How to grow leeches at home?

Five pairs of eyes, three jaws and two hundred and seventy teeth ... A predator weighing from one gram and a length of about twelve centimeters, feeds on blood and replaces medicines ... Medical leech is the most common species for breeding out of five hundred existing in nature. And the only one useful to humans. Only a few farms breed medicinal leeches. However, at home, you can also achieve the reproduction of these worms.

Natural healers

In hirudotherapy, leeches suck on the body and suck out blood. But the healing effect is not at all in this process. What matters is not what the leeches suck, but what they give. Hirudin is a unique enzyme contained in the saliva secretion of the medicinal leech. Through bites, this substance enters the human body, providing a healing property. In general, the leech secretes sixty-four types of amino acids and forty types of enzymes that are beneficial to humans.

Experts managed to artificially remove hirudin, but it only works for three days, while the natural one is effective for three months. Hirudin and other leech enzymes have anti-inflammatory, analgesic, immunostimulating effects, and also normalize lipid metabolism in the human body.

Hirudotherapy is used to treat diseases of the endocrine and digestive systems, gynecological ailments, diseases of the joints and respiratory organs.

Leeches are a natural medicine with no side effects. Their size does not matter, all individuals are useful and safe. Usually doctors prescribe nine hirudotherapy sessions every six months. The interval between sessions should be three to four days.

Having sucked in, the leech increases in size up to ten times. An individual weighing one to three grams can suck about fifteen milliliters of blood.

Breeding leeches on special farms

There are hardly a dozen centers for the cultivation of medicinal leeches operating legally in Russia. Their capabilities do not cover even 50% of the demand of hirudotherapists. A large farm for breeding leeches operates, for example, in the Moscow region. There is a large biofactory in the Saratov region.

Breeding of natural healers is carried out under the supervision of specialists - "leech breeders". They monitor the process, create comfortable conditions for breeding and growing offspring.

On farms, leeches live in ordinary glass three-liter jars of 200-300 pieces. The vessels are stored in rooms protected from sunlight and any odors. Medicinal leeches do not tolerate aromas either during growth or during treatment.

Some individuals go to the broodstock. Leeches are hermaphrodites, in even numbers up to 16-18 they are placed in jars for reproduction. After fertilization, light rings appear on the body of the leeches. After two weeks, the queens are laid in peat. Here they release foam, forming a cocoon that will mature for about three months.

The largest individuals are chosen for reproduction. They are grown for almost two years, fattened to a weight five times the weight of an ordinary marketable individual.

When the babies crawl out of the cocoon, they are fed for about five months. Then - three months of hunger strike, so that individuals are ready to perform their therapeutic function for sale.

In general, the breeding of medicinal leeches is an artificial cultivation, for which sometimes it is necessary to plant fellows from the outside.Because with each generation, farm leeches get weaker and smaller.

Before the leeches are sent to order, they are subjected to a medical examination and an activity test. A leech is considered good if it is ready to suck.

Business on leeches

Breeding medicinal leeches as a business is a good option for generating income without major investments. You must register as an individual entrepreneur or legal entity. But the process of obtaining the necessary license from the Federal Service for Surveillance in Healthcare will bring more trouble. The leech is equated to a medicine, therefore its cultivation requires the accompaniment of special documents.

A starter batch of leeches can be ordered from specialized farms. The selling price is usually from thirty rubles per individual.

If, when planning a business, you decide to save money and catch leeches in a pond, then, most likely, you will spend more than you will receive income. Water leeches are not suitable for hirudotherapy.

It is recommended to start a leech breeding business with 500-600 individuals. When purchasing leeches in smaller quantities, profitability is questionable.

Large bio-farms can grow seven to eight million leeches a year.

Conditions for growing leeches

In the private business of growing leeches, the same conditions must be provided that are observed on farms. For each stage of an individual's development, you will need separate containers:

1. Cocoon ripening in peat boxes.
2. Growing fry in glass jars or plastic containers.
3. Aquariums, jars or containers for keeping adult worms.

It is important to keep an eye on the water in the vessels where the leeches are housed. In order not to miss the moment of contamination or mucus formation, it is better to use aquariums or glass jars. Some raise individuals in food grade plastic buckets. Also a valid option, but clear glass containers are preferable. Jars or buckets should be covered with a piece of cloth or a perforated lid.

Without maintaining a certain state of water and microclimate in the room, leeches can die. Air humidity should be at least eighty to eighty five percent, water and air temperature - twenty four - twenty seven degrees.

Water in any containers where leeches live must be changed at least twice a week. Aerobic filters will be required to circulate the water.

You need to feed the leeches once a month. They feed on bull blood.

Feeding leeches

The only suitable food for leeches during rearing is bull's blood. You can get it at meat processing plants, but watch out for the quality of the feed. The blood must be from a healthy animal.

Where to promote the product

Considering the medicinal properties of medicinal leeches, it can be assumed that they are in demand in medical institutions and among private hirudotherapists, as well as in pharmacies. This category of consumers should be emphasized.

Transportation features

In order for the leeches to be delivered to the customer in integrity and in full readiness to treat, prepare conditions for them. It is recommended to transport a batch of leeches in a glass container filled with two-thirds of water. Use only settled water.

During transportation, it is necessary to ensure a comfortable temperature, protect containers from sunlight and odors.

How to deliver leeches to the customer

If the distance to the customer is not more than one hundred kilometers, then leeches can be delivered in plastic containers covered with a perforated lid. For each container of three liters - two hundred leeches.

If the distance is more than one hundred kilometers, then it is more convenient to use cloth bags. For their manufacture, it is better to use coarse calico, the size of one bag is thirty by twenty centimeters. The bag can hold up to three hundred leeches.

The bag must be damp. You can tie it with a regular rubber band and wrap it in wrapping paper.It is better to transport bags in cardboard boxes. In such conditions, leeches can withstand a two-day journey.

Keep in mind that leeches are very sensitive to changes in microclimate. At the slightest deviation from the conditions of detention or transportation, they may die.

No special machinery and equipment is used in the process of raising individuals. All transplanting and trapping work must be done manually.

Breeding at home

Breeding leeches at home for beginners can seem like a laborious task. However, if you strictly follow the recommendations, then taking care of your pets will cease to be troublesome.

After delivery, place the leeches in a food-grade plastic container half filled with water. The water can be tap water, but it should be left for about two days to leave the chlorine. Typically, leeches tolerate transportation well if organized correctly. But sometimes there may be a sick individual in the party. It is quite simple to recognize it: an unviable leech will be almost motionless in the center of the container.

After you are sure that only medicinal leeches are left, move them to a jar of water. Cover the container with a napkin. Work only with clean rubber gloves. Active leeches will contract in the muscles if you squeeze them lightly in the palm of your hand.

How to feed leeches at home

Nothing. The only sense will be from hungry leeches. They can live on a hunger strike for six to twelve months. During this time, they are usually already used in therapy. Therefore, do not be overwhelmed by the nutritional issues of worms, and also do not listen to ridiculous advice about the need to sweeten the habitat of leeches with sugar. Do not grow thin.

But the microclimate in the room should be monitored. Room temperature should be maintained, jars with leeches should be stored in a shady room. The water must be changed every three to five days, well filtered and sufficiently oxygenated. Do not be alarmed if the water becomes cloudy - this is the result of the release of waste products of leeches.

Breeding leeches at home as a business

Medicinal leeches are small, medium and large. Breeding leeches at home begins with ordering large individuals capable of producing offspring. As soon as you receive the delivery with the shipment of leeches, feed them. Then place individuals in jars in pairs, no more than 18 worms per vessel. After a month, light rings should appear on the leeches - a sign of fertilization. Soon they need to be moved to peat.

In peat, leeches lay a cocoon in which from fifteen to twenty fry ripen. From a hundred queen leeches, you can get a thousand - two thousand individuals.

If you are not going to grow leeches for sale, but want to use them for your treatment, then it would be correct to consult with your doctor before starting therapy.

A profitable business is not always pleasant. Take, for example, the sale of organic fertilizers, or simply manure. Of course, this is a "side" profit from the breeding of farm animals, but after all, nothing saves you from having to "dig" into "this". Even by someone else's hands. Another example is the breeding of worms, which we wrote about in one of our previous publications. Someone is disgusted to deal with these animals, while others “row money with a shovel” on them. However, the "unpleasant" types of business have their big plus: there are very few competitors here.

Not so long ago, we learned about another business idea (we had to face it, which is called with our own eyes), collected information about it, and decided to share our observations with the blog readers. We are talking about breeding leeches at home. Of course, the expression "at home" is somewhat arbitrary here, because for breeding you will have to equip a small leech farm. What are leeches for?

All of you have a good idea of ​​what leeches are. Even if someone did not see them, then, for sure, everyone heard about their amazing healing properties.But it turns out that the spectrum of diseases treated with leeches is so wide that, perhaps, the leech can be considered the most universal doctor. This list includes:

• Various joint diseases.
• Diseases of the circulatory system.
• Respiratory problems.
• Digestive system difficulties.
• Endocrine diseases.
• Many gynecological diseases.

The listing can be continued for a very long time. There is even a special section of medicine about leech therapy, called hirudotherapy... Reviews of treatment with leeches are extremely positive, although there is a feeling of disgust and a little unpleasant sensations during treatment with leeches, at the same time, hirudotherapy often helps where official medicine "gives up".

By the way, in tsarist Russia of the 18-19 centuries, leeches were a universal remedy for many diseases both for the poor, there and for rich people. Now in our country there are only four (!) Officially registered leech farms. The competition is almost zero!

Of course, there are many who work, as they say, "at their own peril and risk," but there is little trust in such "farmers", since they bear practically no responsibility for their activities and its consequences. Such a small number of legal leech farms is due to the stringent requirements for breeding leeches and the need to obtain a permit from the Healthcare Surveillance Service. Although the breeding process itself is not complicated at all, and requires a lot of trouble.

What are leeches

You might be surprised to learn that leeches are classified as worms. By the way, you can find out how to organize a business on the same natural fertilizer and worm breeding, which we mentioned at the very beginning of the article, by clicking on the links.

The leeches feed on blood, in fact, this is how it treats - by sucking "bad" blood, and introducing various enzymes and substances into the human body that have pronounced anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties. There are about 500 different types of leeches on the planet, there are only 62 of them on the territory of our country. However, from the point of view of organizing a business, we are only interested in a species - a medical leech.

A little about hirudotherapy

The general treatment regimen looks like this:

• The leech is applied to the affected (diseased) organ, however, the place of suction is determined taking into account many factors.
• The leech sucks blood for 10 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the same factors.
• After the end of the session, the leech is removed with an alcohol or iodine swab, or after sprinkling with salt, and destroyed in a chloramine solution. Reuse of the leech is strictly prohibited! So, we can say that the leech is a disposable remedy.

What you need to breed leeches

As we have already said: the process of breeding leeches is simple and accessible to anyone. In order to organize a leech farm, you need to find a room with several rooms, since leeches at various stages of their growth: cocoon, fry, adult, must be kept separately. Alternatively, one room can be adapted by dividing it into sectors.

The main condition for breeding leeches is to maintain a favorable microclimate for them:

• The air temperature is from 25 to 27 ° C. Although wild leeches live in their natural environment in colder waters, the reproduction and development of their medical relatives in warmth is much better.
• The temperature of the water in which the leeches are located should be room temperature, that is, the same 25-27 ° C.
• Room humidity should be at least 80%.

The containers for leeches are ordinary 3-liter jars filled with water purified through special filters. Aquariums may work, but this will cost a lot more.It is necessary to closely monitor all stages of growth of leeches and in time to "transfer" animals to other rooms (sectors) when they reach the next "age". By the way, all work on feeding leeches, purifying water in containers, replanting leeches, etc., is carried out only by hand. Even on large leech farms.

The leeches feed on blood, which can be obtained from livestock farms, from private farmers, in a slaughterhouse, having concluded appropriate agreements with them.

How to get a license from Roszdravnadzor?

Breeding leeches at home (that is, in small volumes) refers to the production of pharmaceuticals - this is how the definition of the main supervisory medical authority interprets this occupation. This means that it must be under constant close control. The organization of the leech business implies the registration and certification of leeches as medicines. To do this, you need to submit the appropriate applications, the control will have to go through both the animals themselves and the room in which they will be kept.

Actually, it is precisely this circumstance that "scares away" many who want to start a leech business. Some of these people abandon the idea altogether, some go into "illegal" breeding of leeches, which, according to some sources, is almost equal to the official production of "bloodsuckers" - 7-8 million individuals per year. But even in the aggregate, the official and illegal breeding of leeches covers only 30-40% of the demand for them.

Where to get leeches for breeding?

The easiest way is to catch leeches in a clean natural reservoir. Understanding and accepting full responsibility for their actions, which can result in both large administrative fines and a very real criminal punishment. After all, the consequences of using wild leeches on humans can be the most unpredictable.

So there is only one option left - the purchase of individuals in registered leech farms, where for your purchase you will be given all the necessary documents confirming the possibility of using the purchased leeches for medical purposes.

Where to sell your "wards"?

In conclusion, a few words should be said about where to market your products. There can be several channels:

• Medical centers dealing with the use of hirudotherapy in the treatment.
• Pharmacies.
• Medical professionals in private practice.
• Those wishing to start their own leech business.
• Deliveries abroad. By the way, if in our country the cost of one leech is about 30-40 rubles, then in Europe in the corresponding monetary equivalent the same leech costs 300-400 rubles.

It goes without saying that the organization of such a business, associated not only with significant financial costs, but also with the receipt of many permits, requires the most thorough preparation, development of a business plan, and a complete construction of a business model. This will take a lot of work. However, it's worth it. We hope you are interested in this business idea. We wish you success in its implementation!

 Small video excursion to the "country" of leeches

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23 February 2012

Oleg Markaryan

Leeches are representatives of a subclass of annelids, which are now actively used in medicine and cosmetology. There is even a science - hirudotherapy, based on the treatment of these, as many believe, vile creatures. In our country, the leech is officially recognized as a medicinal product, and the leech farm is recognized by law as a pharmaceutical production. To grow leeches for the purpose of selling them to medical institutions, you need to obtain a license from Roszdravnadzor. This stops many people who want to enter this low-competitive and promising business.This is also the reason for the official presence on the Russian market of only four leech farms, which began their activities before 2000 (then it was much easier to obtain a license). All other farms (and there are many more) are working illegally.

Premises and equipment for breeding leeches

The biggest challenge in the business of breeding leeches is not the process of growing this "medicine" itself, but compliance with all production standards, which are becoming more stringent every year. In simple terms, opening a leech farm is no easier (and sometimes more difficult) than setting up a factory for the production of "traditional" medicines. Needless to say, the room for keeping leeches must comply with a number of sanitary standards. If you look at the leech farm through the eyes of an ordinary person, then it is the following.

Several rooms intended for keeping leeches at different stages of life - from a cocoon to an adult "bloodsucker". Each room maintains the required temperature (25-27 degrees Celsius) and humidity (about 80%). The "animals" themselves are in three-liter cans with purified water. Special industrial filters are used for water purification. If you are breeding leeches at home, you can keep them in aquariums equipped with cleaning filters. All work on planting cocoons and fry, purifying water and feeding leeches is done manually (even on large farms).

Feeding needs to be said separately. After all, these animals feed exclusively on blood. When breeding medicinal leeches, bovine blood is used as feed. They buy it at meat processing plants. If the production volumes are not too large, then, as a rule, there are no problems with obtaining "food". But large farms have a hard time. Sometimes you have to go to neighboring cities and even regions to get blood (wow, what a scarce commodity).

Where to get leeches?

In some publications that can be found on the Internet, information slips through that for breeding leeches you will need several tens or hundreds of individuals, which you can catch with your own hands in some clean natural reservoir. In practice, this is absolutely impossible to do. After all, there is a big difference between wild and medicinal leech. The first one under no circumstances can be used in hirudotherapy, since there is a high probability of infection in the patient's blood (with all the ensuing consequences).

There is only one option left - buying "young animals" from large leech farms or from private individuals engaged in breeding leeches at home (but here you need to be careful not to accidentally acquire wild individuals). As for the number of leeches required at the initial stage of creating a home farm, there are no restrictions. It all depends only on your capabilities and potential sales market.

But, be that as it may, the wild leech is still necessary for breeding to maintain the gene pool of subsequent generations. Finding enough good individuals in the wild is not easy. In many regions, they are very rare (for example, in the Moscow region). Therefore, some farms acquire ownership of reservoirs in the southern regions for breeding wild leeches.

Sales channels

Although leeches have been used to treat various diseases for a very long time (and their popularity has only increased in recent years), it is not so easy to find distribution channels for "water vampires". Suppose you already own a leech "shop" and are looking for a sales market. If the volume of production is not too large, then one of the best customers will be pharmacies that sell leeches 1.5-2 times more expensive than their wholesale cost. But pharmacies alone are unlikely to make you rich.Over time, you need to expand your leech farm and look for more serious clients. Pay attention to private hirudologists and, of course, to large medical centers and clinics that practice hirudotherapy (leech therapy).

Interesting information for entrepreneurs. In our country, despite the high demand, the selling price of one leech does not exceed 30 rubles. At the same time, the cost of one "bloodsucker" in neighboring Europe is kept at the level of 200-300 rubles. We understand that this is incredibly difficult, but if you manage to establish supplies to the West, then the growth of your business will significantly accelerate.

The leech is used not only as a "healing bloodsucker", but also in other areas. For example, leech components are used for the production of medicines and cosmetics. First of all, this is due to the fact that it is much easier to sell such products than live individuals. However, it is not such an easy task to bring another drug to the market. You need to get a whole bunch of licenses and permits before a new product is released. Whatever one may say, breeding leeches is a complex risky business that requires knowledge of production technology and serious financial investments.

By now, we have proposed a lot of ideas and business plans for people eager to earn extra money. Among the original business ideas, one should single out entrepreneurial activities related to breeding leeches at home. It is known that a number of properties of leeches are used in medicine and the beauty industry. The prospects and practical significance of the medicinal properties of leeches are confirmed by the recently formed scientific branch - hirudotherapy. If you set out to breed medicinal leeches, then be prepared for the fact that your business will be classified as a pharmaceutical production. For wide distribution of this unique product, for example, in healthcare institutions, a license is required. In this case, it will be necessary to implement all the conditions for keeping such pets provided for by sanitary standards.

Breeding leeches at home

The place in which the leeches will be kept must be initially divided into sectors. Each of these sectors is designed to keep leeches at a certain stage of development. For example, keeping cocoons and adults together is unacceptable. Glass jars, as well as aquariums, are applicable for their maintenance. To breed leeches, you will need filtered water, which is filled in glass containers to a minimum mark of 3 liters. The optimum water temperature is 25-27 degrees. Bovine blood is used as feed for leeches, the source of which is meat processing plants. Such a business involves manual labor. For example, you will have to clean the habitat of your pets, and so on.

Advice: jig the fry from the cocoons on time. Otherwise, you will get confused.

It is noteworthy that this type of small business does not require large initial investment, since the cost of one individual is within 30 rubles. We emphasize that such material should be purchased for further breeding only from reputable sellers.

It is interesting: Read our other articles - Small Town Business Idea, Californian Worm Breeding, and Home Breeding Maggot.

The healing effect of leeches depends to a large extent on the conditions of their keeping. Refuse immediately from catching leeches in natural reservoirs, as they can cause the spread of infection. Let us remind that the business, connected to one degree or another with medicine, requires responsibility from the entrepreneur, that is, negligence, irresponsibility in this case is unacceptable.

Demand

Leeches will be in demand among pharmacies, medical centers, private specialists in the field of hirudotherapy.However, the demand will be great only in the case of a quality product.

The profitability of such an activity will be high, but it takes effort and patience.

Literature on leeches and hirudotherapy

How to open DJVU file format

Gerashchenko Larisa. All about the leech. Hirudotherapy for different types of people. 2007, 226 pages.

Zharov DG Secrets of hirudotherapy, or How to be treated with leeches. 112 pages.

Olshevskaya N. Treatment with leeches. Gold recipes for hirudotherapy. 2009, 56 pages.

See the articles "Business plan for breeding aquarium fish" and "Business plan for quail farm"