JP6739840B2 - Method for identifying the status of worms in nests and method for collecting active worms - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a method for identifying the status of worms in a nest from outside the nest, and a method for selecting and collecting active worms in the nest.

The beetle (Basket worm, alias "bag worm") is a generic name for moth larvae belonging to the family Lepidoptera (Psychidae), and usually has a spindle-shaped or cylindrical nest with leaf or branch pieces entwined with a thread ( It is known to live with the nest during the entire larval stage, such as hiding in a bag nest (Fig. 1A) and moving together with the nest during feeding.

In recent years, the silk thread discharged from this beetle (herein, often referred to as "wormworm silk") has superior properties to silkworm-derived silk thread (herein, often referred to as "silkworm silk"). Has attracted attention as a new animal fibrous natural material with.

Compared to animal fibers derived from body hair of mammals such as wool, silkworm silk has glossy fibers and is thinner than mammalian fibers, so it has the characteristics of being beautiful, supple, light, and soft to the touch. Have. Therefore, it has established itself as a high-grade fiber among natural fibers.

On the other hand, the worm silk thread has not only the gloss and luster equal to or higher than that of the silkworm silk thread, but also the characteristic that the cross-sectional area of the single fiber is only about 1/7 of that of the silkworm silk thread. Furthermore, it is possible to fabricate a thin and light cloth with fine grain and smooth touch.

Further, similar to the beetle silk thread, a spider-derived thread (often referred to as "spider thread" in the present specification) is a natural new material of animal fibrous material that has been spotlighted in recent years. In addition to flexibility, spider silk has elasticity that silkworm silk does not have, and high elastic force that is 5 to 6 times that of polystyrene. It is expected as a special material such as clothes (Non-Patent Documents 1 and 2).

On the other hand, worm beetle silk has mechanical properties far superior to those of spider silk. For example, in terms of elastic modulus, wormworm silk thread of Eumeta minuscula boasts a very strong strength which is 2.5 times that of the spider thread of Nephila clavata (Non-patent documents 1 and 3).

In other words, the wormworm silk can be said to be a very useful natural new material that has the advantages of silkworm silk and spider silk.

However, worm beetle silk has some problems to be solved for industrialization. For example, the beetle lives in the nest during the entire larval stage as described above, but basically hides inside the nest except during feeding or migration. In such cases, nests are usually anchored to branches, leaves, etc. (Fig. 1A). This peculiar property of the beetle poses a problem at the time of collecting and raising the beetle. In the case of silkworms that do not make nests, it is relatively easy to move or recover the parasites in the case of exchanging the bait leafs and the upper vine (Jozoku: transferring the matured silkworm to the vine for nesting). Usually, silkworm rearing adopts mulberry mulching, which feeds the mulberry leaves of the bait leaves together with the branches. In this method, when the bait is exchanged, new leaves with branches are given, while the old bait with only the branches is collected. The silkworms attached to the old branches are easily separated by simply shaking them lightly on the new bait and dropping from the old branches. In other words, in the case of silkworms, the movement of the parasites during the exchange of food leaves is not a problem. As for the breeding of worms, the leaves with branches attached can be fed in the same manner as the mulberry breeding. However, in the case of the worm, the nest is anchored to the branch or the like by the worm silk thread as described above, except when feeding or moving. If old branches are collected when exchanging forage leaves, or if worms are collected from the field, nests cannot be separated by shaking the branches. Inevitably, forced separation such as pulling the nest away from the branch is unavoidable. However, worms lurking inside the nest are generally in a resting state, a state before and after molting, a wintering state, and a prepupal state. If the nest is at rest, removing the nest from the branch and moving it to a new location does not pose a problem and usually the behavior can be resumed immediately. On the other hand, worms in the pre- and post-molt state and the prepupal state, in which the worm itself is unstable due to internal changes, are likely to die due to the stress caused by the load and migration associated with nest collection. In addition, individuals who have entered the wintering state often do not resume their activities immediately after the nest is collected. As described above, the collection and movement of the bedbug nest can greatly affect the collection efficiency of the bedbug, the breeding efficiency, and the production efficiency of the bedbug silk thread.

In order to solve the above problems that may occur inevitably when collecting a beetle nest from a branch or the like, it is necessary to select only a resting beetle nest in the nest and separate it from the branch or the like. .. However, it is generally difficult to identify the status of the beetle inside the nest from outside the nest. Moreover, since the earworm silk industry is still in its infancy, a method for accurately identifying such a state has not been established.

Osaki, Shigeyoshi, 2002, The Textile Society of Japan (Fiber and Industry), 58: 74-78 Kuwana Y, et al., 2014, PLoS One, DOI: 10.1371 /journal.pone.0105325 Gosline J. M. et al., 1999, 202, 3295-3303

An object of the present invention is to develop and provide a method for identifying the state of worms in the nest from outside the nest of the worm.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, as a result of repeated studies by the present inventors, in the beetle in a resting state in the nest, an opening for feeding and movement (often referred to as “head opening” in the present specification). It was found that the head opening was almost completely closed in the beetle in the resting state. Therefore, it is possible to easily identify the status of the beetle in the nest by confirming the open state of the head opening in the nest, and by collecting the nest having a hole in the head opening, only the active beetle It has become clear that can be selectively collected. The present invention is based on this finding and provides the following.

(1) A method of identifying the state of worms in a nest anchored to a support, the step of confirming the presence or absence of holes in the feeding and movement openings of worms located near the anchorage of the support And a method in which a worm, which has a hole in the opening, in the nest is determined to be an active worm.
(2) The method according to (1), wherein the holes can be visually confirmed.
(3) A method for collecting active beetle from a nest anchored to a support, wherein the beetle determined to be active by the method described in (1) or (2) is separated from the support together with the nest. The method comprising the step of:
(4) A method for collecting active bedbugs from a nest anchored to a support, wherein a bedbug nest having a hole in an opening for feeding and migrating worms located near the anchorage of the support is used. The above method comprising the step of separating from the support.
(5) A method of moving a bedbug nest anchored to a support, comprising the step of moving the bedbug collected by the method described in (3) or (4) together with the nest to a desired location.
(6) The moving method according to (5), wherein the target place is a place where fresh bait leaves are arranged.
(7) A method of selecting velvet beetles in a nest anchored to a support, wherein the nest determined to be in the active phase by the method described in (1) or (2) is removed from the support. The method comprising:
(8) The method according to (7), wherein the resting period is selected from the group consisting of a prepupa stage, a dormant stage, a pupa stage and an adult stage.

According to the identification method of the present invention, it is possible to easily identify the state of the beetle in the nest from outside the nest. Moreover, when the nest of the beetle is separated from the branch or the like, only the active beetle can be selectively collected. This will reduce the mortality rate of the beetle after collection and allow it to be activated immediately after collection.

A: It is an external view of the nest of the worm, Pteridophyta chinensis (Coleoptera: Carabidae). The arrow in the figure indicates the support locking portion. B: It is a figure which shows the head beetle which exposed the head and the chest from the nest. The arrows in the figure indicate the holes in the feeding and transfer openings of the worm. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the state in a nest of a beetle. In the figure, A indicates the active stage, and R1 to R5 indicate the rest stage. In the active period of A, b indicates a break period (break). R1 indicates the molt period, R2 indicates the dormant period, and R3 indicates the prepupal period. In the nest, there are mainly larvae of the beetle, but depending on the time, pupae may also exist. In addition, some species of minnow, females spend the entire adult period in the nest. Therefore, in the present specification, the pupal stage represented by R4 and the adult stage represented by R5 are included in the resting stage of the worm. It is a conceptual diagram of the nest which shows the state of a beetle. A is a nest having a hole in the head opening (0304), and B and C are nests without the hole. A is a nest in which the active worm is lurking, and B and C are nests in which the resting worm is lurking. It is a figure which shows the opening state of the head opening part in the nest of Omino moth. A indicates a nest having a hole (arrow) in the opening. In this case, the beetle in the nest is in the active phase. B indicates a nest without holes in the opening. In this case, the beetle in the nest is at rest. In both A and B, the arrowheads indicate the supporting member locking portion. We show the collection of nests and the resumption of the activity after the infestation of the leafworm, Pleurotus ostreatus. In the figure, (a) is a larva nest in the active stage in which the head and the chest are exposed through the head opening of the nest to perform movement and feeding behavior. (B) is a nest of the active stage larva with a hole in the head opening among the nests anchored to the support. (C) is a nest of larvae in the resting period in which there is no hole in the head opening among the nests anchored to the support. We show the collection of the nest anchored to the support and the resumption of activity after that in old-aged beetle. In the figure, (a) is an active stage larva nest with a hole in the head opening. (B) is a nest of larvae in the telogen stage with no holes in the head opening.

1. Method for identifying state of nest beetle 1-1. Outline The first aspect of the present invention is a method for identifying the state of a domestic beetle inside the nest from outside the nest (a method for identifying the state of a domestic beetle). According to the present invention, in a nest that is anchored to a support such as a branch, the opening state of the feeding and moving opening (head opening) near the anchoring portion, that is, the presence or absence of a hole is detected. By doing so, it is possible to discriminate whether the beetle in the nest is active or resting. By applying this identification method when collecting the bedbug nest, it is possible to reduce the mortality rate after collection and to easily select the individuals who can resume their activities early after collection.

1-2. Definitions The following terms frequently used in this specification are defined.
As described above, the term “worm” is a general term for larvae of moths belonging to the family Lepidoptera (Psychidae). There are no restrictions on the type of worm, male or female, targeted in this specification. For example, the genus Aminthopsyche, Anatolopsyche, Bacotia, Bambalina, Canephora, Chalioides, Dahlica, Diplodoma, Eumeta, Eumasia, Kozhantshikovia, Mahasena, Nipponopsyche, Paranarychia, Triuteria, Thetriglo, Trideria, Strieria, Strieria, Thetriglo, Strieria, Strieria, Strieria, Strieria , Etc., the worms used in the present specification may be species belonging to any genus. Specific examples of the genus of minnow include Eomita japonica, Chaminoga (Eumeta minuscula), Nitobeminoga (Mahasena aurea), and Shiba minoga (Nipponopsyche fuscescens). Medium-sized and large-sized species such as Pleurotus spp. Further, the age of the beetle may be any age. Since young worms such as the first and second instars tend to be sensitive and vulnerable to external stimuli and environmental changes, they are particularly suitable as targets for the method. Further, even in the case of midge or later worms such as 3rd or 4th instar, the molting stage and the prepupal stage, which will be described later, tend to be very sensitive and vulnerable to external stimuli. It can be a suitable target.

In the present specification, the term “(minus beetle) nest” refers to a nest in which the beetle nests, and is composed of a beetle silk thread spun by the beetle itself and materials such as leaf pieces and branch pieces spliced with the silkworm. The nest is a bag-like shape that can enclose the whole body of the beetle, and has a spindle shape, a cylindrical shape, a conical shape, or the like. The beetle basically hides in this nest, and in principle exposes a part of the worm body from the opening of the nest only when feeding or moving (Fig. 1B). Although the moths of the family Liliaceae are distributed throughout the world, all species live in nests throughout the larval stage, and always act with the nests, and molting and pupation are also performed in the nests. In addition, some species of minnows do not have wings and live throughout their nests throughout life, and copulation is also performed through the tail-end openings of the nests.

In the present specification, the “state of the beetle” refers to whether the beetle is in the active phase or the resting phase. As will be described later, the telogen phase is strictly the “minaga state” because it can include the case of pupae and adults in a short period, but the main stage in the nest is the larval stage. In the present specification, the state of pupae and adults, including the state of pupae, is referred to as “state of the beetle” for the sake of simplicity.

In the present specification, the “active stage” of the beetle refers to the feeding behavior period of the beetle. This corresponds to the period indicated by "A" in FIG. During this period, the beetle actively ingests food leaves and grows, and actively moves to seek food leaves. In addition, during those actions, they hide in the nest and take a temporary sleep or rest. In this specification, such a period is referred to as a "rest period" (break). In FIG. 2, this corresponds to the period indicated by “b”. Since resting worms are relatively strong against external stimuli and stress, their mortality rate is relatively low even after the nest is taken from a branch and moved. To resume.

In the present specification, the “rest stage” (of the worm) refers to a period other than the active period in the individual present in the nest in the life history of the minnow. This corresponds to the period indicated by R1, R2, R3, R4, and R5 in FIG. The principle is the period other than the above-mentioned active stage in the larval stage of the beetle, that is, the minnow. However, as mentioned above, worms pupa in nests, and in some species of the family Leptinidae (for example, Plutella xylostella and Chaminoga), female individuals do not emerge in the field even during the adult stage, and remain in their nests for life. Spend in. In other words, not only beetles but also pupae and worms (especially females) of minnows may exist in nests during the resting period. Therefore, in the present specification, the telogen stage also includes the pupal stage indicated by R4 and the adult stage indicated by R5 in FIG.

During this period, the worms completely stop their feeding behavior and migration due to morphological and physiological changes and dormancy, and they are lurking inside the nest.

"Morphological and physiological changes" refer to dramatic changes in morphology during growth and accompanying physiological changes. For example, molting and pupation are applicable. In the present specification, the "molling period" (Fig. 2R1) for 1 or 2 days before and after molting of the beetle and the "prepupal period" (Fig. 2R3) 3 days to 1 week before pupation are paused. Included in the period. In general, worms in the molt stage and the prepupa stage are very sensitive and vulnerable to external stimuli and stress due to physiological changes in the living body. Therefore, if the beetle nest during this period is recovered from a branch or the like and moved, the individual will have a high probability of dying.

On the other hand, “sleep” refers to temporarily suspending the activity until the external environment temperature becomes a temperature suitable for the activity again when it becomes unsuitable for the activity. For example, hibernation in a low temperature period such as winter is applicable. In the present specification, the period during which the beetle is dormant is referred to as the “diapause period” (FIG. 2R2), and this period is included in the dormancy period. Dormant beetles are relatively resistant to external stimuli and stress, but they usually do not resume activity until a certain temperature is reached.

It is easy to identify a ground beetle that is exposed to the head and chest through the head opening during feeding behavior or during movement as a active ground beetle. However, when it is latent in the nest like a rest period, it is difficult to distinguish from the outside of the nest whether the status of the beetle in the nest is the rest period in the active period or the rest period. The method according to the present embodiment distinguishes a beetle in a resting period (b) in an active period (A) from a beetle nest, and a beetle in a resting state (R1 to R5) and its pupae and adults from outside the nest. Is the way.

The difference between rest periods and rest periods during active periods is that the rest periods are relatively short, usually less than 24 hours, less than 20 hours, less than 18 hours, less than 15 hours, or less than 12 hours, and Can immediately resume eating or moving, whereas the rest period is relatively long, such as 1 day or more, 2 days or more, or 3 days or more. One of the points is that it takes a relatively long time.

1-3. Method In the method for discriminating the state of worms in nests of the present invention, nests of worms anchored to a support are to be discriminated. For the purpose of the present invention, it is premised that a live beetle, a pupa or an adult is present in principle inside the nest to be identified.

In the present specification, the "support" refers to a support that holds the nests of worms. As used herein, the term "locking" refers to fixing a nest with a worm silk thread. The type of the support is not particularly limited as long as it has a strength capable of supporting the load of the worm and its nest. In nature, twigs and leaves of standing trees are applicable, but trunks and stalks of herbs, or rocks and stones are also used as supports. In the case of artificial materials, concrete, metal, wood, pottery, plastic, glass, etc. are used as the support.

The method for discriminating the state of the nest worms of the present invention includes a confirmation step and a determination step. Hereinafter, each step will be described with reference to FIG.

(1) Confirmation step The “confirmation step” is a hole in the opening (0304) for feeding and moving of the worm, which is located in the vicinity of the support-locking part in the nest of the worm (0301) that is locked to the support. This is a step of checking the presence or absence of.

The “supporting member locking part” (0302) is a part that plays a role of locking the nest body (0301) and the supporting member (0303). The portion indicated by an arrow in FIG. 1A and the portion indicated by an arrowhead in FIG. 4 correspond to the support-member locking portion. The support anchoring part is a part of a nest composed of worm beetles. However, it is composed of scaffold silk that has different properties from the nest silk that forms the nest body. The "scaffold silk thread" is a silk thread that is spun as a scaffold for preventing the beetle from dropping from branches, leaves, etc. when the beetle moves. Since it is thicker and more mechanically tougher than the nest silk, it is also used as a support anchoring portion. On the other hand, "nest silk thread" is silk thread that is spun on leaf pieces and branch pieces and is spun to make the inner wall of the nest, which is a living area, a comfortable environment.

The beetle fixes the nest to the support at the support anchorage during the rest period during the active period and the rest period. Particularly in the medium- and large-sized species of minnow, as shown in FIG. 1A and FIG. 4, it is often the case that mid-age or later worms suspend their nests from the support during the rest period or the rest period via the support anchoring part. .. When the feeding behavior or the movement is restarted, the worm is cut or peeled off by the worm, and the nest is released from the support. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 1B, the beetle nest without the support-locking portion (not including the trace) and not locked to the support is not a subject of the present invention in principle. However, this is not the case when the method of the present invention is applied again to confirm the nest separated and collected from the support by the method of the present invention. In this case, it is desirable that the support anchorage remains as a trace or in the nest which end is clear to the head opening.

The shape of the support body retaining portion (0302) is not limited as long as it connects the nest and the support body. For example, it may have a string-like shape shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, or may have a planar shape such that the head opening itself shown in FIG. 3C is attached to the support. In the case of a string, its thickness and length do not matter. Generally, the support anchorage during the rest period tends to be thin or have a narrow anchorage area to the support as compared with that during the rest period as shown in FIG. 3A. This is because the support-fixing part during the rest period, in which it is necessary to lock the nest for a relatively long period of time, needs to be durable against external forces such as wind and rain, or as shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the locking area becomes wider, but it is enough for the rest period to be able to temporarily lock the nest, on the contrary, if it is thickened or if the locking area is wide, it can not be easily released when resuming movement. It depends on the reason. Therefore, it is possible to estimate to some extent whether the beetle is in a resting period or a resting period based on the thickness of the support anchoring portion or the anchoring area. However, since it is difficult to accurately determine the rest period and rest period by this method alone, it is possible to more accurately identify the rest period and rest period of the beetle by combining with the presence or absence of a hole in the head opening of the beetle. Is possible.

As shown in the arrow in Fig. 1B, "the opening for feeding and migrating bedbugs (head opening)" means that the beetle moves its head and chest from its nest in order to perform feeding behavior and migration. It is an opening for exposing. In the hanging-type beetle nest, there are two openings at both ends of the long axis of the nest, one as a head opening (0304) and the other as a tail opening (0305: hole not shown). Function). In such a nest, the head opening is located in the upper part and the tail opening is located in the lower part. Therefore, in addition to excrement of feces, the tail opening mainly contains female adults and male adults having flight ability in the nest. It has a function as a mating mouth for mating. On the other hand, a non-suspending beetle nest that holds the nest so that it may be held up may have only the head opening. In such a type of nest, since the head opening is located at the bottom of the nest, it often serves as a fecal outlet.

The head opening (0304) is located in the vicinity of the support locking portion (0302) as shown in FIG. 3A. During the rest period and rest period, the beetle spits scaffolding silk thread within the reach of the head exposed from the head opening to form a support anchor, so it supports the head opening. The body anchoring portion is inevitably located in the vicinity. Therefore, in the long axis of the nest, the opening at the end with the support locking portion is the head opening, and the opening at the end without the support locking portion is the tail opening.

The head opening (0304) does not necessarily have an opening as shown in FIG. 3A and may have no hole as shown in FIG. 3B.

In this step, it is confirmed whether or not the head opening is open, that is, whether or not there is a hole at the end where the head opening may be present, which is determined from the position of the support body locking portion. It is sufficient to visually check the presence or absence of holes. When checking the presence or absence of a hole, there is a hole that allows you to insert a thin rod such as a toothpick or a skewer into the head opening as necessary and insert the tip of the thin rod into the nest without resistance, as well as visually. You can also check whether or not. However, in this case, it is necessary to be careful not to damage the larvae in the nest with a stick.

The size of the hole in the head opening varies depending on conditions such as the kind of worm (Minoda), age of the worm, male and female, etc., but in any case, it can be visually confirmed. For example, a hole having a diameter of 0.5 mm or more, preferably 1 mm or more, 1.5 mm or more, 2 mm or more, 2.5 mm or more, or 3 mm or more is applicable. On the contrary, if the diameter is less than 0.5 mm and cannot be easily visually confirmed, it is not called a hole in this step. The upper limit of the hole diameter is about the same as the maximum body width of the beetle lurking inside the nest. However, since the head opening during the rest period is usually slightly closed compared to when eating or moving, the diameter of the hole is 0.8 times or less, 0.5 times or less, or 0.4 times or less than the maximum body width of the beetle. It is preferably not more than twice, not more than 0.3 times, or not more than 0.2 times.

The maximum body width of worms depends on the type and age of the worm. For example, in the case of the old-aged bollworm, Plutella xylostella, the range is 9.0 mm±2.0 mm (7.0 mm to 11.0 mm) or 9.0 mm±1.5 mm (7.5 mm to 10.5 mm). In addition, in the case of the old-aged beetle, the maximum body width is in the range of 7.0 mm ± 2.0 mm (5.0 mm to 9.0 mm) or 7.0 mm ± 1.5 mm (5.5 mm to 8.5 mm). Therefore, the diameter of 1.4 mm to 8.8 mm is the diameter for the old age worms, and the diameter of 1.0 mm to 7.2 mm is the most for the age worms of Chaminoga. However, it is not limited to this range.

(2) Judgment step In the "judgment step", if there is a hole at the head opening in the nest of the bedbug that is anchored to the support in the above-mentioned confirmation step, the beetle in the nest is judged to be the active leafworm. It is a process to do. On the other hand, when there is no hole in the head opening, the worms in the nest are judged to be resting worms. When determined to be in the telogen stage, the state of the beetle in the nest may include the pupal stage and the adult stage (particularly female) as described above.

1-4. Effect According to the method for identifying the state of worms in the nest of the present invention, the state of worms inside the nest can be identified from outside the nest without checking the inside of the nest.

2. Method for collecting active beetles 2-1. Outline The second aspect of the present invention is a method for collecting active beetles in a nest. As described above, the molting stage in the resting period and the prepupal period beetle are sensitive and vulnerable to external stimuli and stress, and are therefore likely to die after collection. Also, the dormancy worms do not resume activity immediately after collection. On the other hand, active worms have some resistance to external stimuli, and can start feeding behavior and migration immediately after collection. By using this method, it is possible to selectively collect only the nests of the worms in the active phase from the nests of the worms attached to the branches. As a result, it is possible to reduce the mortality rate of the beetle after migration in the field or after breeding, and to promptly restart the activity of the beetle after migration.

2-2. Method The method of the present invention is a method for selecting and collecting a worm, which has been determined to be in the active phase, by the method for discriminating the state of a bedbug in the nest according to the first aspect, and collecting a nest having a hole in the head opening. There is a method. The former method includes a confirmation step, a determination step, and a separation step. Of these, the confirmation step and the determination step are the same as the confirmation step and the determination step in the method for identifying the state of the nest worm, as described in the first aspect, and therefore description thereof is omitted here. On the other hand, the separation step is a characteristic step of this embodiment. The latter method also includes a separation step. This separation step conforms to the separation step in the former method. The separation step will be described below.

The "separation step" is a step of separating from the support a nest of a beetle having a hole in the head opening located near the support locking portion. The size of the hole in the head opening complies with the conditions described in the first aspect.

The method of separation is not limited, but a method that does not give as much stress and stress to the worm as possible by contacting the nest is preferable. For example, it is preferable to use the support-locking portion or the vicinity thereof because the external stimulus to the beetle in the nest can be reduced. Specifically, there may be mentioned a method of picking up the supporting body locking portion or the vicinity thereof and separating it so as to separate it from the supporting body, and a method of cutting the supporting body locking portion with an instrument such as scissors to separate.

2-3. Effect The collection method of the present invention, from the nests of worms that are anchored to the support, select only the nests in which the active beetle lurks, without giving the burden and stress to the worms inside the nests as much as possible from the support. The nest can be collected. According to this method, it is possible to reduce the mortality rate of the worm, which may occur during the collection of the worms and the movement of the nests during breeding, and to promptly start the activity of the worms after the collection.

3. Method for moving beetles 3-1. Outline A third aspect of the present invention is a method for moving worms. According to this method, it is possible to select only active worms within the nest anchored to the support and move them together with the nest to the desired location. As a result, the burden and stress on the worms inside the nest can be eliminated as much as possible, and the activities of the worms at the desired location can be promptly started. Therefore, the present method is particularly useful for the movement of worms when exchanging bait leaves and collecting worms in a breeding environment.

3-2. Method The method of the present invention includes a confirmation step, a determination step, a separation step, and a transfer step when passing through the first aspect and the second aspect. Of these, the confirmation step and the determination step are in conformity with the confirmation step and the determination step in the “method for identifying the state of worms in nests” described in the first aspect, and the separation step is the second step “collecting the active stage earworms”. The separation step in the method of ". On the other hand, when only the second mode is performed without the first mode, the separation process and the transfer process are included. Also in this case, the separation step is similar to the separation step of the second aspect. Therefore, the details of the steps already described in the above aspect will be omitted, and here, the moving step characteristic of this aspect will be described below. ..

The "moving step" is a step of moving the separated worms together with their nests to a desired place. The moving method is not limited. The nests separated from the support may be moved one by one to a desired place, or a large number of nests may be once collected and put together and then put in a container or the like and moved to a desired place. There is no limitation on the travel distance or travel time. However, the beetle separated from the support can immediately start moving after releasing the rest period due to external stimulus during separation. Therefore, it is preferable that the moving distance and the moving time are as short as possible. For example, in the case of using the transfer method of the present invention for bait leaf exchange, a method of arranging a new bait leaf and performing a separation step in the vicinity thereof so that the separated nest can be immediately moved to a new bait leaf can be mentioned. To be

3-3. Effect The transfer method of the present invention is a method of selecting only active worms lurking in the nest, separating the nest from the support, and then moving it to the intended place. It is possible to promptly restart the activity after movement without increasing the rate.

Regarding the breeding of worms, the leaves can be fed together with the branches, as in the case of silkworm mulberry breeding. In the case of worms, it is preferable to feed the branches with leaves rather than feeding only the feed leaves, since the nests can be anchored to the branches during the resting period or quiescent period of the worms. In this case, it is necessary to move from the old branch to the new forage at the time of exchanging the forage, but by using the moving method of the present invention, it is possible to safely move and immediately feed after the foraging.

4. Method for selecting resting worms 4-1. Outline A fourth aspect of the present invention is a method of selecting a nest in which a resting worm is hidden from a nest of a worm, which is anchored to a support. According to the present invention, without giving unnecessary stimulus to the nest in the state of being anchored to the support, the state of the beetle inside the nest is identified from the outside of the nest, and the individual enters the dormant period, or the pupalized individual. Can be selected.

In general, worms that have entered the dormant phase (usually hibernation in the case of bedbugs) have a high low temperature tolerance and maintain a low temperature state, resulting in a relatively long period, for example, 6 months to 18 months, or 8 months. Eliminates the need for feeding for a period of ~12 months. Furthermore, it is resistant to stimuli and stress associated with the movement of nests, and does not pose a problem even in a high-density environment where a large number of nests are collected. Therefore, the dormancy period of the beetle is the most suitable period for individual preservation in the life history of the minnow. On the other hand, active worms require daily feeding of leaf worms, and their activity becomes sluggish and mortality increases at low temperatures below 10°C. Furthermore, breeding in a high-density environment causes stress, resulting in high morbidity and mortality. Therefore, it is important to accurately distinguish the dormant period from the rest period within the active period for the purpose of preserving bedbugs.

In the case of artificially substituting a beetle as a thread-harvesting insect, it is necessary to determine the developmental stage of the adult and appropriately mate it before collecting eggs. However, unlike silkworms that make cocoons and pupate, minoga pupae in nests, so it is difficult to determine the time of pupation. In addition, since females live in the nest throughout the adult period depending on the species, it is not possible to externally judge whether the state of the beetle in the nest is at the stage of larva, pupa, or adult. Even if male adults are applied, if females are larvae, mating will not be established. As described above, it is important to determine the pupation time in the breeding of the minnow.

According to the selection method of the present invention, it is possible to identify the active period and quiescent period of the worm, and to select and recover the worm beetle in the quiescent period without giving unnecessary external stimulation or stress to the worm. This method makes it possible to improve the efficiency of preservation and mating of individuals.

4-2. Method The method of the present invention includes a confirmation step, a determination step, and a removal step. Among these, the confirmation step and the determination step are in accordance with the confirmation step and the determination step in the “method for identifying the state of a nest worm” described in the first aspect. Therefore, description of these steps will be omitted here, and the removal step characteristic of this embodiment will be described below.

The "removal step" is a step of removing a nest identified as an active phase from the support. By removing the active nests from the nests anchored to the support, the resting nests are not subject to external stimulation or stress.

In addition, by gradually lowering the outside air temperature, it is possible to determine that the resting nests left after the active nests have been removed are worms that have entered the dormant period. By keeping the beetle in this state at low temperature with its nest, it can be stored for several months to 10 months.
By culturing the terminal larvae raised at a predetermined temperature at the active stage and the resting period by this method, and collecting only the resting nests, it becomes possible to select the larvae after the prepupal stage.

<Example 1: Nest collection and resumability of activity in larvae of juveniles>
(Purpose)
The presence or absence of a hole in the head opening and the resumption of activity were examined when a nest of a young beetle was collected.
(Method)
Infants with a length of the major axis of the nest less than 10 mm (generally 2 to 3 years old) were collected into 3 groups based on the state of nests and worms, and the resumption of activity after that was collected. Examined. The state of each group is as follows.

(A) Nest of an individual who is moving or feeding by exposing the head and chest from the head opening (b) The nest is anchored with the wall surface of the breeding case or the branches of the food leaf as a support, (C) Nest with a hole in the head opening of the nest (c) Nest in which the nest wall is anchored with the wall of the rearing case or the branches and leaves of the bait as a support, and the head opening of the nest has no hole ( In the present specification, the worm beetle of a) corresponds to the active worm, which is performing feeding behavior or migration. The beetle of (b) corresponds to the beetle in the rest period of the active period in the present specification. The beetle of (c) corresponds to the beetle in the resting period in the present specification.

Ten nests of each of (a) to (c) were collected. In (b) and (c), the support anchoring portion was pinched with a finger and separated from the support for sampling. (A) was collected while being careful not to apply acupressure on the center of the nest. The collected nests were placed side by side on a square Petri dish made of polystyrene in a laboratory where the temperature was 26°C and the humidity was 60%, and the elapsed time until the activity was restarted was measured. Resumption of activity was judged by the presence/absence of movement from the position.

(result)
The results are shown in FIG. In (a) and (b) beetles, which correspond to the active phase, some individuals migrated immediately after collection, and after 1 hour, most of them had resumed activity. On the other hand, the worm (c), which corresponds to the resting period, did not resume activity even one hour after placement. Although not shown, the beetle in (c) did not resume activity 7 days after placement. After 14 days, the nest was cut open and the inside was confirmed, and all the individuals died in the nest. From these results, it was suggested that the mortality rate of worms in the resting period in the infancy was significantly increased by external stimulation and stress caused by nest collection.
From the above results, it is possible for the larvae in their infancy to pick up and move their nests during the active period, and to resume their activities immediately, but in the dormant period, the nesting and movement of It became clear that there is a high probability that it can have a lethal effect.

Further, according to the present example, even if the nest is tied to the support, depending on the presence or absence of a hole in the head opening, whether the nest is in the active phase or the rest phase, the state of the beetle in the nest can be determined. It was also proved to be identifiable.

<Example 2: Nest collection and activity resumption in old-aged beetle>
(Purpose)
The presence or absence of a hole in the head opening and the resumption of activity were examined when the old-aged beetle nest was collected.
(Method)
In the old-aged beetle (Age 6-7) that grew to a length of 40 mm or more in the long axis of the nest, it was divided into 2 groups based on the hole in the head opening of the nest that was anchored to the support. Each nest was collected and examined for resumption of activity thereafter. The state of each group is as follows.

(A) Nest where the nest is locked with the wall of the rearing case and the branches and leaves of the bait as the support, and there is a hole in the head opening of the nest (b) The wall of the rearing case and the branches and leaves of the bait as the support For each nest (a) and (b) in which the nest is locked and there is no hole in the head opening of the nest, pull the support locking part with your finger and pull it away from the support. Collected individually. For the collected nests, the elapsed time until the activity was restarted was measured by the same method as in Example 1.

(result)
The results are shown in FIG. In the (a) minnow, which corresponds to the active phase, most of the individuals resumed their activity 30 minutes after the placement of the petri dish, and all of them after 2 hours. On the other hand, the worm (b), which corresponds to the resting period, does not resume activity even one day after placement, and about half of the individuals on the second day and seven individuals on the third day , But the three did not resume activity after 7 days.
From the above results, it was clarified that it takes a long time from the collection to the resumption of activity in old-aged worms when nests are collected during the dormant period.

Claims (8)

A method for identifying the state of a beetle in a nest anchored to a support, comprising:
A step of confirming the presence or absence of a hole in the feeding and migrating opening of the worm, which is located in the vicinity of the support anchoring step, and a step of determining the worms in the nests having holes in the opening as active worms. The method comprising. The method of claim 1, wherein the holes are visually identifiable. A method for collecting active beetles from a nest anchored to a support,
The method according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising the step of separating the flea beetle determined to be in the active phase from the support together with the nest. A method for collecting active beetles from a nest anchored to a support,
The method as described above, comprising a step of separating from the support a nest of the beetle having a hole in the opening for feeding and migrating worms located near the support anchorage. A method of moving a bedbug nest anchored to a support,
The said method including the step of moving the beetle collected by the method of Claim 3 or 4 to a target place with a nest. The moving method according to claim 5, wherein the target place is a place where fresh bait leaves are arranged. A method for selecting resting worms in a nest anchored to a support, comprising:
The said method including the step of removing the nest determined to be active by the method of Claim 1 or 2 from a support body. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the telogen is selected from the group consisting of prepupa, diapause, pupa, and adult.

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