food. Therefore, if a younger individual is supplied as live food, it is expected that an older individual with a larger physique will preferentially prey on a younger individual with a smaller physique. Therefore, by supplying the younger individuals in the low-age breeding box 10L to the high-age breeding box 10H, it is possible to prevent the older individuals from cannibalizing each other in the high-age breeding box 10H, and it is possible to suppress the loss of older individuals, whose loss has a greater impact compared with younger individuals.

[0041] According to the above-mentioned Embodiment 1, it is possible to increase the survival rate when collecting organisms C having a cannibalistic ecology. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, when using a younger organism C as live food for an older organism C (see the solid line in the figure), the survival rate is lower in the breeding period on the right side of the figure (that is, the region where the organism C is close to the end age) compared with the case of not using it as live food (see the broken line in the figure). For this reason, compared with the case of not using a younger organism C as live food for an older organism C relying only on the cannibalistic ecology, the breeding cost per unit number of organisms C that can finally be collected can be reduced.

[0042] In addition, in a modification example particularly related to the breeding device 1 of Embodiment 1, instead of a structure in which the passage cross-sectional area of the communication passage 21a of the connection member 21 is appropriately set so that only young organisms C can pass through, a mechanism such as a check valve is provided at the outlet of the communication passage 21a of the connection member 21, and a structure that allows only one-way movement of the organism C from the young breeding box 10L to the old breeding box 10H can be adopted.

[0043] Further, in another modification example particularly related to the breeding device 1 of Embodiment 1, instead of a structure in which one breeding box 10 and another breeding box 10 are connected by a connection member 21, a structure in which one breeding box 10 and a plurality of other breeding boxes 10 are each connected by a connection member 21 can be adopted. For example, the first breeding box 11 can be connected to the second breeding box 12 by a connection member 21, and this first breeding box 11 can also be connected to the third breeding box 13 by another connection member 21. Further, the first breeding box 11 may be connected to a breeding box 10 other than the second breeding box 12 by a connection member 21.

[0044] Hereinafter, other embodiments related to the above-described Embodiment 1 will be described with reference to the drawings. In other embodiments, the same elements as those in Embodiment 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description of the same elements is omitted.

[0045] (Embodiment 2) As shown in FIG. 7, the breeding device 2 of Embodiment 2 is different from the breeding device 1 of Embodiment 1 in that, in addition to the live food supply device 20, it includes a blower 22 in the connection member 21.

[0046] The blower 22 is for blowing air toward the communication passage 21a of the connection member 21. This blower 22 functions to prompt the individual in the young breeding box 10L to move to the old breeding box 10H through the communication passage 21a of the connection member 21 by blowing air on the young individual.

[0047] The blower 22 may be installed in each breeding box 10, or may be installed only in the breeding box 10 appropriately selected from a plurality of breeding boxes 10. For example, the blower 22 can be installed only in the first breeding box 11 so that a wind flow toward the second breeding box 12 is formed in the communication passage 21a of the first connection member 21A. At this time, if the communication passages 21a of the respective connection members 21 are arranged so as to generally overlap in the horizontal direction X, one blower 22 for sending air toward the first connection member 21A can be also used as a blower for sending air toward another connection member 21 located downstream of the first connection member 21A. In this case, the number of installed blowers 22 can be reduced, which is effective for suppressing the equipment cost required for the breeding device 2.

[0048] Other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment.

[0049] According to the above-described second embodiment, by using the blower 22, a wind flow toward the communication passage 21a of the first connection member 21A can be imparted to the organism C of the first age G1 in the first breeding box 11. As a result, it is possible to promote the movement of the organism C of the first age G1 to the second breeding box 12 through the communication passage 21a of the first connection member 21A.

[0050] Note that the blower 22 may be equipped with a heating function for creating air at a temperature higher than the room temperature, a cooling function for creating air at a temperature lower than the room temperature, etc., as necessary. Thereby, the high-temperature or low-temperature air sent from the blower 22 can be applied to the organism C of the first age G1 to stimulate it, and the effect of moving the organism C to the second breeding box 12 is enhanced.

[0051] In addition, the same operational effects as those in the first embodiment are achieved.

[0052] (Embodiment 3) As shown in FIG. 8, the breeding device 3 of Embodiment 3 includes a live food supply device 20A, and the structure of this live food supply device 20A is different from the structure of the live food supply device 20 of the breeding device 1 of Embodiment 1. The live food supply device 20A includes, in addition to the connection member 21, an opening / closing member 23 capable of opening and closing the communication passage 21a of the connection member 21, a driving unit 24 for driving the opening / closing member 23, a movement number information detection unit 25, and a control device 26.

[0053] FIG. 8 illustrates an opening / closing member 23 capable of opening and closing the communication passage 21a of the first connection member 21A. Although the operation of this opening / closing member 23 is not particularly limited, in this example, the opening / closing member 23 is configured to rotate between a closed position P1 and an open position P2 by the driving force of the driving unit 24. If necessary, it may be changed so that the opening / closing member 23 slides, and the communication passage 21a may be opened and closed as the opening / closing member 23 slides. As the driving unit 24, typically, it is preferable to use an actuator such as an electric motor or an air cylinder.

[0054] When the opening / closing member 23 is in the closed position P1, the outlet of the communication passage 21a of the first connection member 21A is closed. Therefore, the movement of the organism C of the first age G1 through the communication passage 21a of the first connection member 21A to the second breeding box 12 is blocked. On the other hand, when the opening / closing member 23 is in the open position P2, the outlet of the communication passage 21a of the first connection member 21A is opened. Therefore, the organism C of the first age G1 can move through the communication passage 21a of the first connection member 21A to the second breeding box 12. Normally, the opening / closing member 23 is set to the open position P2.

[0055] The movement number information detection unit 25 is for detecting information regarding the number of movements N1 per unit time of the organism C of the first age G1 that has moved from the first breeding box 11, which is the low-age breeding box 10L, to the second breeding box 12, which is the high-age breeding box 10H, through the communication passage 21a of the first connection member 21A. As this movement number information detection unit 25, typically, a photographing camera for photographing the outlet of the communication passage 21a of the first connection member 21A can be used.

[0056] The imaging camera is configured to continuously capture an image by receiving reflected light reflected from the surface of the organism C at the first age G1 with an image sensor, and transmit the captured image to the control device 26. At this time, the captured image by the imaging camera includes information regarding the number of movements N1 of the organism C at the first age G1. As the image sensor, a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) image sensor or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) image sensor can be adopted.

[0057] The control device 26 includes an image processing unit 26a, a storage unit 26b, an arithmetic unit 26c, and a control signal output unit 26d. This control device 26 is mainly configured with a known CPU (Central Processing Unit).

[0058] By processing the captured image by the imaging camera with the image processing unit 26a, the organism C at the first age G1 can be detected. At this time, by previously storing characteristics such as the physique and color of the organism C at the first age G1 in the storage unit 26b as master data, the organism C at the first age G1 can be accurately detected.

[0059] Based on the information processed by the image processing unit 26a, the arithmetic unit 26c calculates the number of movements N1 per unit time of the organism C at the first age G1, and compares the number of movements N1 with the threshold Th stored in the storage unit 26b. Then, the control signal output unit 26d outputs a closing operation signal for switching the opening / closing member 23 to the closed position P1 to the driving unit 24 on the condition that the number of movements N1 has reached the threshold Th which is the target value. Thereby, the opening / closing member 23 is set to the closed position P1, and the organism C at the first age G1 cannot be supplied to the second breeding box 12 as live food for the organism C at the second age G2.

[0060] Thus, in this example, the control device 26 is configured to output a closing operation signal of the opening / closing member 23 to the driving unit 24 when the number of movements N1 per unit time of the organism C at the first age G1 reaches the threshold Th based on the information detected by the movement number information detection unit 25.

[0061] Other configurations are the same as those in Embodiment 1.

[0062] According to the above-described Embodiment 3, it becomes possible to manage the number of young organisms C to be used as live food (in this example, the number of organisms C in the first age G1) based on the threshold value Th which is the target value.

[0063] In addition, it exhibits the same operational effects as those in Embodiment 1.

[0064] (Embodiment 4) As shown in FIG. 9, the breeding device 4 of Embodiment 4 includes a live food supply device 20B, and the structure of this live food supply device 20B is different from the structure of the live food supply device 20A of the breeding device 3 of Embodiment 3. The live food supply device 20B includes a breeding number information detection unit 27 and a remaining number information detection unit 28 in addition to an opening / closing member 23, a drive unit 24, a movement number information detection unit 25, and a control device 26.

[0065] The breeding number information detection unit 27 is for detecting information regarding the breeding number N2 of the organisms C in the second age G2 in the second breeding box 12 which is the high-age breeding box 10H. The breeding number information detection unit 27 is provided in the upper region in the vertical direction Y of the breeding space 10a of the second breeding box 12. As the breeding number information detection unit 27, a photographing camera similar to the movement number information detection unit 25 can be used. The photographing camera continuously captures images of the breeding space 10a of the second breeding box 12 and transmits the captured images to the control device 26.

[0066] By processing the captured images by the photographing camera with the image processing unit 26a, the organisms C in the second age G2 can be detected. At this time, by previously storing features such as the physique and color of the organisms C in the second age G2 in the storage unit 26b as master data, the organisms C in the second age G2 can be accurately detected.

[0067] The arithmetic unit 26c of the control device 26 calculates the number of organisms C at the second age G2 in the second breeding box 12 based on the information processed by the image processing unit 26a. This breeding number N2 is the number of organisms C at the second age G2 present in the second breeding box 12 at a preset time point. Therefore, the arithmetic unit 26c stores in the storage unit 26b, as a threshold value Th, the value obtained by multiplying this breeding number N2 by the cannibalism rate kt. Then, the control signal output unit 26d outputs a closing operation signal for switching the opening / closing member 23 to the closed position P1 in the driving unit 24 on the condition that the number of movements N1 of the organism C at the first age G1 per unit time has reached the threshold value Th at this time.

[0068] The remaining number information detection unit 28 is for detecting information regarding the remaining number N3 of the organisms C at the first age G1 in the second breeding box 12, which is the senior breeding box 10H. In this example, this remaining number information detection unit 28 is also served by the imaging camera of the breeding number information detection unit 27. By processing the captured image by this imaging camera with the image processing unit 26a, the organisms C at the first age G1 can be detected.

[0069] The arithmetic unit 26c of the control device 26 calculates the remaining number N3 of the organisms C at the first age G1 in the second breeding box 12 based on the information processed by the image processing unit 26a. This remaining number N3 is the number of live preys, which are organisms C at the first age G1, remaining in the second breeding box 12 until a preset time point. Therefore, the arithmetic unit 26c performs a correction (downward correction) to lower the cannibalism rate kt as the remaining number N3 increases, and stores the corrected cannibalism rate kt in the storage unit 26b. At this time, it is preferable to correct the cannibalism rate kt using a correlation formula or a correlation map showing the correlation between the remaining number N3 and the cannibalism rate kt.

[0070] In addition, when all the organisms C in the first instar G1 die out in the second breeding box 12 and the remaining number N3 is not detected, attention is paid to the number N2 of the organisms C in the second instar G2 in the second breeding box 12. At this time, when the number N2 of the organisms C in the second instar G2 decreases due to cannibalism among the organisms C in the second instar G2, the arithmetic unit 26c performs correction (upward correction) to increase the cannibalism rate kt as the number N2 of the organisms C decreases, and stores the corrected cannibalism rate kt in the storage unit 26b. At this time, it is preferable to correct the cannibalism rate kt using a correlation formula or a correlation map showing the correlation between the number N2 of the organisms C and the cannibalism rate kt.

[0071] Other configurations are the same as those in the third embodiment.

[0072] According to the above-described fourth embodiment, the cannibalism rate kt is corrected based on the number N2 of the older organisms C in the older breeding box and the remaining number N3 of the younger organisms C in the older breeding box, and the threshold Th can be appropriately changed according to the corrected cannibalism rate kt. As a result, compared with the case where the threshold Th is set to a constant value, it becomes possible to finely manage the number of the younger organisms C used as live food (in this example, the number of the organisms C in the first instar G1).

[0073] In addition, the same operational effects as those in the third embodiment are achieved.

[0074] In addition, in a modification example particularly related to the breeding device 4 of the fourth embodiment, a structure in which the process of correcting the cannibalism rate kt is omitted can be adopted.

[0075] (Embodiment 5) As shown in FIG. 10, the breeding method of the fifth embodiment is a breeding method for breeding organisms having a cannibalistic ecology. According to this breeding method, first, a plurality (in this example, eight) of breeding boxes 10 for breeding organisms C at the same age are prepared. Then, the younger organisms C are supplied as live food for the older organisms C from the younger breeding boxes in which the organisms C are in a younger state among the plurality of breeding boxes 10 to the older breeding boxes in which the organisms C are in an older state.

[0076] In this breeding method, young organisms C are forcibly supplied as live food for old organisms C to an old-age breeding box. For example, after an operator collects a predetermined number of young organisms C in a collection container such as a petri dish (not shown) and takes them out of the young-age breeding box, the young organisms C can be supplied to the old-age breeding box by releasing the collection container inside the old-age breeding box.

[0077] When taking out young organisms C from the young-age breeding box, it is preferable to select individuals immediately before or immediately after molting. These individuals are weaker than other individuals and are more likely to become live food for old organisms C. Based on the fact that the back part of the individual cracks immediately before molting and the color of the individual immediately after molting becomes white, suitable individuals can be selected to be taken out from the young-age breeding box.

[0078] Here, a plurality of supply patterns for collecting young organisms C in the young-age breeding box and supplying them as live food for old organisms C to the old-age breeding box will be exemplarily described. For these plurality of supply patterns, all supply patterns may be executed simultaneously and in parallel, or the 6th supply pattern may be performed, and then, like the 5th supply pattern and the 4th supply pattern, they may be sequentially implemented from the oldest one. Alternatively, only some of the supply patterns selected from all the supply patterns may be selectively executed. If the plurality of supply patterns are sequentially implemented from the oldest one, there is an advantage that when taking out organisms C from the breeding box, it is difficult for the young and the old to be mixed, and the taking-out operation is easy.

[0079] (First Supply Pattern) The first supply pattern is a pattern in which organisms C are collected from the first breeding box 11 and the collected organisms C are independently supplied to each of the second breeding box 12 and the third breeding box 13. Both the second breeding box 12 and the third breeding box 13 are in the relationship of old-age breeding boxes with respect to the first breeding box 11, which is a young-age breeding box. At this time, the supply number of organisms C of the first age G1 supplied as live food for organisms C of the second age G2, which is older than the first age G1, is set to n2, and the supply number of organisms C of the first age G1 supplied as live food for organisms C of the third age G3, which is older than the first age G1, is set to n3.

[0080] (Second supply pattern) The second supply pattern is a pattern in which organism C is recovered from the second breeding box 12 and the recovered organism C is supplied to the fourth breeding box 14. The fourth breeding box 14 is in the relationship of an older breeding box with respect to the second breeding box 12 which is a younger breeding box. At this time, the supply number for supplying organism C of the second age G2 as live food for organism C of the fourth age G4 which is older than this second age G2 is set as n4.

[0081] (Third supply pattern) The third supply pattern is a pattern in which organism C is recovered from the third breeding box 13 and the recovered organism C is supplied to the fifth breeding box 15. The fifth breeding box 15 is in the relationship of an older breeding box with respect to the third breeding box 13 which is a younger breeding box. At this time, the supply number for supplying organism C of the third age G3 as live food for organism C of the fifth age G5 which is older than this third age G3 is set as n5.

[0082] (Fourth supply pattern) The fourth supply pattern is a pattern in which organism C is recovered from the fourth breeding box 14 and the recovered organism C is supplied to the sixth breeding box 16. The sixth breeding box 16 is in the relationship of an older breeding box with respect to the fourth breeding box 14 which is a younger breeding box. At this time, the supply number for supplying organism C of the fourth age G4 as live food for organism C of the sixth age G6 which is older than this fourth age G4 is set as n6.

[0083] (Fifth supply pattern) The fifth supply pattern is a pattern in which organism C is recovered from the fifth breeding box 15 and the recovered organism C is supplied to the seventh breeding box 17. The seventh breeding box 17 is in the relationship of an older breeding box with respect to the fifth breeding box 15 which is a younger breeding box. At this time, the supply number for supplying organism C of the fifth age G5 as live food for organism C of the seventh age G7 which is older than this fifth age G5 is set as n7.

[0084] (Sixth supply pattern) The sixth supply pattern is a pattern in which organism C is recovered from the sixth breeding box 16 and the recovered organism C is supplied to the eighth breeding box 18. The eighth breeding box 18 is in the relationship of an older-age breeding box with respect to the sixth breeding box 16 which is a younger-age breeding box. At this time, the supply number for supplying organism C at the sixth age G6 as live food for organism C at the eighth age G8 which is older than this sixth age G6 is set as n8.

[0085] Note that the loss of organism C when used as live food increases as it gets older. Therefore, for example, it is preferable to avoid supplying organism C at the seventh age G7 as live food for organism C at the eighth age G8.

[0086] In each of the above supply patterns, the supply number of the younger-age organism C is not particularly limited, but as an example, a value obtained by multiplying the number of the older-age organism C in the older-age breeding box by the cannibalism rate kt can be determined as the supply number of the younger-age organism C.

[0087] According to the above-described Embodiment 5, similarly to the case of Embodiment 1, it becomes possible to increase the survival rate when breeding organism C having a cannibalistic ecology. In particular, by forcibly supplying the younger-age organism C as live food for the older-age organism C to the older-age breeding box, it is easy to formulate a breeding plan for organism C having a cannibalistic ecology.

[0088] Note that in a modification example particularly related to the breeding method of Embodiment 5, instead of supplying the younger-age organism C as live food for the older-age organism C in a relationship with an age difference of 2 ages or less, the younger-age organism C can be supplied as live food for the older-age organism C in a relationship with an age difference of 3 ages or more. For example, organism C at the first age G1 can be supplied as live food for at least one of organism C from the fourth age G4 to the eighth age G8, or organism C at the third age G3 can be supplied as live food for at least one of organism C from the sixth age G6 to the eighth age G8.

[0089] The present invention is not limited only to the above-described typical embodiments, and various applications and modifications can be considered as long as the object of the present invention is not deviated. For example, each of the following forms applying the above-described embodiments can also be implemented.

[0090] In the above embodiment, the case where the period from the molting of organism C to the next molting is defined as "first instar" with one unit period was exemplified. Instead, a preset number of days, months, years, etc. may be defined as "first instar" with one unit period.

[0091] In the above embodiment, the case where the number of breeding boxes 10 is eight was exemplified. However, the number of breeding boxes 10 is not limited thereto, and two or more required breeding boxes 10 can be used.

[0092] In the above embodiment, the breeding technique for the cricket as organism C having a cannibalistic ecology was exemplified. However, this breeding technique can be applied to the breeding technique for another organism C having a cannibalistic ecology other than the cricket.

Explanation of reference numerals

[0093] 1, 2, 3, 4: Breeding device, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18: Breeding box, 10L: Low-instar breeding box, 10H: High-instar breeding box, 20, 20A, 20B: Live food supply device, 21: Connection member, 21A: First connection member, 21B: Second connection member, 21a: Communication passage, 23: Opening / closing member, 24: Driving unit, 25: Movement number information detection unit, 26: Control device, 27: Breeding number information detection unit, 28: Remaining number information detection unit, C: Organism, kt: Cannibalism rate, Th: Threshold value, N1: Movement number per unit time, N2: Breeding number, N3: Remaining number

Claims

1. A breeding device for breeding organisms with a cannibalistic ecology, a plurality of breeding boxes for breeding the organisms by age, and a food supply device for supplying the organisms in the younger age state from the younger-age breeding box among the plurality of breeding boxes to the older-age breeding box in an older age state as food for the organisms in the older age state. The breeding device comprising the above.

2. The food supply device includes a connecting member having a communication passage connecting the breeding spaces of the younger-age breeding box and the older-age breeding box, and allows the organisms in the younger age state to move from the younger-age breeding box to the older-age breeding box through the communication passage of the connecting member, while restricting the organisms in the older age state from moving from the older-age breeding box to the younger-age breeding box through the communication passage of the connecting member. The breeding device according to Claim 1.

3. The communication passage of the connecting member has a passage cross-sectional area that enables the movement of the organisms in the younger age state and disables the movement in the older age state. The breeding device according to Claim 2.

4. The food supply device includes an opening / closing member capable of opening and closing the communication passage of the connecting member, a driving unit for driving the opening / closing member, a movement number information detection unit for detecting information regarding the number of movements per unit time of the organisms in the younger age state that have moved from the younger-age breeding box to the older-age breeding box through the communication passage of the connecting member, and a control device for outputting a closing operation signal of the opening / closing member to the driving unit when the number of movements reaches a threshold value based on the information detected by the movement number information detection unit. The breeding device according to Claim 2 or 3.

5. The food supply device has a breeding number information detection unit for detecting information regarding the breeding number of the organisms in the older-age breeding box, and the control device sets, as the threshold value, a value obtained by multiplying the breeding number by the cannibalism rate based on the information detected by the breeding number information detection unit. The breeding device according to Claim 4.

6. The live food supply device has a remaining number information detection unit that detects information regarding the remaining number of the organisms of the younger age in the elderly breeding box. The breeding device according to claim 5, wherein the control device performs correction to lower the cannibalism rate as the remaining number detected by the remaining number information detection unit is larger.

7. A breeding method for breeding organisms having a cannibalistic ecology, preparing a plurality of breeding boxes for breeding the organisms by age; and supplying the organisms of the younger age as live food for the organisms of the older age from a younger-age breeding box, in which the organisms are in a younger-age state, among the plurality of breeding boxes to an older-age breeding box, in which the organisms are in an older-age state than the younger age.

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