2 TECHNIQUES OF LIVING COFFEE
1. Ca cuong farming environment
Ca cuong is an insect that lives in freshwater sources. We often see them in ponds, flooded lakes or fields. Maybe, they are the largest bodied insect of any other. Its body can be long 7 – 8cm. It swims, swim, Very good at diving, but often climbing the branches, The trunk sprouted out of the water to rest. Its egg-laying way is like a golden snail. It does not lay eggs in the water, but crawls up, lay and shell eggs on the trunks, The branches grow up there. It often fills and moistens the eggs. So, Ca cuong culture area must be water bodies. Ca cuong lives in water. Therefore, to raise Ca cuong, We need to build a tank for them to live. Tank is the farming unit for Ca cuong. Have 2 type of tank: breeding tanks and spawning tanks.
a) Farming tank
Depending on the conditions of each family, we build one or more tanks to raise Ca cuong. Each aquarium should be of some size: wide 2 - 3m, long: 5 - 6m and deep 70 – 80cm. Do not leave the tank area too large because it will affect the care and harvest of Ca cuong.
We should build a floating tank to facilitate replacement, let water out. The bottom of the tank should be level with the ground. The bottom should be tilted towards the exit hole 1 – 2O for easy drainage. The outlet hole should be a water pipe with diameter Ø = 4 – 5cm. There must be a screen at the end of the outlet to prevent the stalks from coming out when the water is drained. There must be a secure stopper at the end of the exit hole. When needed, let water out, All you have to do is open the stopper and the tank water will drain out.
At the top of the wall, we clad a layer of enameled bricks around the tank. This ceramic tile will prevent species used as food for Ca cuong from crawling (because it's slippery, to slide).
We can build one or more contiguous tanks. It is best to build 2 row of tanks adjacent to each other to save a layer of walls while ensuring the care and harvesting of Ca cuong.
There must be a lid on the tank surface. The mesh should be small so that Ca cuong cannot come out. It is best to use a wire mesh with 2mm eyes. The mesh is stretched by a steel or aluminum frame with solid bars. However, steel bars should not be used too large. It will be too heavy when we lift the lid off. Steel bars with a diameter of Ø = 1cm can be used. We weld the steel bars into the frame and tie the mesh to that frame. The cap requirement is to be tight, really tight, There is no gap for Ca cuong to come out. Other way, it still creates ventilation for the tank. That lid can be opened easily.
Ca cuong farming tank
The whole area must always be cool and bright enough for the aquatic plants in the tank to grow normally..
The tank should be covered. The roof must be higher than the tank surface 3 - 4m to still ensure enough light. The roof will limit the water in the tank from being heated if the sun shines directly on the tank. If we cannot afford to make a roof, we can put up a net to block the sun (as in seedling nurseries). However, nets will not stop rain. When it rains, the water in the tank will rise. So, The tank must have drainage holes. The exit hole must be under the enameled tile on the top of the tank and also have a screen to prevent Ca cuong from escaping. When heavy rain, the water will rise up to the drainage hole and drain out, does not cause water overflow through the wall of the tank.
Commercial Ca cuong tank
The water level in the tank is just from 30 – 40cm. The water source for the tank must be clean and suitable for Ca cuong. The best, one should pump water from the lake, pond in. Water in lakes, That pond should be free of pollution. Fish, shrimp there still live normally.
If water must be taken from a well, it should be pumped through a storage tank. In the tank we drop aquatic plants and some fish. If that water does not affect the species, then we pump that water into the Ca cuong aquarium.
Tap water should not be used as tap water is usually chlorinated. This substance causes poisoning for Ca cuong. If there is no other source of water and it is necessary to use tap water, let it pass through the tank for a while for the toxic gas to fly away. We observed algae, If there is no bad phenomenon of algae in it, then pump it into the Ca cuong culture tank.
Generally speaking, Pay great attention to the quality of the water source for raising Ca cuong. Ca cuong is very sensitive to harmful substances. Therefore, You need to keep the water in the tank to always be clean.
In the pool, we release the water hyacinth (Japanese duckweed). Water hyacinth is easy to live and grow. Water hyacinth root is capable of absorbing toxins and some heavy metals. When releasing water hyacinth for a while, we should lift them up and remove the old roots to remove them, create conditions for young roots to grow. Water hyacinth is a shelter for aquatic animals in tanks to feed the Ca cuong. At the same time it is also a place for terrestrial animals to be raised as food for Ca cuong to climb. The water hyacinth is the most suitable object for both
2 the above mission.
After a period of farming, if you find that the water source is no longer clean, We need to change the water for the aquarium.
Before draining, Need to pick up and clean the roots from the bottom of the tank; Remove old or dead water hyacinth leaves. If the density is too thick, it should be removed and evenly leveled. Attention is required, avoid leaving Ca cuong clinging to the water fern roots or creeping in the trunks of the water ferns that we intend to remove. Must carefully check the mesh at the drainage hole, do not let cuong escape.
b) Spawning tank
The spawning tank is the place where we put adult pairs of ca cuong to mate and lay.
Spawning tanks only need to be large 2 - 3m2. I also built like a aquarium. But note, Water hyacinth in the tank must be grown water hyacinth, with tall leaf-rimmed leaves. I know that, like a golden snail, Ca cuong also likes to crawl to higher places to lay eggs. Its eggs will stick around the duckweed.
Ca cuong breeding tank
Spawning tanks also need to be covered with a 2mm mesh cover to avoid escaping stalks.
Ca cuong is native to the tropics. It is distributed in South and Southeast Asia. So, it prefers hot conditions, warm. In Viet Nam, Ca cuong can grow year round in the South. Also in the North, Ca cuong grows only in the summer.
Due to the short life cycle of Ca cuong, From hatching to adulthood only approx 60 day, so we can restore the Ca cuong herd quickly. So, The organization of Ca cuong farming is not difficult in both the South and the North.
Ca cuong is classified as a carnivore. Their mouths are structured in a stingy fashion. Many people say, Ca cuong is a blood-sucking species. It captures blood-sucking prey to live. But actually, It not only sucks the blood, but it also absorbs the nutrients in its prey. Like a spider, Ca cuong injects anesthetic into prey, then dissolve the organic matter in the prey body and suck it out. The prey is only left alone. So, Ca cuong's food is quite plentiful. In addition to aquatic animals such as shrimp, fish, a frog, clones, eel,… it also captures terrestrial animals for food such as locusts, Grasshopper, crickets,… There was a dead duck "uncle" lying along the road. When lifting the body it will know, There was a Ca cuong clinging to the armpit and sucked all the blood of that ill-fated duck "uncle",…
Therefore, to organize Ca cuong well, we can actively prepare food sources for it including small fish, crickets,…
a) Small fishes
There are many small fish species that can be kept as food for Ca cuong such as oily fish, commercial fish, ditch fish, Crucian carp,…
We release them right into the Ca cuong aquarium. Just like in nature, they live together. Ca cuong will hunt for fish for food. They grabbed and gripped the fish, injecting anesthetic and secreting a lysis enzyme into prey; then it absorbs all the nutrients in the prey body. It only released when the prey left only the corpse. We need to monitor the amount of fish in the tank daily. If we see a little, we add more fish. Do not give too much fish, but only give a sufficient amount to avoid polluting the water environment.
You can keep fish in tanks or jars, jar, Other jars to gradually supply Ca cuong. Need to change, Regularly drain the water and oxygenate the fish grounds. If you find that the fish density is too thick, you should flatten it out.
When collecting fish, should use a soft racket to catch. Choose the right animals to put in the tank mixed with Ca cuong. The remaining ones we put in the aquarium.
b) Crickets
Crickets are a very good source of food for Ca cuong. Crickets are easy to raise, grows fast and has high nutritional content. Using crickets as food for Ca cuong was the initiative of Mr. Le Thanh Tung (The famous Thanh Tung cricket farm owner in Cu Chi district, Ho Chi Minh City).
When we put the crickets in the ca cuong farming tank, They will all climb on the ferns. The crickets will find niches to stay. However, Ca cuong does not forgive them. It will crawl, find the fat "uncle" of crickets and grab them right away. It was like when he pounced on the fish.
When raised, The amount of crickets as food for Ca cuong is much needed, so we have to organize crickets raising. To raise crickets, need to proceed with the following steps:
Walk:
The place to raise crickets doesn't need to be large. To raise crickets for raising Ca cuong, we do not need a lot of area. Depending on the scale of raising Ca cuong, we can arrange a large or narrow place to raise crickets. Usually it takes only a few square meters to place cricket tanks. That could be the front yard, Terrace, storehouse, hallways or open spaces in the garden. Should not be raised next to my bedroom for the evening, crickets often crow to call each other, very noisy. If left outdoors, it is necessary to have a cover to prevent rainwater from falling. Also be on the lookout for crickets' predators such as birds, geckos, toads, clones,…
Farming tanks:
The most common cricket containers are plastic containers. Because its walls are smooth, crickets cannot crawl out. At Thanh Tung cricket camp, Farmers used thousands of plastic containers and plastic pots to raise the crickets. But recently, at Thanh Xuan cricket camp, Both foam boxes and boxes were used – cardboard to feed crickets. To prevent crickets from crawling out, a large layer of tape was applied (4cm or more wide) on the top edge of the box. The crickets crawl up there, meet the slippery tape, then come back. This type of box is easy to find but cheap, ubiquitous.
We can put crates to feed the crickets 2 – 3 floors if farming area is narrow.
The tank should be dry, clean, no strange odors. We should reserve a few more tanks to prevent the crickets to increase rapidly.
When crickets hatch, We can feed them in plastic pots. When they grow up, we put them in the barrel again.
Cover:
An adult cricket has wings so it can fly. So, Adult crickets need a lid. Solid caps should not be used, as this will cause air tightness. We can use the table cage, Use the plastic to cover those tanks.
Also not be subjective when there is a lid. Crickets have grown up, it flies out of the tank easily, especially at night and at dawn. So, when opening the lid, We need to be careful to avoid the crickets escaping.
Prices for crickets to beans:
Crickets love to climb on objects above it. At Thanh Tung cricket camp, people use the racks (but in the countryside often leave the pot of rice) as a substrate for it to peas. The rack is very suitable because it is open all the way, making it easy for crickets to climb, climb down. We can stack them one by one or stack them on top of each other like a high-rise building. The crickets will seal on those racks, both inside and out.
At Thanh Xuan cricket farm, they put dry branches and leaves there. They choose the tops of trees that have many branches, bring them to dry and then put them in crickets. The crickets will creep and climb on the branches. This way is simple, easy to earn without spending money.
Arranging the crickets or dry branches in the cage will help you to scatter the crickets. If let them stand crowded together on a flat surface, it can easily lead to a fight. Crickets are very aggressive (So in many places, there are also cricket fighting opportunities). When we meet, it's easy to kick each other. They are especially aggressive when mature. To win over children, The male crickets sometimes kick each other to the loss of their heads. Writer To Hoai must have looked carefully at this scene, so he wrote for children the wonderful story "The adventure cricket". Many countries have translated this story into their own language.
Crickets breed:
Now there are many places to raise crickets. If you do not have an address, Please contact the following numbers:
In the north: Ms. Thanh Xuan, 0974.870.000
In the south: Mr. Thanh Tung, 0908.243.007
They are ready to supply you with crickets.
It is important to know the difference between male and female crickets. In male crickets, the head is usually large but the abdomen is tapered, small. Its wings are black or black with brown but not shiny. In the breeding season, Every evening they do the rest of the sky to call for crickets. That moment, in children, the belly is usually large because it carries a lot of eggs. Its wings were black and shiny. The easiest thing to distinguish from male crickets is that there is a long protruding trough at the bottom of the female cricket which is thought to be a tail.. That is its birth trough. When giving birth, it will plug that trough in the ground to eject the eggs. Female crickets do not nape like male crickets.
We need to choose healthy crickets, healed and ensure a reasonable ratio of males. Should choose a ratio 1 male : 2 the, or 1 male with 3 – 4 the.
Crickets brought in, When they see them, the nape signifies that they are mature. This time had to put in the chute. Spawning troughs are wet sand trays or plates. After the mighty "outgoing trumpets" of male crickets, The female crickets obediently accept sex. They lay and lay continuously on moist sand trays that we put in. Every day we replace the tray once in the morning. We put the old trays into a box or a separate pot. Always keep the tray moist. Approx 7 – 10 the next day the eggs hatch. The baby crickets will crawl out.
A female cricket can lay 600 – 700 egg. It lays continuously in the ring 20 – 25 day, give birth a little every day. After all eggs are laid, That is completing the mission to preserve the race, The female cricket will die.
Raising baby crickets to mature to make food for Ca cuong takes about 30 – 40 day.
Food for crickets:
The food for crickets is green vegetables and bran. Green vegetables can be young grass, young leaves or pods of all kinds such as melon, watermelon, cantaloupe,… As for the bran, industrial bran should be used for the chicks. I feed slowly, back for more. Do not overfeed as it will pollute the tank.
The crickets also need water, But the amount of water in the green vegetables and in the peel is enough for its needs. So, Nowadays, cricket farms do not need to add water trays to the tanks.
San herd:
Crickets grow very quickly. So, after only a short time they are full of tanks. We need to scale the herd into many barrels to feed. The leveling needs to be skillful, avoid killing crickets.
In the tank there are both big and small ones. We need to filter the big ones to feed separately. Should not put your hand in catching each child. We should do it with a cover: place cricket barrel tilted 90O (that is to turn over), crickets will be cornered, The large ones often flare up front (the barrel side); Use a hand-sized thin piece of cardboard to gently move the larger ones to another box. This is a very simple but effective way.
Sanitation and prevention of harmful enemies:
+ Need to keep the place to keep crickets clean. Leftovers must be removed. Periodically clean all kinds of fertilizers, Garbage is deposited at the bottom.
+ Do not let the density of crickets be too thick. We need to pay attention to grading regularly.
+ Do not allow smoke and foreign odors to enter the cricket barrel. Absolutely do not spray mosquito repellent into the cricket farming area.
+ Crickets are a product of natural selection and their lifespan is short so there is hardly any disease in them. Just be careful, Avoid to thickness, easy to fight.
+ Crickets are the prey of a variety of other animals such as birds, chicken, duck, snake, termites, cat, mouse, toads, clones,… Hence when farming, It is necessary to take measures to isolate crickets from the enemy, at the same time must find ways to destroy the predators.
Besides, ants, cockroaches are scrambled to eat with crickets. They always find a way to get into the cricket barrel to compete. We also need to keep an eye on these guys. Need to make bricks and sprinkle lime around the farming area. If you see ant sugar in the cricket barrel, you must destroy the roots.
Harvest crickets as food for Ca cuong:
I use a soft racket to catch the cricket, put into the aquarium Ca cuong, They will crawl on the water fern. The ones that fall into the water will swim to the duckweed to climb. While not being caught by Ca cuong, They will gnaw young duckweed to live.
Do not put too many crickets in the aquarium at a time. Must take it slowly, Ca cuong is used up, then we add more.
To have Ca cuong to raise we can organize to catch Ca cuong parents in the wild, or purchased from establishments that have raised Ca cuong.
Catching Ca cuong in the wild is currently very difficult because the number of Ca cuong remains in the field is very small. However, There are also some areas that are less polluted, so Ca cuong remains. Especially in the midlands and mountainous areas, there are still places where Ca cuong is still flying. You can use the insect racket to catch Ca cuong. The racket can also be made by itself with curtain fabric. Do not grab by hand, Because doing so can easily cause damage to Ca cuong. We use plastic bottles for washing water, There are many holes in the hole to keep Ca cuong when caught.
It is better for people to go to Ca cuong farms to buy seeds. Over there, We can visit the farming, exchange experiences with farmers and buy good seeds.
Currently Thanh Tung cricket farm is probably the first unit that has organized the largest scale Ca cuong farming.. They are willing to provide both Ca cuong and crickets (used to make food for Ca cuong) for people. We can call farm owner Le Thanh Tung directly at the number: 0908.243.007, Or visit Thanh Tung cricket farm in Ben Do hamlet 2, Tan Phu Trung commune, Cu Chi district, Ho Chi Minh City.
When taking seed, People need to choose healthy children, healed, don't lose legs, No defects, move quickly.
The seedling containers purchased should be bamboo baskets, cork, or plastic bottles that have been washed and have holes perforated for ventilation. Inside, we should add water hyacinth, or a few small twigs to let the stalk stick and less collide with each other. Do not let the bottle be heated by the Sun and affect the seedlings.
If for commercial farming, we just need to buy the newly grown Ca cuongs. The stocking density should be 80 – 100 con/m2. What about, If you buy seeds for immediate reproduction, you must choose large ca cuong, grown. Choose both males, both. Density should be 20 – 25 con/m2.
Right after stocking, We must pay attention to observe the Ca cuong activity, especially prey. If normal, Ca cuong will swim in the water, stalk and grab the young fish for food. It can also crawl up the water hyacinth tree to find the "uncle" of crickets lurking above it. What about, if we find it not working, lying in the water hyacinth roots, or crawling on the body and lying flat, you must check carefully if it has any injuries to handle.. Also need to monitor the food intake of Ca cuong. If you see a little, you must promptly add it. Avoid letting Ca cuong lack of food. Because when you are hungry, Ca cuong can be eaten together.
As mentioned above, Ca cuong food is quite rich including aquatic animals and some terrestrial animals. We recommend, People should use different kinds of fish and crickets to make food for Ca cuong.
Ca cuong does not eat dead prey. It also doesn't catch prey when humans and animals are around it. So, should create quiet conditions in the Ca cuong aquarium.
Depending on the size of the ca cuong that we feed them the right prey. Small Ca cuong will feed them small prey, The larger Ca cuong, the prey is the larger.
Must regularly monitor prey as food for Ca cuong. If you see dead prey, you must remove it immediately and find the cause of that phenomenon.
Always determine the amount of prey in the aquarium. Without, must add immediately. Nor should too much prey be added.
Both fish and crickets used as food for Ca cuong must be held in separate areas. We only harvest them when planning to put them in the Ca cuong aquarium.
Since Ca cuong only stings, the dead prey will remain in the tank. It is necessary to clean them up to avoid contaminating the water source.
a) Water source
The habitat of Ca cuong is water, so, Ca cuong tanks require water to be kept clean at all times. Ca cuong is very sensitive to water. It does not live in dirty water. Therefore, one should pay close attention to regular observation, If you find that the tank water is dirty, change it, Remove immediately and put in clean water.
The replacement, Drainage is possible through the drain valve located at the bottom of the tank, level with the ground or pumped out. In both cases, care must be taken to avoid letting Ca cuong escape according to the water source. You must have a screen at the outlet hole or at the nozzle of the water pump. Pay special attention to this as it is very easy to cause the stem loss.
The incoming water must be carefully checked. It is best to get pond water, clean ditch water - where other aquatic species still live normally. Avoid getting well water or tap water. If there is no water source other than well water, or tap water must have a storage tank. We pump water into the storage tank. In the tank there are fish farming. If the fish still live normally through the day, that water can be put into the Ca cuong aquarium. This should be done seriously and often. Especially with tap water, due to the sometimes strong increase in chlorine gas content, easy to kill Ca cuong, especially small Ca cuong. Therefore, not subjective in checking water sources before putting them into Ca cuong tanks.
In the aquarium we often let water hyacinth. Water hyacinth proliferates very strongly, The roots develop a lot and as they age, they fall to the bottom of the tank, causing pollution. So, periodically cut old roots and discard them. Before cutting, must forcefully touch the root system to dispel the stalks still residing in it. Even, after cutting, I have to lift it up, Lift it down a few times in the water to remove the stalks. This should also be done with caution.
b) The enemy
Because the Ca cuong culture tank is covered with a small mesh net, the rat, chicken, birds,… can not contact Ca cuong to harm.
However, the main source of fish used as food is sometimes the enemy of Ca cuong. Therefore, We do not put big fish in the Ca cuong aquarium. Especially in larval nursery tanks, Due to the difference in size, even the fry can swallow the Ca cuong larvae. So, we have to choose, Avoid putting large fish in Ca cuong aquarium.
c) Follow
Organized farming, it should have daily monitoring books. We observe the aquarium at least once a day. If there is any unusual problem, it must be immediately dealt with and recorded. If there is nothing, then we ignore, that day is peaceful. Taking notes is very necessary and very scientific. We should not ignore this work.
When on track, It is necessary to observe carefully all items such as the water source, aquatic plant, food source, operation mode of Ca cuong,… and the drainage system, net cover,… Avoid being subjective when tracking items. What is suspicious is that it must be recorded immediately so that the following days can continue to follow up.
It is important to observe whether or not the Ca cuong food intake is sufficient? If missing, must add immediately.
Some very important steps must be documented, that is the blooming, nursery and feces small Ca cuong herd. Need to record specific dates, Ca cuong blooming hour, the number of larvae or ca cuong collected to another tank, or for sale. Even when Ca cuong mating and giving birth to each other, it must be recorded fully (how many offspring, lays how many eggs, laying in any position,…). Taking notes is essential. We should take it seriously.
d) Herd subdivision
The division of the Ca cuong herd is very important. As soon as the eggs hatch the larvae approx 2 – 3 Now we should split them up. At that time, larvae only approx 1 – 2mm, as small as a nail. I use a soft racket to pick them up, They can be put in small bowls or pots to keep track of the quantity.
The larvae are kept separately in small tanks. However, That tank also must have a net to prevent predators and when Ca cuong has enough wings, it can fly.
In this nursery tank, we have to give them adequate food. That could be the fry, frog tadpoles, clones,…
Ca cuong just raised 2 months are mature. We can bring these guys to separate breeding places to pair and lay eggs. Male discrimination, which is very difficult. Generally speaking, Females often have a large belly because they carry many eggs; Males tend to have a slimmer, more pointed abdomen. If we cannot tell the difference, we will catch many and put them in a tank. They will come together on their own. Other way, male ca cuong, for a short time, can mate with many females. Therefore, Spawning areas should stock many individuals at the same time.
Depending on customers' requirements, we can collect more or 1 – 2 individual Ca cuong. Familiar owners can catch them by hand. It is usually found in the water fern area or crept in the water fern root. Better, We should use a soft racket to catch Ca cuong. By this way, We do not harm them.
We put Ca cuong in crab baskets or in barrels, Clean plastic bottles have perforations to ensure ventilation. If taken away, you must put in those containers a little water hyacinth, just let it have a grip, just retains moisture.
Mostly, People buy Ca cuong to get its aromatic bags. In Ca cuong, Both males and females have essential oils. But mostly in males; There are only a few children.
The aroma sac is located in the abdominal cavity, light green color, as big as chopsticks (3cm long, width 0.5cm). After getting the scent bag, People often put in jars to store. And the Ca cuong is frozen and stored in the refrigerator.
The current, Ca cuong is very rare. Specialty restaurants must be ordered both in Laos and Cambodia. Also because of its rarity, chemists have sought to synthesize Ca cuong essential oil. However, Synthetic essential oils are easily degraded and give off an unpleasant odor, even, affect human health. Therefore, True Ca cuong is still a rare commodity.
On the Vietnamese market, The price of a Ca cuong ranges from 35.000 – 50.000 copper. Approx 100 I can get 1kg.
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