The larvae is not really a worm at all but a caterpillar. There are several species of silkworm that are used in commercial silk production, however, Bombyx mori is the most common. Silk is used for suits, coats, trousers, jackets, shirts, ties, lingerie, hosiery, gloves, lace, curtains, linings and handbags. Synthetic fibres such as nylon and polyester are stronger than silk and lower in price.
Plant fibres are capable of producing some amazing fabrics.
Fibres from the pineapple, for example, may be made into fabrics as silky as any silk. Another product, now almost entirely replaced by nylon, was silkworm gut. Immediately before the cocoon stage, pupae were killed by immersion in an acid bath. Their bodies were opened and the thread which was intended to build the cocoon, was removed from their silk glands. This 'gut' was once favoured by surgeons for stitching and by anglers for lines.