In addition to being added to feed, worms are processed into special protein flour containing up to 67% pure protein. The remaining components are fats -20%, methionine -3% and lysine - 8%. Such protein flour is one of the most nutritious and effective components for the formulation of food and combined feeds.
Processing food waste using Staratel worms into organic fertilizer - vermicompost, which is a valuable organic fertilizer that can improve the agrochemical properties of soils and increase crop yields.
Among the many methods of recycling waste already known to ordinary people and science, the simplest and most affordable is to obtain vermicompost or vermicompost from them using earthworms.
To process household and industrial waste, certain types of dung, earthworms and many other worms are used. Most of them belong to the rain family, the order of higher oligochaetes, the class of oligochaetes, the subtype of zonules, the type of annelids. If Californian worms are common in most countries of Europe and America, then the “Staratel” earthworm, which belongs to the species of compost earthworms from the genus Eisenia foetida, is better adapted to Russian climatic conditions.
Video: Breeding Prospector worms (earthworms). What you need to start breeding
VIDEO Who needs worms? Worm Prospector
Let's first understand what kind of worm you have to work with. This worm was obtained by crossing in the laboratory by Professor A.M. Igonin. local earthworms with the Kyrgyz earthworm Eisenia foetida. It turns out that the Prospector worm belongs to the species of earth compost (dung) worms Eisenia foetida.
The advantages of this worm are that it allows you to speed up the processing of organic waste into vermicompost; it also:
- a new generation of worm can be transferred to a new type of food; if adult worms are suddenly transferred to a new type of food, there is a high probability that they will die
- able to survive and maintain productivity in dense populations, provided food is available
- is in an active “working” state and is able to reproduce at temperatures from +8 to + 29 degrees
- Cocoons are laid at temperatures between +8 and + 10 degrees
- differs from an ordinary earthworm in its perseverance in the substrate (substrate is a nutrient medium on which animals, plants and microorganisms live and develop)
- 1 ton of compost produces 600 kg of vermicompost
Implementation
The price for these worms is approximately the same as for the red Californian and currently amounts to about 4,000 rubles for 20 thousand pieces.
Your business will not start making a profit until you start selling your finished products.
To do this, you can go around fishing stores and ask where they buy the worm; it may be that they bring it from other areas and at the same time incur transportation costs. It is possible that they will want to buy your products.
Next, you need to advertise as widely as possible and over time you will acquire regular customers.
Good luck!
The benefits of worms
Conditions for breeding Prospector worms
The advantage of breeding worms is that breeding the Prospector worm, and other earthworms, is possible all year round.
To start breeding worms, you will need containers in which the worms will live. It can be anything: fruit boxes, an old bathtub, wooden boxes and other various containers.
In addition to the container where the worms will live, you will also need:
A land in which worms will live. Moreover, the soil should not be dense so that worms can move in it. For example, clay is not suitable for these purposes; it is too dense.
You will also need organically rotted waste, which is food for worms.
Straw, newspaper or breathable material, which is used to cover the top of the container with worms so that the water does not evaporate.
The water you will need to maintain optimal humidity for the worms.
Video: Breeding Prospector worms (earthworms). What you need to start breeding
There is nothing complicated in the process of breeding worms, and to get the greatest effect, it is enough to observe conditions that will be favorable for the life of worms. These conditions are simple:
It is necessary to maintain the temperature in the range from +8 + 29 degrees.
It is necessary to maintain neutral soil acidity equal to pH7.
It is necessary to constantly maintain moderate humidity in the containers where the worms live.
It is necessary to ensure that the worms always have food.
Worms do not get sick, but die only due to non-compliance with breeding conditions.
One Prospector worm produces 1,500 offspring per year. One worm produces 100 kg of vermicompost per year. With some simple arithmetic, you can calculate how many worms you will need to produce organic fertilizer.
Under favorable conditions, the worm lives 4-16 years.
If the worm has suffered body damage or lost body segments, it can regenerate new segments. Most earthworms are better at regenerating tails than heads, but some can reproduce heads.
I would like to say a few words about how worms reproduce so that you have an idea of their reproduction.
The worm is a hermaphrodite, but individuals mate to reproduce. Reproduces by laying eggs.
To copulate, two worms line up opposite each other, facing in opposite directions. Then, they secrete mucus that envelops their bodies. Each worm ejaculates sperm from its genitals into this mucus, and then, the sperm from the mucus is deposited into the sperm receptacle.
Queen cell of the earthworm "Staratel" (up to 10,000 individuals)
Brood stock is a symbiosis of worms of all ages, in a certain ratio (adults/young animals/cocoons):
From one cocoon hatch from 5 to 20 fry of worms. It is used for processing organic waste and obtaining organic fertilizer from this waste - vermicompost. Breeding stock very quickly adapt to new types of substrates. Easy to transport. Suitable for breeding both indoors and outdoors. They tolerate wintering well in open ground.
The products have the appropriate quality and veterinary certificates. conclusion!
Delivery is made anywhere in Russia!
What is it for?
have
compost heap
add worms
you get
vermicompost
Instructions for breeding Prospector worms in a garden or dacha:
To breed “Staratel” and obtain vermicompost, you need to be quite serious about purchasing worms and preparing the substrate (compost). Worms must be purchased together with the substrate only from specialized vermifarms. The worms should be mobile and red in color. The substrate should contain juveniles and cocoons. A population containing at least 1,500 individuals is considered genetically stable.
Preparation of vermicompost includes the following main stages:
Preparation of compost (nutrient substrate).
In a garden or dacha, the best food for the worm will be a combined compost heap, where mown grass, weeded weeds, food waste, and leaf litter are placed in layers or in a mixed form throughout the summer season. It feeds only on dead and rotting plant debris. Therefore, the worm's menu should consist only of plant foods. There should be no meat inclusions. You can use any plant residues: potato peels, cabbage leaves, apple cores, banana peels, coffee grounds, drunken tea, carrot peelings, beets, spoiled and boiled vegetables and non-dairy cereals. You can’t put leftover citrus fruits, they increase the acidity of the substrate. But even vegetable peels and apple cores contain living cells for some time. Therefore, before feeding, they must either be minced or frozen in the freezer in order to destroy the cell walls. Or compost it along with plant residues from the garden. Spilled tea and coffee grounds can be placed without any processing. Worms love bread very much. Therefore, any cracker, even a moldy one, is a great delicacy for them. From time to time, you can water the substrate with rinses from sour cream and kefir containers. The lactic acid rods contained in these products are excellent food for worms. But you can’t water the compost with undiluted kefir. This will increase the acidity of the substrate and cause mold growth. Before the worm settles, the substrate must be rotten and free of living plant cells. To reduce the acidity of the substrate, you can add crushed egg shells to it, and also add up to 20 kg of a mixture of lime and peat per 1 ton of raw materials.
In a private farm, a good raw material for preparing a nutrient substrate can be farm animal manure, kept on the farm for 3 to 6 months. It takes less time to compost rabbit and goat manure, more time for pig and chicken manure. The quality of the manure substrate can be improved by adding crushed egg shells, crushed food waste, leaves of fruit and vegetable crops, weeds, as well as adding up to 20 kg of a mixture of lime and peat per 1 ton of raw material.
It is not recommended to use manure that has been sitting for more than two years after composting as compost, since it contains extremely few nutrients necessary for worms. Such manure can be used as an additive when composting organic waste.
It is strictly forbidden to use fresh manure as food for worms! The worms will die.
Preparation of the vermicomposter:
As a vermicomposter, you can use deep-fry plastic boxes or more capacious homemade wooden boxes 30-40 cm high, beds or compost heaps. We offer our OWN PRODUCTION VERMICOMPOSTER, it is made of a metal structure, 1.9 m in diameter, 1 m in height. An ideal vermicomposter should protect worms from rodents, especially moles, and birds, be dark, retain moisture well and, at the same time, prevent overheating and flooding water during rainstorms. To protect against rodents, material is placed on the hard ground to isolate the worm-infested compost from the ground. The ideal floor is cement or wood. But you can also use plastic film and two layers of packaging cardboard.
Care and feeding.
Caring for worms comes down to maintaining temperature, loosening and watering the beds (boxes). One of the leading conditions in the life of Prospector worms is the humidity of the substrate. They are very sensitive to fluctuations in humidity, especially to its decrease. You should also try to maintain the optimal temperature for the worm + 25°C. The lower or higher the temperature, the worse the worm feeds and, accordingly, reproduces. In general, the operating temperature of the worm is from + 9°C to 28°C. At lower temperatures it goes into hibernation. And at temperatures below + 5°C it can die. At temperatures above + 36°C, the worm can also die. Therefore, boxes or beds should be located in the shade. And in the summer heat, water more often to cool. Do not water the compost directly from the tap due to the presence of dissolved chlorine. Water should be used either from rainwater, river water, or settled tap water.
The degree of humidity of the substrate is determined as follows: take the substrate from the worm placement layer into the palm of your hand and squeeze it in your fist. If moisture comes out between the fingers, the substrate’s moisture is sufficient; if drops of water come out, then it’s over-moistened; if moisture doesn’t come out, the substrate is dry and needs to be moistened.
The first feeding of the worms is carried out two to three weeks after settling in the compost. The feeding operation is as follows. A fresh nutrient substrate (feed) 5-7 cm thick is layered onto one fourth of the surface of the bed or box and distributed evenly over the surface. A pre-prepared substrate is used as feed. After 2-3 weeks, as the worms eat the food, a 5-7 centimeter layer of food is again applied on top. At this stage, feed is applied to the entire surface, and so on every week, until the box is completely filled or the height of the ridge reaches 50-60 cm. The frequency of feeding depends on the number of worms in the box (in the ridge) and on the growing temperature . As the temperature approaches the optimum (25°C), the amount of food consumed by the worms increases. The process of obtaining vermicompost ends when the nutrient substrate is completely processed and is, in time, three to four months from the beginning of settlement.
Worms need oxygen, therefore, after reaching a substrate layer thickness of 20 cm or more, the ridge is regularly pierced, for which a wooden stake with a diameter of 2-3 cm or special vermicompost forks is used. Piercing is carried out 2 times a week to the depth of the worms and cocoons without mixing the compost layers.
Sampling of worms and vermicompost.
The need for sampling worms arises when the nutrient substrate is completely processed, or when the density of worms exceeds the optimal population density (from 20 to 50 thousand per 1 m?). In order to select worms from a box, they are allowed to starve for several days, and then a box with fresh substrate is placed on it. Worms in search of food gradually move to a new container. Thus, you need to repeat the sampling three times, each time leaving a box with fresh substrate for a week. When almost all the worms from the lower container move to the upper container, the vermicompost remaining in the lower container can be used for its intended purpose. True, there are still hermits who will remain in the lower container, feeding on what will drain from the upper container during watering. They usually remain up to 5% of the livestock. But they do not interfere with the use of vermicompost. Even if you pour ready-made vermicompost into flower pots, the worms will live there peacefully without disturbing the plants. Unlike ordinary earthworms, they do not have the habit of crawling to the surface when it rains.
When selecting worms from a ridge, they are also allowed to starve for several days, and then a portion of new food is laid out on 1/3 of the area in a layer of 5-7 cm, into which the hungry worms move. After two or three days, the layer along with the worms is removed. This operation must be repeated 3 times within three weeks to collect all the worms, including the juveniles emerging from the cocoons. The remaining raw vermicompost is a dark-colored spreading mass, which is collected with a scoop, dried to 45-50% humidity, sifted through a sieve and packaged for storage. Dried packaged vermicompost can be stored at ambient temperatures, from minus 20°C to plus 30°C degrees.
Your home business.
In one day, Prospector processes a mass of compost equal to its own weight. But this rule only applies to the time when it is growing. Then he consumes less feed per unit of weight. But the weight of an adult worm is greater. The lifespan of a worm is 10-16 years. One Prospector earthworm can produce 1,500 individuals per year. However, this requires that the optimum humidity for the worm be maintained and the temperature + 25°C.
It is enough to purchase 1500-3000 adult worms and place them in the compost to obtain vermicompost for fertilizing a plot of 3-4 acres within a year.
A population of 1,500 adult worms at optimal temperature, humidity and properly prepared compost will produce up to 2 tons of first-class fertilizer during the warm season. Excess worms can be fed to poultry, and after simple processing, added to the food of other domestic animals.
Preservation of worms in the cold season.
In winter, the worm population can be maintained in a room where the air temperature does not drop below + 5°C. The compost is loaded into a box or bed measuring 100x150x25 cm. The worm collected from the summer bed is transferred to the winter bed. Cover the bed with a damp cloth (preferably natural burlap) and monitor the humidity of the bed, watering the cloth from time to time. If the room temperature is +10 - +15°C, then the worms are fed from time to time. But in any case, there should be enough food in the box or bed. Because when the temperature rises, the worm begins to feed. And if there is not enough food, some of the worms may die. In addition, in February, the worms, although they are hermaphrodites, begin the mating and reproduction period. If there is not enough food, the worms will not lay cocoons, which means there will be fewer livestock.
On the street, a “winter road” needs to be specially equipped. To do this, a hole measuring 120x150 cm and a depth of 35-40 cm is dug. An embankment 30-40 cm high is made from the excavated soil. The depth of the hole, together with the height of the embankment, must exceed the level of soil freezing in winter in the area. The bottom and walls need to be lined with hard material, or you can limit yourself to a layer of plastic film or roofing felt to protect against moles. When ready, worms from the summer ridge are transferred to the pit.
The space between the embankment is filled with a layer of heat-insulating materials 40-50 cm high (hay, straw, dry leaves). It is also necessary to insulate the pit around the perimeter by 1 meter to prevent soil freezing. Cover the structure with film. It is useful to cover the edges with spruce branches, and after the first snowfall, it is advisable to compact the snow along the edges tightly and even spill water (to protect against mice). Fallen snow acts as an additional heat insulator, and the temperature in the area where the worms are located does not drop below +5°C during the winter.
You can simply carefully insulate the ridge with straw and cover it with film. This design will protect the worm in the event of a snowy and not very cold winter. In addition, measures should be taken to ensure that moles and mice do not get into the ridge, which can quickly destroy the worm population.
If the winters are cold and the ground freezes to a great depth, then it is better not to risk it and move the worms to a warm room.
As a guarantee, part of the population (300-500 individuals) can be taken home and kept during the winter at room temperature, fed with food waste.
The Prospector's diet includes: rotten vegetables and fruits; cheese and porridge; old moldy bread; banana skins; leftover tea and coffee; leaves and grass.
Do not feed worms meat!!!
You need to feed the worms twice a week. Also, you need to make sure that all the food is eaten. That's all, actually.
For all questions regarding the purchase of the “Staratel” earthworm, the breeding stock of the “Staratel” earthworm, and a vermicomposter, please contact: 8 (8482) 614-214. The sales manager will answer all your questions.
Why should you buy from us? 1. We have the best prices on the market. 2. We send 10% more worms than the declared quantity. 3. We ship by transport companies in the shortest possible time to anywhere in Russia. 4. High-quality packaging minimizes worm losses during transportation. We guarantee the safety of the worms. We track the arrival of each shipment. Worms are shipped with a 2-week supply of food; each box is additionally packed in a breathable cardboard box. 5. For your convenience, we have several methods of paying for our goods, the simplest and lowest cost is transfer by SBRF card number.
Prospector worm cocoons
When breeding worms, especially in the first stages, you want to understand whether they are reproducing and whether you should count on an increase in numbers in the near future. Therefore, below is information that will help you recognize cocoons and eggs in the soil.
Worms lay cocoons at a favorable moderate temperature, plenty of food and moisture once every 5-7 days.
The cocoon of the worm is light yellow in color, and in the stages of maturation it becomes brown. The cocoon is oval in shape, with a diameter of 2-4 mm. Each cocoon contains from 2 to 20 eggs. After about 2-3 weeks, the newborn worms will hatch and emerge from the cocoon into the soil.
The cocoon is a closed mucus tube containing fertilized eggs and the nutrient fluid it contains. In this cocoon, the eggs develop directly into young worms, which, when ready to emerge, crawl out through one end of the cocoon after the mud plug has been dissolved.
The worms that just appear are 1 mm in size, after a week they grow to sizes of 4-7 mm. A clearly visible red vessel runs along their back.
Video: Cocoons of the Prospector Worm
I would like to mention an interesting fact about the safety of cocoons in unfavorable conditions. If the cocoons are exposed to the heat of the sun and dried, or dried specifically for preservation, they can remain dormant and fertile for several months, and then, given the proper temperature and humidity, will swell and develop.
In frozen soil and manure heaps, in frozen compost heaps, as soon as the spring thaw arrives and the heap warms up, a large number of capsules that have been dormant hatch.
This stability of fertile eggs in various conditions determines the very wide distribution of the earthworm from the Far North to the tropics, from sea level to high altitudes. The capsules dry out, are carried over long distances and are scattered by the wind. Cocoons can adhere to dry soil on the hooves or skins of animals and are transported from one place to another. [Source: Barrett, 1947]
Reproduction
Like any type of worm, representatives of this breed reproduce by laying eggs, which are initially found in cocoons. If you don’t yet know what a cocoon is, it is a small oval capsule of pale yellow color. In one such cocoon, from two to twenty testicles can develop, from which, after a certain time, small worms no more than one millimeter long are born.
It is worth noting the high speed of their growth, since after just seven days they increase almost 7 times! From the moment they are born, young worms begin to actively feed. Under properly organized conditions, an adult is capable of laying approximately one cocoon per week.
It is also worth noting that worms of this species are real long-livers and there are often cases when they live up to ten to fifteen years. If you follow all the breeding rules, and they are the same as for an ordinary earthworm, then about 1.5 thousand small worms and about 100 kilograms of humus can be born from a single individual of this breed within a year.
What to feed Prospector worms
You can feed the worms any decomposed, rotted organic and plant waste, for example:
- manure
- chicken droppings
- straw
- sawdust
- fallen leaves
- weeds
- branches of trees and bushes
- recycling industry waste
- kitchen waste
But among organic waste there are exceptions that cannot be fed to worms, these are: meat, bones, fish, milk, lemon, onions, garlic, hot peppers, as well as cat and dog feces.
What does the Prospector worm look like?
You can distinguish this worm from others by external signs:
- an adult has a girdle on its body located from segments 24 to 32; this girdle forms egg cocoons
- highly elongated body
- round body
- the body is divided into separate segments
- the anterior section is thicker and darker, with developed muscles
- the tail section is thinner and lighter
- There are bristles all over the body that you can feel with your fingers if you run them against the grain.
Description of the breed
When compared with Californians, it should be noted that Prospectors can quite easily switch from one feed to another.
It can feed on almost any organic matter, including sludge from sewage treatment plants; the manure of any animal is suitable. Worms of this breed cope well not only with various organic agricultural and industrial wastes, processing them into humus.
The body of Prospector worms is elongated and round when cut. The front part is thickened, with well-developed muscles and darker than the tail, which is not only paler, but also thinner. Like ordinary earthworms, the body of prospectors is covered with bristles.
Prospectors An adult individual has a small but noticeable thickening - a belt located in front. Egg cocoons are formed in this belt.
A few words about making compost and worms
Making compost is an integral process in organic farming. To fill the compost with nutrients and accelerate the decomposition of biomass, the Prospector worm or ordinary earthworms are used, as a result, these nutrients in the form of vitamins and microelements enter the human body through plants, which makes the plants more valuable compared to their counterparts grown in impoverished soils or chemical fertilizers. This method of making compost is called vermicomposting.
Worms convert nutrients in the soil into a form available to the plant, and the plant, in turn, converts the nutrients into a form available to humans. The mucus secreted by the worms prevents nutrients from being washed away when watering.
