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Activity #1: Search The Internet For Silkworm Information
While you are waiting for your silkworm larvae to arrive, probe the Internet for silkworm information (if you don’t have a computer at home with Internet access, try your local public library). Call up your favorite search engine (such as yahoo.com or altavista.com) then type in “silk,” “silkworm” or “moth.” Use any other words relating to silkworms that come to mind. When you have found a silkworm site, bookmark it on your computer or print out the pages and keep them for future reference. Who knows, you may have to do a report on silkworms for school someday!
Activity #2: Feeding Your Silkworms
Your silkworms need fresh food regularly but don’t overfeed them. Start by giving your silkworms a small 1/2-inch cube of Chow. When the food nugget gets smaller than the size of a pea, or when it looks dry, add another bit of food into the tub. You will notice that as your silkworms get older, they will eat more each day. The amount of food you give them should increase as the silkworms grow. Keep an eye on the food supply in the incubation tub – you don't want to run out when your silkworms are their largest and need the most food! Your silkworms don’t need any additional water as they get their fluids from the Chow. And, once again, remember to seal the food after feeding to keep the Chow moist. Unless you are feeding your silkworms, it is vital to keep the unperforated lid on the container at all times. Most importantly, do not store the food in the refrigerator.
Activity #3: Keep A Silkworm Growth Journal
Keep a daily journal of your silkworms’ growth. Get a small notepad, a flexible tape measure and a pencil. For each journal entry, write the day and date. Open the lid and take a close look at your silkworms (but remember to replace the incubator lid when you’re done). Document anything you notice about them. How much larger and longer are they today? Have they developed any new markings? Try to discover something different about them each time you make a journal entry. Use your tape measure to measure the larvae. You may also wish to draw pictures of the silkworms each day. Once the silkworms have completed their metamorphosis, it will be fun to look back at how quickly they have grown.
Activity #4: Harvest Your Raw Silk
After the adult silkworm moths have safely hatched from their cocoons, you can harvest the raw silk thread. Have an adult boil some water. Remove the pan from the heat and let the water cool for about 3 minutes. Drop one of the cocoons into the warm water and let it soak for about a minute. Remove the cocoon with a large spoon or ladle, set it on a paper towel, and let it cool. When the cocoon is cool enough to handle, pick it up and begin to gather the silk between your thumb and index finger. Roll the thread back and forth while pulling it away from the cocoon. You’re now harvesting silk! As the thread grows, you may wish to wrap it around a spindle or similar object for safe keeping. In the factories where silk is produced, these cocoons are boiled with the moths inside. This kills the moth, but allows the silk to remain in a single strand which is necessary for weaving the thread. Please do not boil your unhatched cocoons.
Activity #5: Take Your Adult Silk Moth For A Walk
The silkworm moth has been domesticated for over 4,000 years. This means the moth cannot fly - but you can still make it feel like flying by taking it out for a walk! Carefully place your finger underneath the front legs of the silk moth. Go very slowly and be careful not to injure the moth. You will notice how easily the moth will crawl onto your fingertip. Don’t worry, it won’t bite. Hold your little friend up to eye level and take a good look. Now if the weather is nice, take your moth outside for a walk around the block. You won’t even need a leash!
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Fun Silkworm Facts:
- It takes approximately 600 silkworm cocoons to make one silk tie, and 2,000 cocoons to make one silk dress!
- The silk strand that makes up the silkworm’s cocoon can be up to one mile long!
- The word “metamorphosis” is a combination of Greek words that mean “transformation”.
- The scientific name of the silkworm is Bombyx mori.
- Silkworms are domesticated insects - which means an animal tamed and cared for by humans. Other domesticated animals include pigs, chickens and cows. Silkworms aren’t even found in Nature anymore!
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People have raised silkworms for over 4,000 years to get beautiful, lustrous silk. Now with your Silkworm City, you too will be able to raise silkworms and see first-hand how this beautiful fiber is produced, and learn all about metamorphosis!
Your Silkworm City Includes:
• Colorful silkworm habitat designed for cocoon spinning and observation
• Free certificate to mail away for 3 silkworm larvae with all the food they need
• Silkworm incubation tub
• Special brush for handling your silkworms
• This fact-filled silkworm instruction and activity guide
Getting Started
Before mailing the certificate for your silkworms and food, make sure you are ready to receive and care for them. In order to be successful, you will need to check on your silkworms every day. The silkworm’s metamorphosis takes approximately 35 to 50 days, so allow for any school breaks, holidays or extended weekends. Once you mail the certificate, please allow 1 to 3 weeks for the silkworms to arrive. We ship the silkworms via First Class Mail.
Setting Up the Silkworm City Habitat
1. Bend up to pop open the long sides of the Silkworm City habitat. You may need to gently slip your finger into its end to make it open up completely. Be careful not to tear it. Lay the floorboard into the bottom of the Silkworm City habitat (figure 1), brown side up.
2. Push both perforated corners inward (figure 2) to begin folding the wall over. Make sure that the perforated corners fit underneath the tabs indicated at the arrows.
3. While pushing the outside corners together, roll the wall over the tabs (figure 3). Slightly bend the wall's tabs down as you continue folding. Now tuck the long edge indicated by the arrow inside the silkworm city bottom, locking the wall into place.
Repeat steps 2 and 3 for opposite wall.
4. Line up the tabs of the Mountain Range cutout with the notches on top of the wall, being sure to face the brown side to the back (figure 4). Gently push down on the tabs until they pop into place.
When Your Silkworms Arrive
Your silkworms will arrive in a cardboard box that says “Live Silkworms — Open Immediately.” After opening the box, you will find a plastic tub with three silkworms in it along with a small amount of food. You’ll also find a tub of dark green, specially prepared silkworm food. Now it is time to get to work!
Transferring Your Silkworms Into Their Silkworm City Incubation Tub
1. Wash your hands.
2. Locate the brush and the large silkworm incubation tub and lid that came with your Silkworm City kit.
3. Open the small silkworm shipper tub and discard the perforated lid.
4. Using the brush, gently remove each silkworm one by one. Place them carefully into the large round silkworm incubation tub, as the young silkworms are fragile.
5. Remove any silk webbing and discard. Salvage any remaining food and place it in the incubation tub.
6. Place the lid on the incubation tub.
7. Take a ball-point pen and poke 10 holes into the lid. Make sure the holes are large enough for air to enter into the tub.
Note: Don’t be alarmed if your silkworms don’t move much when you first receive them. They are getting accustomed to their new home. They also may not eat much for the first 24 hours.
Also, keep the incubator away from direct sunlight, air-conditioning vents, and house pets.
About Your Silkworm Chow
Your silkworm chow comes ready to feed to your silkworms. No preparation is necessary. You will want to refrigerate it – in fact, be sure that you keep the tub in your refrigerator when you're not feed ing your silkworms.
You'll also want to keep the lid on the Chow container at all times, and keep the Chow out of direct sunlight.
Note! Once you've started feeding your silkworms Chow, they will not eat Mulberry leaves, or vice versa.If you're uncertain of a consistent source of Mulberry leaves, don't start your worms on a diet of leaves.
Watching And Caring For Your Silkworms
Silkworms are susceptible to poisons of any kind. Be sure to keep them away from any area that has been sprayed for insects. It is important to keep your silkworms in their incubation tub during their “larval” or caterpillar stage. It’s OK to occasionally open the lid to handle them — just be sure to wash your hands before and after doing so.
Every other day, you must remove their droppings, or frass, from the incubator. This is done to keep their home free of bacteria and mold. Silkworm frass resembles small black pebbles when the worms are little, and peppercorns when they are larger. To remove the frass, use the brush and sweep it into a trash can or toilet. It dries quickly, so clean up is easy.
If you see water building up inside the tub, open the lid until it dries. Silkworms can drown in a very small amount of water!
Because we send out silkworms in various stages of growth, their complete metamorphosis can vary anywhere from 35 to 50 days. Generally, your silkworms will develop faster in warmer temperatures. Remember to try and keep their
temperature as constant as possible.
A Caterpillar Grows
The larval stage will take about 25 to 30 days. Remember to keep feeding them. Your silkworm caterpillars will grow, but their skins will not. As they outgrow their skins, they will “molt” or shed their skins. Just before they begin each molt, your larvae will usually stop moving and/or eating. At this time, they often will raise their heads up a bit. Don’t be alarmed, it is perfectly normal. Expect to see your silkworms molt 3 to 4 times.
Spinning A Cocoon
When your silkworms get to be about 3 inches in length, it is time to remove them from their incubation tub and place them into the Silkworm City. Open the lid and carefully remove them with your fingers. Place them in the center of the Silkworm City habitat. You will now need to feed them once or even twice a day. Also, try to keep the frass cleaned out.
If you have small house pets, keep them away from the silkworms. Pets are likely to injure or even kill the silkworms in their open air habitat. As the silkworms get ready to spin their cocoons, look for the following signs:
• They tend to stop eating.
• Their skin darkens slightly.
• Their skin becomes very tight.
• They will purge a reddish-brown liquid.
• They head into a corner of the Silkworm City.
As the silkworm begins to spin its cocoon, it will begin to move its head in a figure-eight motion. The silk, which is actually hardened silkworm saliva, is a single strand that emerges from a small opening in its mouth called a “spinneret.” Please don’t disturb your silkworms at this point. They will take up to three days to complete a cocoon.
Mark this day in your silkworm journal. The silkworm will then begin to form its pupa inside the cocoon. It is inside this pupa that the humble silkworm will miraculously transform into an adult moth.
The Emergence
Approximately 18 to 21 days after the formation of the cocoon, the adult silk moth will be ready to emerge. Inside the beautiful white cocoon is the pupa shell. This shell protects the silkworm as it makes its amazing change. When development is complete, the pupa will split open and the adult moth will begin to emerge. It then will produce a special liquid that softens the hard silk cocoon. The liquid, which is sometimes brown in color, dissolves the silk material allowing the moth to emerge. As the moth emerges, it will begin to pump its crumpled wings full of fluid to help them harden. This may take up to one hour. The adults will then secrete a brown colored fluid known as meconium.
The Adult Silkworm Moth
Although Insect Lore guarantees one adult moth to hatch perfectly, chances are good that all three will. The adult silkworm moth will live approximately 7 to 10 days. During this time, it only cares about one thing - mating. If you have at least one male and one female, they will most certainly find each other. The females are generally larger than the males. They are born pregnant with eggs and if they mate before laying, these eggs will be fertile. If the female finds no mate, the eggs she lays will not hatch. Adults cannot fly and do not care to eat or drink so don’t worry about feeding them anything.
What To Do With The Eggs
If your silkworm eggs hatch, you can feed them fresh mulberry tree leaves or call Insect Lore at 661-LIVE BUG to find out how to get more Silkworm Chow. You may also wish to contact your local school and ask if one of the teachers would like some free silkworm eggs. Chances are they will!
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Frequently Asked Questions
How much should I feed my Silkworms?
When they first arrive, start by giving the silkworms about a 1/2 inch cube of food. As they grow larger, you will want to steadily increase the amount you give them. Try not to be wasteful as this kit contains just enough food for your worms to complete their metamorphosis. Also, try to keep the food from drying out by keeping the lid on the tub whenever possible.
Can I handle my silkworms?
Yes, but wash your hands before and after handling. Try not to handle them too much as they are somewhat fragile. When returning them to their incubation tub, don’t forget to replace the lid.
My Silkworms aren’t eating or moving. What’s wrong?
You’ll be glad to know that this is normal, and actually means that your worms are healthy and growing. A Silkworm’s only job is to eat and grow, but because their soft skins do not stretch as they grow, the worms must shed their skins. You will see them “molt” 3 to 4 times during the experiment. Your worms will spend one to two inactive days just before molting. If your worms aren’t eating and are sitting still (especially with their heads raised in the air), keep your eyes peeled! They’re getting ready to molt.
How long before my Silkworms spin their silk?
Silkworms constantly send out threads of silk to help them crawl about. Generally speaking, they won’t be ready to spin their silk cocoons until they are about 20 to 25 days old. Changes in temperature, the age of your worms when you received them, and other variables influence the growth of your worms. However, the more you feed your worms, the quicker they will mature and begin to spin their cocoons.
What happens during silk-spinning?
Before spinning, the silkworms will eat much more than they ever did during earlier stages, so be sure to give them plenty of food. Just before spinning, the worms will stop eating and go to the sides of the tub. They may excrete a clear or brownish liquid at this time. Your silkworms will need about 3 full days to complete their cocoons.
How long will the silkworms be in their cocoons?
Approximately 18 to 21 days. During this time, refrain from disturbing the cocoons. Your silkworms are doing the hard work of metamorphosis in there!
How long will the Silkworm moths live?
Approximately 7 to 10 days. Females generally live longer than males.
How do I tell the males from the females?
Male silkworm moths are smaller than the females, sometimes only half the size. Females will have a blunt yellow/brown gland protruding from their tails, which exudes pheromones to attract males.
What will happen to my moths?
Upon emerging from the cocoon, the silkworm moth’s crumpled wings will need to open completely. Don’t be alarmed if the moth’s wings remain crumpled. This is normal. If you have a male and a female, they will want to mate. You’ll know that they are mating if they are facing away from each other while joining their tails together. They may do this for a whole day or even two. After this, the male’s job is done, and he will soon die. After they mate, remove the male so the female can lay her eggs without being disturbed. The female may lay up to 500 yellow pinhead-sized eggs. She will lay eggs even if she doesn’t mate with a male, but they won’t hatch because the eggs will be unfertilized.
What if the eggs hatch?
If your moths have mated, after about 20 days the eggs will hatch and you can start the entire Silkworm City process over again! Be sure to gather Mulberry leaves or order Insect Lore Silkworm Chow, so your new silkworms won’t go hungry.
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