Parents who brought insects to their children want to know how to keep them June 22nd 12:48
Suddenly one day, my son came home with a "beetle larva".
He grew up and was away from the insects ... why ...
When is the time of emergence?
How do you grow an adult?
What should i buy?
For you who are not good at "Mushi ...".
It is a way to enjoy breeding with parents and children.
Encounters are always sudden
I (Sato) and "insects" met last fall.
On the way back from the park, walking with my sons (4 and 1 years old), my neighbor is spreading a picnic sheet at the front door.
I'm putting out the soil ... Is it field work or something?
When I looked into it, I found about 10 white lumps of about 8 cm moving with Kunekune.
"Yeah, it's a larva ... !!" I turn pale.
Despite that, my son is shining his eyes.
"Well, that's amazing!" "It's a beetle larva. Do you want to keep it? We've increased too much." "Yeah, keep it!"
Wait a minute, think about me!
The cry of Mama's heart was not taken care of, and our house welcomed the larvae.
Q I want to start keeping larvae, but no one gets them ... where can I find them?
A For example, it is quite difficult to find beetle and stag beetle larvae in urban areas.
Also, even in mountainous areas, it is not allowed to enter private land without permission.
You have to follow the rules and search.
In that case, it is realistic to get it from an acquaintance or buy it at a pet shop or an insect shop.
Fumbling breeding, starting from scratch
The first thing I secured was a place to live.
When I asked the neighbor who gave me the larvae, I heard that they needed special soil, so I bought a recommended fermentation mat online.
The package said, "Let's grow big!"
Is it different with just one piece of soil?
Q Do I have to buy soil?
Can't you use the soil in the garden?
A It is better not to have a lot of soil.
We recommend the fermented mats that are on sale.
Because it contains more nutrients that the larvae need to grow.
Nowadays, it is available not only at specialty stores but also at home centers and 100-yen shops, and you can also buy it online.
Later, I found out that what my neighbor was doing at the front door was to replace the mats.
It is necessary to replace the soil regularly while moistening the soil with a mist.
It seems that if the soil is the same all the time, it will be full of dung.
Q Where should I throw away the used soil?
A Regarding how to dispose of it, please dispose of it properly according to the rules of the municipality where you live.
If your house has a garden, you can mix it with the soil of the plants.
Even if an insect dies, it is better not to throw it in a park.
You may have resistance to bury it in the yard, but to burn garbage.
Make sure to manage what you have grown to the end.
The crisis that came?
The season goes around
The larvae are getting bigger and bigger.
Sometimes white things covered the surface of the soil and I was surprised, but I continued to replace the soil on a regular basis.
Spring when cherry blossoms are in full bloom from cold winter.
And in the rainy season, there was a big change.
that's right.
It became a chrysalis.
It's been about half a year since I started to keep it.
The feeling of "feeling uncomfortable" that I had at the beginning disappeared, and I became a member of an important family.
I am waiting for an adult to become an adult as if a baby was born.
Every day I think about when it will come out and how to welcome it.
When I woke up in the morning, when I got home after work, and before I went to sleep, I always checked the breeding case and said, "It's okay to come out anytime."
Don't feel uncomfortable and try to keep insects!
"Have you become a pupa? Male? Female?" "It emerged a while ago!" Conversations with mom friends who have insects living in the neighborhood are all about the progress of growth.
However, I heard that I was a little worried about it.
It seems that there are many cases in which the pupae do not emerge well or become stuck as larvae.
Insect breeding started in a form that reluctantly accepted children's selfishness.
Now I'm a trico.
Besides beetle larvae, there are also butterfly larvae and green worms.
The kunekune green worm was reborn as a beautiful butterfly, and I was excited to see it flying in the sky.
When I let the big boys grow up, my son was waving until he couldn't see, saying, "I'm fine!"
I think that my son has grown up through breeding, along with the "emptiness" that I felt when I saw the breeding case that had disappeared.
I think that the reason why I find it interesting and attractive to grow insects is that it is a living thing.
The preciousness, beauty and cruelty of life.
Unexpected development and deep affection different from toys.
I felt that the time-consuming daily accumulation that neither fast forward nor skip was possible was more fun than anything else.
How about now?
Summer production is coming soon.
Would you like to step into the world of "insects"?
Answer these questions about insects
Mr. Kazuhiko Iijima, the third president of "Mushisha" in Nakano-ku, Tokyo, who sells insects and publishes monthly magazines on insects, answered the questions so far.
There are about 50 types of beetles and stag beetles in the store.
Q I've heard that raising insects is unique to Japan, but is that true?
A It is said that this kind of culture has taken root only in Japan.
Ami for catching insects is sold at convenience stores and 100-yen shops.
And it is extremely rare in the world to sell breeding tools.
Insect lovers sometimes collect specimens in Europe and elsewhere.
Q Is it possible to make a living from a breeder that breeds insects?
A There are people who make a living from breeders.
Some people make good use of YouTube and Instagram, while others sell it at online shops and auctions.
Other than breeders, there are also people who specialize in imports, and we sometimes purchase from there.
Q Is it possible to raise a representative pill bug that a child finds in the park and brings back?
A You can keep a pill bug.
It can be said that it is popular these days, such as the publication of a book that introduces how to keep it.
Not only children but also adults keep it.
You can feed on humus and vegetable waste, but since it is an omnivorous food, you can eat anything.
Many people think that beetles and stag beetles are scary, but pill bugs are okay.
It may be said that it is an insect breeding that can be started easily.
I want to master insects!
Finally, there are schools like this for those who want to work on insects.
Last year, a new insects course was set up at a vocational school in Sendai.
In this course, you will be able to learn a wide range of beetle and stag beetle breeding techniques, specimen production, and sales know-how via the Internet for three years.
Insects are the most prosperous creatures on the planet.
From the middle of the city to the desert of the heat and even to the polar regions.
I also want to keep in mind that I am a close neighbor who lives strong in every environment.
(Erika Sato / Good morning Japan Ayari Suzuki, Shinichiro Kuninaka, Momoyo Imai / Network News Department)