LU85188A1 - LOMBRICULTURE METHOD AND DEVICE FOR IMPLEMENTING SAME - Google Patents

Description

LOMBRICULTURE METHOD AND DEVICE FOR IMPLEMENTING SAME

The present invention relates to a lom-briculture method and a device for its implementation.

5 Vermiculture is a well-known crop which has been practiced for many years with the dual aim of eliminating organic waste, sludge from sewage treatment plants, industrial waste, etc., and the production of protein. The earthworm, and more particularly the "California red lom-10 or EISENIA FETIDA", reproduces very quickly (for example every seven days for the California red earthworm and 1000 to 1500 young earthworms per year and couple) and reached a considerable age (about 16 years for the California red earthworm). He eats every 15 days the value of his weight (0.8 g for the red earthworm) to transform it into humus.

In vermiculture the earthworm habitat is called litter. Litter is a unit of measurement used to identify multiplication, subdivision, humus production, earthworm proliferation, extent of breeding, management costs, quantity required. 'food. Its extent is generally two square meters.

Earthworm farming is currently done indoors and outdoors, on flat or gently sloping land, on clay or sandy soil, on the plain, on hills or in the mountains. The litter has a suitable width to be able to carry out the necessary work from one side over the entire width. When the earthworms have transformed all their food into humus, they tend to come out. At this time we separate them from the humus and put them in a new litter that we have arranged either lengthwise or on one side. Earthworms then enter this new nour-35 riture. However, this requires that a length of land necessary for breeding be provided lengthwise or on the side of each litter, especially if you want to install several breeding farms next to each other, just as well in the width direction, than 40 in the length direction of the litter.

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The object of the present invention is to provide a method of raising earthworms, as well as a device for implementing the method, which requires no additional space to that of the initial litter to allow the separation of the earthworms from humus produced and their installation in new food.

The earthworming method according to the invention provides that a separator element of the grid type is placed on the upper surface of the litter 10, that a new load of food is placed on the separator element at the appropriate time, waits for all earthworms to be migrated into the new load of food through the separating element, to remove from the litter 15 the humus formed, to remove the separating element in the form of a grid to bring down the new load of food with earthworms migrated to the litter and repeat all the previous steps cyclically.

The device for implementing this method comprises a frame comprising a lower element in the form of a peripheral wall and an upper element in the form of a peripheral wall, a bottom detachably fixed under the lower element, and a separating element in grid form disposed between the lower element and the upper element.

This device makes it possible to fill the lower element with a litter and to change the upper element of food for earthworms at the appropriate time, which then migrate into the upper element. When the migration is complete, the bottom is removed and the humus produced falls from the bottom element. Earthworms are thus separated from the humus they have formed. After closing the bottom, the separating element is removed and the new load of food with earthworms falls into the lower element. With the separator element in place, the operations described are repeated cyclically to easily obtain the humus and the separation of earthworms from the humus.

The invention will now be described by way of nonlimiting example with reference to the attached drawing in -40 which is shown a device for the implementation - 3 - of the earthworm method according to the invention.

The earthworm method according to the invention provides that a litter formed of food and earthworms 5 is prepared. Food for earthworms is preferably formed from organic waste. You can also use other foods described in the introduction to this description with reference to a known method of vermiculture.

10 On this litter, a separating element in the form of a grid is placed.

When earthworms have transformed all the food into humus, a new load of food is placed on the separating element. Earthworms then migrate into this new food load and abandon the old litter to form a new one in this new food load.

When all earthworms have migrated to the new load, the humus formed under the separating element is removed.

20 Then the separating element is removed to make the new litter fall at the place of the old litter transformed into humus. Now a new cycle begins which follows the pattern just described.

In the drawing, a device 10 for implementing the described method is shown. The device comprises a frame 12 composed of an upper element 14 in the form of a frame or peripheral wall and of a lower element 16 also in form of frame or peripheral wall. Although the frame has a rectangular horizontal section, any other shape is possible.

The lower element 16 is shown as a pyramid trunk to facilitate the downward fall of the humus.

The lower element 16 is provided at the bottom with a removable bottom 18 which can be articulated along one side to the lower element 16 by means of hinges 20. A locking device 22 is provided to prevent the bottom 18 does not tip down under the weight of the litter.

Any other suitable fixing and locking means may be used.

A separator element 24 in the form of a grid is placed between the upper element 14 and the lower element 16. For this purpose, a peripheral support 26 is provided at the upper edge of the lower element 16 and l the separating element 5 rests on this peripheral support 26 inside the upper element 14. In the embodiment shown, the separating element 24 is guided by the head walls 28, 30 of the upper element 14, when it has left the chassis by an opening 32 provided at the lower edge of a longitudinal wall of the upper element (14).

One can also provide a guide means (not shown) for the separating element fixed to the lower edge of the upper element 14.

The upper element 14 rests with its lower peripheral edge on the upper peripheral edge of the lower element 16, and in particular on the peripheral support (26), and can be articulated with the lower element (16) along d ^ a ^ p ^ to ^ l ^ Mde ^ of 34 is provided for mutually locking the upper elements 14 and lower 16 and the separating element 26.

A support (not shown) for the device described carries it by means of support angles 36 to a certain height allowing easy removal of the humus from below the device described. The support can also be designed to allow at least two of the devices according to the invention to be received in height. In this case, an inclined plane, for example made of sheet metal, can be provided between two devices, which enables the upper device to be emptied without the humus produced falling into the lower device.

The device described is used in the following manner.

The bottom 18 is locked under the lower element 16; the separating element 24 is removed. A litter is inserted in the lower element 16 and the separating element is replaced and the locking means 34 are put in place. When the earthworms have transformed all the food from the litter into humus in the lower element 16, the upper element 14 is filled with a new load of food. Earthworms pass from the humus into the lower element 16 through the separating element 24 into the food contained in the upper element 14. When all the earthworms have migrated upwards, the bottom 18 5 is unlocked and tilted down. The humus produced is taken out from the lower element 16. The bottom 18 is closed and locked. The separator element 24 is removed, i.e. the locking means 32 are released and the separator element 24 is removed from the frame 12 and the new bedding in the upper element 14 falls in the lower element 16. The steps described above are then repeated cyclically.

Of course various modifications can be made by one skilled in the art to the preferred embodiment of the invention which has just been described without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims (10)

1. Method of earthworming in litter consisting in feeding earthworms so as to produce humus 5 product, characterized in that one places on the upper surface of the litter a separator element of the grid type, which is placed on the separator element at the appropriate time a new load of food, until all earthworms 10 are migrated into the new load of food through the separator element, that the humus formed is removed from the litter, which the grid-shaped separating element is removed to bring down the new feed load with the earthworms migrated into the litter and all the preceding steps are repeated cyclically. 2. Device for implementing the method according to claim 1, characterized by a frame comprising a lower element (16) in the form of a peripheral wall and an upper element (14) in the form of a peripheral wall, a bottom (18) detachably fixed under the lower element (16), and a separating element (24) in the form of a grid disposed between the lower element (16) and the upper element (14). 3. Device according to claim 2, characterized in that the lower (16) and upper (14) elements are joined by means of hinges (36), so as to allow the upper element (14) to be tilted towards the top relative to the bottom element (16). 4. Device according to claim 2 or 3, charac-30 terized by a guide means placed between the lower element (16) and the upper element (14) adapted to receive the separating element (24) so as to be able slide relative to the upper (14) and lower (16) elements and put the upper (14) and lower (16) elements in complete communication. 5. Device according to claim 4, characterized by a locking means (34) of the upper element (14). 6. Device according to claim 4 or 5, carac-40 terized in that the guide means is fixed below - 7 - of the upper element (14) and is tilted therewith. 7. Device according to any one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that the bottom (18) is articulated by means of hinges (36) under the lower element so as to "allow it to be tilted towards the low compared to the chassis. 8. Device according to claim 7, characterized by a locking means (34) of the bottom. 9. Device according to any one of claims 2 to 8, characterized in that the lower element (16) has a frustoconical shape. 10. Support for devices according to any one of claims 2 to 7 for the implementation of the procé-15 die according to claim 1, characterized in that it is adapted to allow superimposing at least two of said setting devices implementing the method according to claim 1, while making it possible to tilt the bottom (18) down, to tilt up the upper element 20 of each of the devices and access to the upper element of each of said devices.