Silkworm's Diet | Animals - mom.me Silkworm's Diet China forbade selling silkworms outside the country for centuries. Photos.com/Photos.com/Getty Images Silkworms are picky eaters: They like only one type of food: leaves from the white mulberry tree. Humans engaged in sericulture -- the keeping of silkworms for the purpose of harvesting silk from the insects' cocoons -- feed silkworms their preference for the highest-quality silk. It is not necessary to provide silkworms with water. White Mulberry Tree The silkworm's appetite for the white mulberry tree leaf is so voracious that arborists and botanists often refer to the tree as the silkworm mulberry. Its leaves are the silkworms' top choice for food; usually it's the only choice silkworms readily accept. Leaves that are just fully developed but still young and tender are best for feeding silkworms, according to the United States Department of Agriculture. That dining preference is a good thing for silkworms: White mulberry trees have short life spans but grow much faster than other trees, thus quickly producing matured leaves.

Osage Orange When white mulberry leaves aren't available, silkworms will eat the leaves of the osage-orange tree as well as other mulberry tree species. It's more like a necessary evil than a preferred choice: The quality of the silk produced via worms eating these leaves is generally not as high as that produced via silkworms eating white mulberry. Captive Diet The discussion of silkworms' preferred food is, in reality, moot. This is because silkworms no longer live in natural or wild settings where they can make their own dietary choices. Humans provide their food and keep them in production-oriented settings. According to the online magazine Informed Farmer, silkworms were domesticated in China nearly 5,000 years ago. Silkworms have become extinct outside of silk factories and the hobby boxes that children sometimes keep them in, according to the Burke's Backyard website. An artificial diet comprising primarily mulberry leaves is available at most pet or feed stores. Voracious Appetite Silkworms eat, and they eat some more. As larvae, silkworms never stop eating, according to the Burke's Backyard website.

It was their insatiable appetite for white mulberry tree leaves that inadvertently created the demand for the silk produced by their cocoons. According to a legend posted at Burke's Backyard, silk was discovered when Chinese Emperor Huangdi ordered his wife Xilingshi to find out what was damaging his mulberry tree. She discovered white worms eating the leaves and spinning shiny cocoons. In an experimental move, Xilingshi dropped a cocoon into hot water in a tea cup to see if the worm would die. The pupa inside the cocoon did perish, but in the process, a slender thread of silk unwound itself from the cocoon and started an industry the Chinese kept secret for centuries. How Much to Feed It is best to acquire fresh mulberry leaves to feed silkworms. Give them as much as they will consume. If you are buying artificial food, the Silkworm Shop recommends 2 pounds of silkworm food to raise 50 silkworms from egg to cocoon.

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS (For 1/2 lb Powdered Silkworm/Hornworm Chow) MICROWAVE OVEN (preferred method) CAUTION: Use at least a 1 1/2 quart microwave safe container at least 5 inches deep for each 1/2 lb. packet of Chow or it may boil-over. 1) Add 1/2 lb. of powdered Chow to 22-24 ounces (2 3/4 - 3 cups) of hot tap water and mix thoroughly by hand until all traces of powder are gone. (A wide butter knife works well for mixing.) 2) Place a sheet of plastic cling wrap over the top of the container to retain moisture. 3) Cook on high for several minutes until mixture begins to boil (it will puff up and rise to about one-third higher than its original level). 4) Turn off microwave and stir for a few seconds for uniform consistency. 5) Repeat step number 3 (for about 2 minutes), and then step 4 again. 6) Immediately place a sheet of plastic wrap inside the container and press it against the chows surface so it clings directly to the surface of the hot chow.

This will prevent excessive condensation from forming and help keep the chow sterile. 7) Allow to cool and then put lid on and place into refrigerator. 8) Remove from fridge, peel back plastic wrap, slice and serve when firm. After the Chow cools, it should have a consistency similar to soft cheese. WARNING: Do not handle the cooked Chow unless your hands have been thoroughly washed. Silkworms are very sensitive and susceptible to bacterial problems if their food is not kept sterile. Hornworms are less sensitive. NOTE: The cooked Chow will keep for a month or more in the refrigerator if kept airtight. The powder can be stored for about 6 months if kept in a cool dark place, or longer in a refrigerator (WE RECOMMEND REFRIGERATING) Each 1/2 lb. of powder makes approx. 2 lbs. of cooked Chow, enough to feed/grow approx. 350 silkworm eggs into 1 1/2 to 2 inch long worms. COOKING CHOW ON STOVE-TOP NOTE: A double boiler will give better results than cooking directly on the stove top burner (it reduces stirring and prevents burning). We recommend using a microwave oven (see above).

1) Pour 1/2 lb. powdered Chow into a pot containing 2 3/4 cups of hot tap water. 2) Mix well by hand (it starts out thick but thins out as it gets hotter). 3) Place on stove top and bring to a boil for 5 minutes (stir continuously if you are not using a double boiler to avoid burning). 4) Stir mixture vigorously (for uniform consistency) for a few seconds immediately before pouring (for faster cooling - pour into a container to a depth of about 3 inches). 5) Immediately place a sheet of plastic wrap over the surface of the mixture and press so it clings directly to the surface of the hot chow. This will reduce condensation and will help keep the chow sterile. 6) Allow to cool and then put a lid on and place into refrigerator. 7) Peel back plastic wrap -- slice and feed when firm. WARNING: Do not handle the cooked Chow unless your hands have been thoroughly washed. Silkworms are very sensitive and susceptible to bacterial problems if their food is not kept sterile. Hornworms are less sensitive. NOTE: The cooked Chow will keep for a month or two in the refrigerator if kept airtight.

The powder can be stored for about 6 months if kept in a cool dark place, or up to a year in a refrigerator (WE RECOMMEND REFRIGERATING) Each 1/2 lb. of powdered silkworm chow makes approx. 2 lbs. of cooked Chow, enough to feed/grow approx. 350 to 500 silkworm eggs into 1 1/2 to 2 inch long worms. Each pound of powdered chow makes 4 pounds of chow when prepared, only takes about 5 minutes in a microwave oven. SILKWORM HATCHING AND RAISING INSTRUCTIONS (FROM EGGS) 1) HATCHING THE EGGS: For best hatching results keep eggs between 78 - 85 degrees Fahrenheit (an incubator works best). The eggs will hatch at somewhat lower "room" temperature but will take longer (and the worms will not grow very well). When the eggs arrive, leave the lid on the petri dish and place it under a large cereal bowl and place a small piece of damp paper towel (or sponge) next to petri dish to keep humidity high.

Also, prop one side of the bowl up about 1/4th inch for air flow. The eggs will change from a purplish color to a light bluish/gray color a couple days before they hatch (see picture below). When eggs begin to hatch - prepare 1/2 pound bag of chow and refrigerate so it will be ready. Once they start to hatch, remove the bowl and the light will usually cause them to hatch within 24 hours. (Once they hatch, the egg shells are white and the worms are black.) If however they do not all hatch within 24 hours, it is okay to place a few tiny chunks of chow in petri dish to allow the early hatchers to feed. Try not to allow the chow to come into contact with the unhatched eggs, or the moisture in the chow can cause them not to hatch. All worms must be fed within 24 hours after hatching or they will starve. IMPORTANT: Excessive condensation forming inside the petri dish (after placing the chow in the petri) due to cool temperatures is a leading cause of failure.

The best way to avoid condensation in the petri dish (after feeding) is by using an incubator (but a warm room or heated closet also will work). The reason an incubator works so well is because it warms the air around the petri dish and not just the petri dish. When the air is warmed around the petri dish, only a light fog or mist will form in the petri dish - which is okay - but if you heat the petri dish "directly" by using a light bulb, heating pad, or other heat source, oftentimes excessive condensation will form and will drown the newly hatched worms in the petri dish. Also, if the petri is too close to the heat source the eggs or worms can become overheated and is another cause of failure. SEE INFO (AND PICTURE) BELOW ON SUGGESTIONS FOR HOW TO KEEP YOUR SILKWORM EGGS/WORMS WARM IF YOU DO NOT HAVE AN INCUBATOR. 2) FIRST FEEDING: Wash hands thoroughly before handing the cooked chow or bacteria may contaminate the food! When most the worms have hatched, open petri dish and place about 4 to 7 strips of chow (approx.

the diameter of a pencil) inside the petri dish, leaving approx. a 1/2 inch gap in between each strip; replace lid (see picture below). Try to maintain AMBIENT AIR temperatures between 78 and 85 degrees. Allow worms to feed for between 5 - 7 days, depending on number of worms in dish (keep petri lid on continuously). 3) SECOND FEEDING: Feed again by placing new chow strips into the gaps next to the old chow strips and allow to feed for 3 - 5 days, while the worms grow to approx. 1 inch long. The old strips can be removed as the worms crawl on top of the new strips to feed. (NOTE: petri dish lid should remain on petri dish continuously.) 4) TRANSFER WORMS: After approx. 8 to 12 days from their first feeding (depending on the number of worms in petri dish), it is time to remove the lid from the petri dish and slide the worms out of the petri dish and into a large shallow tupperware type sweater-box or shoe box size plastic tote type container (a shallow cardboard box or dinner plate or plastic tray covered with wax paper also will work).

(The old food, waste and stringy silk material can be removed but does not have to be, to help keep your worms clean you can occasionally put clean mesh down on top of the worms and feed by placing food on top of mesh, worms will crawl up through mesh to feed and you can lift worms up with mesh to lift up off of the old waste and silk.) Continue feeding using strips of chow. After each feeding, place a lid with holes punched in it loosely over the container (place lid askew and punch plenty of holes in the lid to allow worms to breath) for several hours (8 to 24 hours) while the worms feed (this should keep the chow from drying out prematurely while the worms feed). If raising in a tray or container with no lid or if chow is drying out too quickly you can place a large sheet of wax paper over the top of the worms to keep them and the chow moist while they feed. Continue feeding every day (or every other day) depending on how fast they eat. NOTE: It is IMPORTANT to make sure the old chow from the previous feeding has thoroughly dried before each new feeding.

To dry out the old chow, you will need to remove the container lid for several hours (as many hours as it takes). As the worms grow larger (over 1 inch long) they sometimes eat the chow so quickly that a lid may not be required at all. 5) CLEANING: Many customers have reported that the more the worms are handled and their containers cleaned, the more they experience a die-off. It is not necessary to clean the worms containers (until they get large) AS LONG AS the old Chow is allowed to dry-out thoroughly before each new feeding. Old damp chow is a breeding ground for mold and other problems, dry chow is not. To help keep your worms clean you can occasionally put mesh down on top of the worms and feed by placing food on top of mesh, worms will crawl up through mesh to feed and you can lift worms up with mesh to lift up off of the old waste and silk. (Mesh may be found at Lowe's or similar type store sold in rolls as plastic gutter guard.) 6) Continue to feed until the worms reach the desired size.

(We recommend feeding them to your animals before they reach full size because they tend to become more fragile and die easier as they approach full size.) Under ideal conditions (78 to 85 degrees and allowed to feed nearly continuously) they can reach 1 inch in length in about 12 days, and 3 inches in under 30 days. The worms can begin to spin cocoons at 28 days old when they are between 2 1/2 and 3 inches long (usually takes 2 to 3 days to complete cocoon). The moths usually emerge in 2 to 3 weeks and they do not eat or fly. They will usually mate and lay eggs and die within a week. Fertile eggs turn from yellow to gray in a week or so, and if they don't hatch within 3 weeks, they usually will not hatch until the following year. MOLD: Mold develops from high temperatures and high humidity. If the worms are covered too long, mold can develop and may kill the worms. If mold develops, grate about 1/2 inch of chow all over the worms with a cheese grater.

Several hours later, as the worms crawl to the top of the new chow pile you can peel and lift them off the moldy chow and place them into a new container. You can remove worms from mold underneath by putting mesh down on top of the worms and feed by placing food on top of mesh, worms will crawl up through mesh to feed and you can lift worms up with mesh to lift up off of the old waste and silk. (Mesh may be found at Lowe's or similar type store sold in rolls as plastic gutter guard.) NOTE: If you plan on using mulberry leaves to feed your silkworms, remember that when they first hatch their jaws are so tiny and weak that they can only eat the smallest (1/2 to 1 inch long) new tender growth mulberry leaves. When they hatch, place one or two mulberry leaves into the petri dish until they are completely consumed (and repeat at least twice per day). Remember they do not easily convert to eating Silkworm Chow once they taste fresh mulberry leaves. Please let us know if you are not successful hatching and raising your worms...we may be able to help you figure out what went wrong.

1000 silkworm eggs next to a quarter for size reference. Here is a picture of 1000 silkworm eggs that are ready to hatch (left petri dish), and another petri dish with 1000 eggs that are about 1 week away from hatching (right petri dish). Notice the darker purplish color of the eggs that are a week away from hatching compared to the lighter bluish eggs that are within a day of hatching. Eggs always turn this light bluish color a few days before they hatch. Picture of eggs after tiny silkworms have hatched (must be fed within 24 hours after hatching) Recommended way to slice and place chow into large petri dish after worms have hatched (keep lid on petri dish and keep warm; 78 - 85 degrees).

Our picture shows 1000 eggs that just hatched, but we recommend no more than 500 eggs per large petri dish to get the maximum number of silkworms from the eggs (otherwise overcrowding can cause a higher percentage of losses) PROPER HEATING METHOD--PETRI DISH (CONTAINING SMALL SILKWORMS) INFO BELOW APPLIES ONLY TO NEWLY HATCHED (AND SMALL SILKWORMS under 3/4 inch) IN PETRI DISH. IMPORTANT: Excessive condensation, and cool temperatures (under 75 degrees) are the leading causes of failure when the silkworms are under 3/4 inch long. The best way to avoid excessive condensation in the petri dish is by using an incubator (especially when the worms are small). EXCESSIVE CONDENSATION is defined as drops of water forming on inside of petri dish lid and dripping on worms. NOTE: If the worms are 3/4 inch long or larger, then condensation and temperature will not have as much effect on them.

WHY WE RECOMMEND USING AN INCUBATOR FOR SMALL SILKWORMS IN PETRI DISH CONTAINING CHOW The reason an incubator works so well is because it warms the air around the petri dish, and not just the petri dish. When the air is warmed around the petri dish, only a light fog or mist will form inside the petri dish (which is okay), but if you heat the petri dish "directly" by setting the petri dish on a heating pad (or using a light bulb) to heat, oftentimes, excessive condensation will form on the inside of petri dish lid and will drip down and can drown the small silkworms under 3/4 inch. Also when excessive condensation forms in the petri dish - it causes the chow to dry out prematurely due to the water evaporating out of the chow (making it dry and difficult for the worms to feed on). An incubator can make the difference between success and failure. Incubator with thermostat (above), see link below to order Nothing works as well as an incubator because it has a thermostat.

However, a warm room or heated closet (where temperature does not fluctuate) will also work. However, if you have to use an alternate heat source, such as a heating pad, it will not work as well as an incubator because it is difficult to regulate the correct temperature without a thermostat. If you have no alternative - make sure you do not set petri dish directly on (or too close to) a heating pad. Instead use a large box (preferably plastic) and place heating pad under the box and place the petri dish in the box, we recommend you place the petri dish on an object such as a cup (see picture below), and place it inside the box so the petri dish is suspended several inches above the floor of the box (keep lid on box). Even so, the temperature may be too hot in the day (depending on your room temperature) and you may need to partially remove lid. If you choose to use a light bulb (or a ceramic heat bulb) to heat the petri dish we recommend a 40 to 60 watt bulb. From our experience, we found if you use a plastic box approx. 24 inches long, by approx.

16 inches wide, and 12+ inches tall (available at Walmart), and place a 60 watt light bulb inside, it will keep the temperature inside the box around 80 to 85 degrees (when room temp is 65 to 70 degrees), if you leave the lid on the plastic box. IMPORTANT: Make sure that you place the light bulb to the farthest corner away from the petri dish so the light will not shine directly on the petri dish or you will likely get a condensation problem (you also may want to make a partition out of cardboard to shield the petri dish from the light). Light rays entering the petri dish will cause extra heat to enter and will usually cause excessive condensation. NOTE: Ceramic bulbs (see picture below) do not give off light and do not need a partition. Also, it is advisable to place the petri dish on a cup (see picture below with petri dish on purple cup). Notice it is up off the bottom of the box - as it will be warmer higher up.

Notice this setup of plastic container with 60 watt ceramic heat bulb (tan), sitting on a tea cup - with petri dish suspended off floor of box (on top of purple cup). NOTE: an incubator works MUCH better than this makeshift setup because it has a thermostat and can regulate and maintain correct temperatures. Unfortunately using this system (above) has some drawbacks... it may be too hot during the day, and not warm enough at night (depending on room temperature) so you will want to keep a close eye on your thermometer to maintain correct temperature. CAUTION: Be careful because light bulbs (and ceramic heat bulbs) get VERY hot and can melt plastic and cause a fire. Below see a picture of an inexpensive incubator (approx. $50.00). We recommend Hova-Bator model #1602N because it has an adjustable thermostat and does not have a fan. We do not recommend an incubator with a fan because it will circulate the air and will cause the silkworm food inside the petri dish to dry-out too quickly and the worms will not be able to feed. Note that the incubuator used must have an adjustable thermostat (those made for poultry generally do not).

Hova-Bator Incubator Invented by G.Q.F. Manufacturing Co. over 30 years ago, the Hova-Bator is still the WORLD'S BEST SMALL INCUBATOR and the THERMAL AIR FLOW MODEL, is the most economical, reliable incubator available. The radiant heat tube gently warms the inside of the incubator, the air and eggs. Thermal action of the heated air flowing out the exhaust vents in the top of the incubator, draws fresh air in through the bottom vent. Dimensions 18 x 18 x 7 1/2, 110 Volt AC. 25 Watt Heat Element. This incubator has an adjustable wafer thermostat and it can be used for reptile eggs, bird eggs and of course hatching and raising silkworms. Sorry, we are no longer are selling incubators, but you can "Google" them online. The model we recommend is #1602N (or equivalent).

SMALL AND MEDIUM SILKWORM CARE SHEET (WORMS WITHOUT FOOD IN CUP) Upon Arrival (Ambient Air temps should be kept around 75-85 where raising silkworms): 1) Open dish silkworms arrived in and place worms into a shoe box or sweater box size container (preferably plastic). 2) Prepare Silkworm Chow and grate a small amount of chow (approx. 1/4 inch) on top of all the worms using a cheese grater (or use fresh mulberry leaves if you prefer). 3) After each feeding, place a lid with holes punched in it loosely over the container (place lid askew and punch plenty of holes in the lid to allow worms to breath) for several hours (at least 8 hours) while the worms feed (this should keep the chow from drying out prematurely while the worms feed). If raising in a tray or container with no lid or if chow is drying out too quickly you can place a large sheet of wax paper over the top of the worms to keep them and the chow moist while they feed. 4) Feed chow in strips or chunks as the worms grow larger.

5) Feed everyday until worms reach the desired size. 6) To help keep your worms clean you can occasionally put mesh down on top of the worms and feed by placing food on top of mesh, worms will crawl up through mesh to feed and you can lift worms up with mesh to lift up off of the old waste and silk. This also works if you notice that mold has formed on old food, you can bring the worms up off the old food and save them this way. (Mesh may be found at Lowe's or similar type store sold in rolls as plastic gutter guard.) NOTE: During mulberry season we often package silkworm shipments with fresh mulberry leaves because it makes a great packing material as well as providing food during shipping. However, sometimes when silkworms have been feeding on mulberry leaves they are a bit reluctant to eat Silkworm Chow until they get very hungry. To get them to feed on the chow you may need to separate them from all traces of mulberry leaves (and stems) before offering them chow.

GOLIATH HORNWORM CARE SHEET When your Goliath hornworms arrive (leave the lid on) and orient the cup so the food is at the top and the lid is facing down on a table. (Be sure and prop up edge of lid about 1/4 inch so air can flow between the table and the lid or the cups cannot breathe properly.) The worms will grip the mesh and feed upward towards the food and their waste will fall down (on the lid). The worms can remain in the cup until they run out of food (or outgrow it). As the worms grow larger, you will need to discard their frass (waste) by gently opening the lid and allowing the frass to drop into the trash. Try to keep the temperature between 80-85 degrees if you want them to grow very quickly. (Temperatures above 90 degrees can be fatal.) Once they reach about an inch long, they grow astonishingly fast. They can grow from 1 inch, to between 3 and 4 inches in 4 to 7 days (if kept very warm).

HOW TO SLOW HORNWORM GROWTH Goliath Hornworms worms grow so quickly sometimes they grow too big, too fast for some customers' animals to eat. When Goliath Hornworms reach the size desired, you can slow growth dramatically and extend shelf life considerably (by a couple weeks) if you store them between 55 and 65 degrees. DO NOT REFRIGERATE hornworms because most refrigerators are between 35 and 40 degrees (too cold) which will kill them. If you don't have a "cool room" or a wine cooler, the easiest way to extend their shelf life is to place the worm cup in an ice chest with refreezable ice packs (making sure the ice pack is not touching the hornworm cup!) and exchange the ice packs with fresh ones as needed to keep cool. There is enough food in each cup to raise several hornworms to full size. If however you run short on food, they may become cannibalistic.

Larger hornworms can eat ripe tomato, sliced potato or bell pepper, or you can purchase additional green Silkworm/Hornworm Chow or yellow Hornworm food from Mulberry Farms at CAUTION: DO NOT FEED TOMATO OR TOBACCO LEAVES TO HORNWORMS BECAUSE THEY ARE TOXIC TO REPTILES!!! Also, like superworms, hornworms are able to bite. (Some pet owners choose to remove their jaws with fingernail clippers before feeding the larger worms to their animals.) MOLD: If your cups develop mold in them, simply take a spoon and remove it. The main cause of mold forming in the cups is from too much humidity, and from the worm's frass coming into contact (and sticking) to the food. Also remove any worms if they die. In 2-3 weeks from the time they hatch (when they are between 3 and 4 inches long) the hornworms will stop eating (and let go of the mesh in the cup) and drop to the bottom of the cup.

If you look carefully you will notice their color will fade and they will have developed a brownish purple color down the length of their back where their pulsating heartbeat is visible. At this point they stop eating and become restless and begin looking for a place to bury themselves (to pupate). They now are ready to change into a pupa and eventually a moth. At this stage they will either pupate or die - so you better hurry and feed them to your hungry Herps! If you want the hornworms to pupate, place them in a cup containing damp peat-moss or dirt and they will dig down about 4 inches deep and then they will usually pupate within about 2 weeks. The moths can emerge between 2 weeks and several months later. CAUTION: Do not release the worms, pupa or moths into the wild because hornworms are considered pests and can damage crops. HATCHING GOLIATH HORNWORM EGGS Goliath hornworm eggs are not stored or raised like silkworms eggs. Several methods work for hatching fresh hornworm eggs and feeding newly hatched hornworms.

The two methods we have found that work best are (1) hatch hornworm eggs in petri dish and "flick" into the cup when hatched; (2) place hornworm eggs on lid and hatch out on lid with cup in proper lid down position (they will crawl up mesh to eat the food). You can experiment and use whichever method works best for you, or you may find another method that works better for your use. As with silkworm eggs, hornworm eggs should not be hatched directly on the food as this will cause poor hatch rate, death among the eggs, and possibly mold. Ideal temps for hatching hornworm eggs are 80-85 degrees. How Much Food Will My Hornworms Eat? It takes about 1 oz of prepared food per hornworm to reach full size (approx. 3/4 lb of prepared hornworm chow for 10-12 hornworms). UPDATE: NEW SHIPMENT OF SILKWORM EGGS ARRIVED 7/15/16!

Silkworm Eggs ordered in lots of 200, 500 and 1000 now come loose in a small petri dish with a large petri dish included for hatching. (We are no longer shipping eggs glued down as weather can cause the glue to lose its adhesive quality and the eggs end up coming loose.) When you receive your eggs place them in the center of the large petri dish for hatching. (If static electricity causes eggs to stick to the small petri dish rub the bottom of the petri dish with a dryer sheet to disperse the static electricity/release the eggs.) Silkworm Chow is sold separately. When the silkworm eggs hatch (within a week to ten days) prepare the silkworm chow and feed (see our Care & Raising Tips-FAQ page for more detailed instructions). To obtain the maximum number of live silkworms from the eggs, we recommend that there be no more than 1000 eggs per large petri dish (ideally 200 to 500 eggs per large petri dish is best), otherwise you may end up with a lower percentage of silkworms because of overcrowding.

If you order eggs in BULK (2,000 to 25,000 counts), they will all arrive loose in 1 petri dish. No additional petri dishes for hatching are included with bulk egg counts; therefore, if you purchase eggs in bulk we recommend that you purchase additional large petri dishes along with egg scoops (if you do not already have them) and place the eggs into the petri dishes for hatching. NOTE: Newly hatched silkworms must be consistently maintained at warm temperatures (at least 78 degrees) (and not allowed to become too dry) or they will not grow and will usually die. We recommend incubators (see our Care & Raising Tips for more details on incubators and keeping them warm without one). Once the silkworms reach about 3/4 inch long (after about 10 to 12 days from the time they hatched) they are past the critical stage and can be rasied at lower temperatures but they should be kept warm thru all stages to grow quickly and remain healthy. MULBERRY FARMS IS THE ONLY USDA INSPECTED AND PERMITTED SILKWORM EGG IMPORTER IN THE U.S.

FEEDER INDUSTRY, which means other companies buy their silkworm eggs from us! BUY YOUR EGGS DIRECT FROM THE SOURCE!! Our silkworm eggs are of SUPERIOR QUALITY ***NON CHINESE SOURCE!*** Silkworm information Have the kids measure the length of the silkworms and graph them as they grow. Rainfall: When the silkworms are large, take the lid off the container and have the children be extremely quiet. They will be able to hear the sound of the silkworms moving around! It sounds like a gentle rainfall. The sound is not chewing, but their little suction-cup feet lifting off the leaves and plopping back down again. Silkworm pet. Give each kid a silkworm in a cut-down milk carton on their desk. Have them put in a fresh leaf twice a day, and empty the poop out. Put in a stick and they can see it crawl around. Wait until the caterpillars are two weeks old since there is a high mortality rate for the first few weeks. Heartbeat. With a full-grown caterpillar, you can easily see the heart pumping blood through the translucent skin.

The heart is located at the rear end of the caterpillar on the top. You can see it pulse. The main artery carrying the blood is where the backbone would be if it had one. Egg laying. If a female moth happens to be laying eggs, have the children watch. You can actually see the yellow eggs emerge one at a time from her rear end! She feels around with her ovipositor ("egg-layer" in Latin) until she feels an empty place to put the egg. Coarse thread . You can make silk thread without killing any of the pupas. When the cocoons are spun, there is a fair amount of loose silk on them. Have the children gently pull it off the cocoon, making sure not to crush it. They can then roll it between their fingers to make a coarse silk thread. Fine thread. In order to unwind the cocoon, you must kill the pupa inside. Place the cocoons on a cookie sheet in 200 degree oven for 30 minutes. Then drop the cocoons in boiling water. After five minutes, you can reach in (wearing rubber dishwashing gloves), and begin to unwind the cocoon.

Unwinding five at a time will make a fine, strong, thread. Silk bookmarks. You can cut out shapes from cardboard and stick it on a bottle. Then place the spinning worm on the top. The worm, not having a corner to spin it's cocoon, will criss cross over the top of the card, and around the edges. Once the worm became a pupa, take it off the card, take the silk off the card and have a silk woven shape like a heart or cross or star. Of course the worms don't care much for corners on shapes, so there will be rounded corners instead of sharp ones. You can put more than one worm on a shape to make it thicker. These silk shapes made great bookmarks! History The history of the silkworm, which is also the story of silk, goes back to ancient times in China. Some of the stories have been handed down through the generations and are probably based party on fact and partly on legend and myth. The tale which persists is that about 2,640 B.C. a Chinese empress, Si-Ling-Chi, was watching the glistening amber cocoons that little worms were spinning in the mulberry trees in the palace gardens.

She unwound one of the threads on a cocoon and found that it was one, very long strand of shiny material. Fascinated, she pulled strands from several cocoons through her ring to form a thicker thread. Eventually, with the help of her ladies of the court, she spun the threads into a beautiful piece of cloth to make a robe for the emperor, Huang-Ti. This magnificent material, silk, became known at the "cloth of kings". For thousand of years on the royal family of China had silk. The Chinese kept the secret of how silk was made for 2500 years. The material was sold to the rulers of the West, but the source of the shiny thread that made the material was not revealed. The penalty in China for telling that the silk came from the cocoons of the little silkworms was death! Some very strange ideas were formulated as to the origin of silk. Here are a few: Silk came from the colored petals of flowers in the Chinese desert, silk was made of wondrously soft soil, silk came from a spider-like animal that ate until it burst open and the silk threads were found inside its body, and silk came from the silky fuzz on special leaves.

These ideas seem far-fetched today -- but in ancient times they were serious theories. Legend has it that the Japanese carries off four Chinese maidens, who knew the secret of silk, along with mulberry shoots and silk moth eggs. Today Japan is the leading producer of silk! Another story is that a Chinese princess married an Indian prince. She carries silkworm eggs and mulberry shoots in her elaborate headdress and the secret of raising silkworms in her head. Now silk was grown and produced in India. Finally, two poor monks told Emperor Justinian of Constantinople that they had learned the secret of silk. Justinian send them back to China to get some eggs and mulberry shoots for him. They returned many years later with the eggs and shoots hidden inside their hollowed-out walking sticks. Since Justinian was the emperor of Constantinople, a crossroads city, the secret soon spread throughout Europe. There are many more interesting stories about the history of silk. Have older children do some research in the library and report to the class. Today silk can be worn by anyone -- not just emperors and noblemen and their families.

Silk is made into many lovely fabrics, such as satin, velvet, chiffon, crepe, brocade, taffeta, faille, and shantung. A good class project would be to see how many different kinds of silk cloth could be collected and put them on a chart for the kids to see and feel. The beautiful colors of silk would also make a nice chart. Modern silkworm moths have been bred to have white silk instead of the amber-colored silk of their wild ancestors. They also have large, fat bodies and tiny wings, so they cannot fly. This makes it easier for silkworm farmers to raise them (and easier for teachers, too!). If you were to release a domesticated silkworm moth into the wild, it would not be able to survive or reproduce. In the wild, silkworms are eaten by ants, spiders, birds and mosquitos. If you have to spray insecticide near the silkworms, move them away for a few days. Display case You can make a display case showing the kids each stage in the silkworm cycle. Buy a clear plastic box frame 11"x14".

A box frame is about 1-1/4" deep so you can put three-dimensional things in it. It comes filled with a tagboard box. Cut out one of the 11"x14" sides of the tagboard box, making a frame. Put captions on an 11"x14" piece of paper and glue it onto the inside of the tagboard frame. Now glue dead moths, cocoons, silk thread and silk cloth in the appropriate places. Cut out leaves from green construction paper and glue them in, too. Make newborn "silkworms" from pieces of black buttonhole thread. Make older "silkworms" of various sizes from Play-dough. Let them dry before gluing them down. Eggs can be Play-dough, beads, sesame seeds, or dots of yellow dimensional fabric paint. Tape the cardboard frame inside the plastic box and admire your work! Use clear silicone glue for best results (it comes in small tubes like toothpaste). Silkworm Science Silkworms are insects. All insects have six legs in the adult stage.

Silkworm caterpillars have six real legs, plus five pairs of pseudopods (false legs) on the rear of the body. The very rear is split and used for grasping twigs and leaves. All insects have no backbone or skeleton, but instead have an exoskeleton (exterior shell). Some insects like cockroaches have a hard, crunchy shell. Silkworms and silkworm moths have a soft skin. Silkworms shed their skins several times while growing. The only warm-blooded animals are mammals and birds. All animals without backbones are cold-blooded, which includes silkworms and all other insects. However, while moving around, all animals' muscles generate heat. If you have a covered container with lots of big silkworms, when you take the lid off, you can feel the heat that was trapped in the container. The difference between warm-blooded and cold-blooded: A warm-blooded animal always has the interior of its body at the same temperature (98.6 degrees for a human) unless it is sick. If their interior temperature gets too high or too low, it will die.

A cold-blooded animal's interior temperature varies widely and is usually within a few degrees of the air around it. On a cold winter day, a cold-blooded animal's temperature may be around 40 degrees F, and on a hot day it may soar to 90 degrees F. It doesn't bother the cold-blooded animal a bit. On warm days, a cold-blooded animal's muscles will be warm, so it can move easily. On a cold day, when its muscles are very cold, it will become lethargic and sluggish. Rattlesnakes in cold areas actually hibernate during the winter since they become too sluggish to move. Bees cannot fly when their muscles are too cold. Bees in cold areas warm up their flight muscles by shivering until they are warm enough to sustain flight. Scientists are still arguing about whether dinosaurs were warm- or cold-blooded. How can you tell if a silkworm is male or female? I don't know how to tell the caterpillars apart, but the moths are easy once you know what to look for. The smallest caterpillars, which make the smallest cocoons, turn into males. The big caterpillars turn into females.

The in-between ones can go either way. Male moths are smaller, and have a flap of skin at the rear. Females periodically extrude a scent gland out the rear. Look at the pictures in Sylvia Johnson's book for close-up photos to help you tell them apart. It takes more energy to make eggs than to make sperm since the eggs are so much larger. The larger caterpillars have more energy, so they become females. The small caterpillars, in order to maximize their contribution to the gene pool, become males so they can (hopefully) impregnate lots of females. What is the Latin (scientific name) for the silkworm? Bombyx mori. I suspect that Mori means mulberry. Why are some cocoons yellow while others are white? It's genetic. Some people have blue eyes and others have brown eyes. Almost all commercial varieties of silkworms make white silk. There are also silkworm varieties that make yellow, orange and pale-green silk. When you cross-breed a "white-silk" silkworm moth with a "yellow-silk" silkworm moth, you get some yellow offspring and some white offspring.

When you have a mom with blue eyes and a dad with brown eyes, some of their kids will have brown eyes and others will be blue-eyed. Same idea. WIth people, brown eyes are dominant. With silkworms, the colored silk is dominant over white. Wild silkworms all make yellow silk, to blend in with dead leaves. Over the centuries, silkworm farmers selectively bred for whiter and whiter silk until they achieved the pure white we see today. They like the pure white because it can be dyed any color without having to bleach it first. Nowadays, with natural and organic products gaining in popularity, people are selectively breeding for colored silks. I propagate eggs for white, yellow, orange and green silk. Cotton farmers have recently begun to breed for colored cottons and have a wide variety of naturally-colored cottons, including yellow, pink, pale-green and orange. Why are some silkworms striped and others solid white? They are all the same species. These minor color variations are like people having different color hair and eyes - but we're still people. What do silkworm moths eat? They don't eat (or drink) anything.

They mate, the female lays eggs, and then they die within 3-6 days. Many different types of insects follow this pattern. The mayfly is another example. Almost all adult butterflies and moths have digestive tracts adapted for sipping nectar from flowers. However, silkworm moths do not feed. They still have a rudimentary gut, since they're descended from an ancestor that fed in adulthood. How far can silkworms smell? Silkworms and female silkworm moths have no sense of smell. Wild adult male silkmoths have an acute sense of smell, but I don't know how far they can smell. I've never seen it in a book or tested it. From personal experience I know that a domestic silkworm male can notice a female silkworm at the opposite end of a large gymnasium, but never have tested a larger distance. I suspect that 1/4 mile would be the limit for a wild silkworm moth (downwind), but I bet that domesticated silkworms have lost much of that sensitivity since they were bred for silk, and natural selection no longer requires them to have any sense of smell whatsoever.

Silkworm poem Which Leaves Do Silkworms Eat? | eHow Which Leaves Do Silkworms Eat?  Email Save There are many species of silkworms, although the domesticated species is called Bombyx mori. Anyone hoping to raise silkworms at home needs to have a greenhouse to reproduce the climate needed for them and for their main food: mulberry leaves. Types Silkworms only feed from the leaves of mulberry trees, preferring white mulberry. They also will eat lettuce and the leaves of two other tree species: the osage orange leaves, Oclura pomifera; and Tree of Heaven, Ailanthus altissima. Alternative In order to feed the millions of silkworms in the silk industry, a commercial silkworm diet is often used instead of fresh leaves. It is made of powdered, dried mulberry leaves.

Speculation Silkworms also given Kenyan royal jelly, or the honey made to rear queen bees of the species Apis mellifera scutellata became heavier and produced more silk, according to a 2007 article in "Journal of Applied Science and Environmental Management." Mulberry Helps Control Blood Sugar, and More You are here: Home > November 2004 Magazine > Mulberry Helps Control Blood Sugar, and More Mulberry Helps Control Blood Sugar, and More Mulberry Helps Control The leaves that silkworms love contain agents that can significantly improve our health By Will Block Ille salubris aestates peraget, qui nigris prandia moris finiet. â Horace, Satires, 35 B.C. n case your Latin isnât what it used to be, that quotation says, âA man will pass his summers in health, who will finish his luncheon with black mulberries.â And you thought mulberries were for the birds. Actually, birds are very fond of mulberries. Humans are less so, however, because, although mulberries are sweet and edible, theyâre considered rather insipid, as berries go.

With such an abundance of delicious blackberries (which mulberries resemble), raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, etc., most people just donât care much for mulberries and are happy to let the birds feast on them. But letâs get back to the quotation. The great Roman lyric poet Horace (his real name was Quintus Horatius Flaccus, and he lived from 65 to 8 B.C.) may have been onto something. The folk medicine of his time encompassed countless herbal remediesâin fact, botany and medicine were pretty much one and the same in those days, and remained so for about another 16 centuriesâand a great variety of therapeutic benefits were ascribed to them. Some of the claims were specific, whereas others, such as Horaceâs couplet about mulberries, were vague, leaving us to wonder just what it was that the ancients saw in these plants. Mulberry leaves have long been used in Chinese medicine for the prevention and treatment of diabetes; they contain compounds that suppress high blood sugar levels.

There was probably at least a germ of truth in all their claims, though, and many of these claims have withstood the tests of time and scientific scrutiny to become accepted by modern medical practitioners as both genuine and significant. In many cases, we can now pinpoint the chemical compounds that gave these ancient herbal remedies their biological activity. Sometimes we extract the compounds from the plants so that they can be used in supplements or drugs, and sometimes we synthesize them in the laboratory for the sake of greater purity or lower cost.* *A favorite practice of the pharmaceutical industry is to take a biologically active natural substance and synthesize novel chemical derivatives that have similar biological activities (often more pronounced, but usually with unwanted side effects that the original substance did not have). These derivatives, belonging exclusively to the drug company that made them, can be patented and sold at high prices as prescription drugs. Mulberry Fights Arterial Plaque Before I forget, a lot of people have asked about implementation strategies using Mulberry for blood sugar control. This page answers that and a whole lot more.

Scientists in Japan have pinpointed a number of biologically active compounds in extracts of the leaves of the white mulberry, Morus alba, a plant that silkworms are crazy about (see the sidebar).1 Not that the silkworms care, but the mulberry-leaf extract turns out to be effective in suppressing the progression of atherosclerosis, the buildup of cholesterol-rich plaque in our arteries.2 It does this, apparently, by inhibiting the oxidation of LDL-cholesterol (low-density lipoprotein, the âbad cholesterolâ), which is a major factor in the development of atherosclerotic plaque. Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush Chances are, the only thing you knew about mulberries before today was the nursery rhyme from Mother Goose. But why dance around a mulberry bush? Wouldnât a myrtle be as good, or perhaps a honeysuckle? Not according to the ancient Celts, who believed that dancing around a mulberry bush at the time of the summer solstice would help protect them from fairies.

(Not all fairies are nice, you knowâsome are malicious, and they reach the height of their magic powers at the solstice.) History does not record how successful this strategy was for the Celts, but at least it led to a cute little song. Some versions of the song call the mulberry a tree, which is botanically correct. Depending on the speciesâof which there are about a dozen in the genus Morus, family Moraceaeâmulberry trees can grow to anywhere from 15 to 70 feet tall (some bush!). Two species are native to the United States, and two more have been naturalized here. Most of the rest are native to the Orient but are widely distributed throughout the warmer temperate regions of Eurasia, Africa, and North America. The plants have a milky sap and bear the fruit for which they are named. One species, the white mulberry (Morus alba), is renowned as the primary food source for silkworms. Widely cultivated in its native China, this tree provides succulent leaves that the worms eat with relish (well, OK, they eat âem straightâno relish).

The beginning of silk production using mulberry leaves is generally attributed to the Chinese Empress Si-Ling, who lived five millennia ago, c. 2960 B.C. The fruit of the white mulberry (which is also found in the eastern United States) is white to pinkish, unlike the red or black berries of most other Morus species. According to one source, white mulberry is the species that has been used exclusively in Chinese medicine since A.D. 659.1 The Chinese Pharmacopoeia (1985) lists the leaves, root bark, branches, and fruit as ingredients in medicinal preparations, but other parts, including the sap and wood ash, are also widely used. (Itâs hard to imagine how wood ash could have medicinal value, except perhaps for its mineral content. The heat of the fire would have destroyed virtually all biologically active molecules. What little organic matter remained, if any, would consist of combustion-generated compounds, including some that might be carcinogenic.) Whatever the plant parts, the Chinese prepare them in a great variety of ways. The leaves and root bark are traditionally processed with honey.

Fresh leaves and fruit are sometimes juiced for internal consumption, but otherwise, all parts are dried for use in decoctions (internal use) or poultices (external use), to which many health benefits are attributed. The leaves alone contain a wide variety of nutrients, including proteins, sugars, polyphenols, flavonoids, steroids, triterpenes, vitamins, and minerals.2 No wonder the silkworms love them. A group of nutritional scientists in India has suggested that the leaves of white mulberry might make a good food, because theyâre so rich in nutrients, especially protein.3 They propose that a 1:4 mixture of mulberry-leaf powder and wheat flour would be suitable for making paratha, the most common food item of breakfast and dinner in the Indian diet. Since this predominantly vegetarian (mostly grain-based) diet is low in protein and too low in vegetables and fruits for good health, the highly nutritious, nontoxic, and inexpensive mulberry leaves are seen as a potential remedy. Paratha made according to the nutritionistsâ proposal has even passed the taste test in studies with volunteers (who did not, however, start producing silk). Langley L, ed.

Encyclopedia of Herbs and Their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, New York, 1995. Andallu B, Varadacharyulu NC. Antioxidant role of mulberry (Morus indica L. cv. Anantha) leaves in streptozotocin-diabetic rats. Clin Chim Acta 2003;338:3-10. Srivastava S, Kapoor R, Thathola A, Srivastava RP. Mulberry (Morus alba) leaves as human food: a new dimension of sericulture. Int J Food Sci Nutr 2003;54(6):411-6. The Japanese researchers reached this conclusion based on their observations of the antioxidant effects of the mulberry extract on LDL-cholesterol taken from both rabbits and humans. They believe that the agents primarily (but not exclusively) responsible for this effect are two closely related compounds, isoquercitrin and astragalin. The former contains, as part of its molecular structure, the well-known antioxidant flavonoid quercetin, which is found in many foods and in a variety of nutritional supplements.

In studying the antioxidant effects of the whole mulberry-leaf extract and, separately, of the compound isoquercitrin, as well as of the compound quercetin (which is not found as such in mulberry), the researchers observed that all were effective but that isoquercitrin was somewhat less effective than the same amount of quercetin. They also reported, however, that when isoquercitrin is ingested (by mice), it is largely metabolized to quercetin. Thus, although quercetin is not found in mulberry, mulberry is still a good source for it (and the silkworms still couldnât care less). Dancing round the mulberry bush. An abstract reinterpretation of the nursery rhyme, based on a painting by Katherine Shaughnessy. Mulberry Fights Diabetes The antioxidant, antiatherosclerotic effects of mulberry are gratifying, of course (and here weâre making the assumption that the effects seen in laboratory and animal experiments would be seen in actual human beings as well), but thereâs more to the story than that.

Mulberry leaves have long been used in Chinese medicine for the prevention and treatment of diabetes, because, as we now know, they contain chemical compounds that suppress high blood sugar levels (hyperglycemia) following a carbohydrate-rich meal. Controlling blood sugar (glucose) levels is vitally important. When these levels rise sharply, as they do after ingesting foods with a high glycemic index, such as potatoes or sweets, the body responds by producing more insulin to deal with the overload. But if this demand for more insulin occurs too strongly too often, the ability of the pancreas to produce enough insulin may become impaired, and our cells may become resistant to insulin as it tries to do its job of facilitating glucose transport through the cell walls. The result is insulin resistance, a dangerous condition that, if unchecked, leads to type 2 diabetes. Its primary cause is obesity. Generally speaking, if you are obese, your risk for diabetes is high; if not, itâs low (unless you happen to have a genetic predisposition for diabetes).

There Are Different Ways to Attack Diabetes Diabetes is a complicated disease with many ramifications, among which are increased risks for atherosclerosis and cataracts, both of which are strongly linked to oxidative stress caused by insufficient blood levels of antioxidants. The fact that people with diabetes have significantly lower antioxidant levels than normal suggests that this disease is affected by oxidative stressâa view that is supported by the well-known clinical efficacy of lipoic acid (âthe antioxidantâs antioxidantâ) in preventing and treating diabetes. It is reasonable to suppose that many other antioxidants are also beneficial against diabetes, and some have indeed been proven to be effective. One of these is the compound EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate), a green-tea polyphenol that also happens to be a potent anticarcinogen. But there are other therapeutic approaches to diabetes as well. One is through compounds that mimic the effects of insulin, such as MHCP (methylhydroxychalcone polymer), a constituent of cinnamon.

Another approach is through compounds that inhibit the action of intestinal enzymes called alpha-glucosidases, whose function is to break disaccharides (double sugars, such as sucrose, maltose, and lactose) down to monosaccharides (single sugars, such as glucose, fructose, and galactose) so that they can pass through the intestinal walls into the bloodstream. Mulberry Controls Blood Sugar Another research group in Japan has found that white mulberry leaves contain compounds that inhibit these intestinal enzymes.3 In experiments with normal rats, they found that certain nitrogen-containing sugars in mulberry-leaf extract, notably one called 1-deoxynojirimycin, strongly inhibited the intestinal metabolism of disaccharides (especially sucrose), thereby restricting the amounts of monosaccharides that entered the circulation. They also found that pretreating the rats with mulberry extract before feeding them carbohydrates significantly suppressed the normal postprandial (after-meal) rise in blood glucose levels. This beneficial effect occurred in a dose-dependent manner.

The doses were, however, very large: 0.1â0.5 g/kg of body weight, which, for a 70-kg (154-lb) human, would be 7â35 g. (A lower dose, 0.02 g/kg, corresponding to 1.4 g for a human, was ineffective.) Nonetheless, the researchers suggested that mulberry extract might be beneficial in preventing human diabetes by suppressing intestinal alpha-glucosidase activities. Mulberry Does Better than Prescription Drug Some would say that thereâs not much difference between rats and humansâa statement that can be interpreted on different levels. On the level of pharmacology, it is generally (but not always) true that thereâs not much difference between the two species. Ultimately, however, there is no good substitute for clinical trials done on actual humans.

Fortunately, a research group in India has done that for mulberry, using leaves from Morus indica (Indian mulberry), a species closely related to Morus alba.4* *Some botanists have suggested that these two species are actually one and the same, but this remains a controversial question that can be answered only by more refined studies.5 Mulberry significantly reduced fasting blood glucose levels in the diabetic men, indicating that it could be useful for controlling diabetes. It also lowered the menâs cholesterol levels. The Indian researchers studied the effects of mulberry on blood glucose levels, on blood lipid levels (cholesterol and triglycerides), and on lipid peroxidation in the cell membranes of erythrocytes (red blood cells). Their test subjects were 24 men, aged 40 to 60, with mild type 2 diabetes.

The men were randomized to two groups: one group received two 500-mg capsules of powdered mulberry leaves three times daily, for a total of 3000 mg (3 g) daily, while the other group received a standard treatment with glibenclamide (more commonly called glyburide), an antidiabetic drug of the sulfonylurea type. The trial lasted for 4 weeks. The results showed that, compared with glibenclamide, mulberry significantly reduced fasting blood glucose levels in the diabetic men, indicating that it could be useful for controlling diabetes. Mulberry also significantly lowered the patientsâ total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, and triglycerides, while significantly increasing their HDL-cholesterol (high-density lipoprotein, the âgood cholesterolâ). By contrast, glibenclamideâs only significant effect was to lower triglycerides.

Mulberry Protects Blood-Cell Membranes The researchers were interested in the patientsâ erythrocyte membranes because these delicate structures, consisting primarily of lipids (fatty substances, including cholesterol), are subject to peroxidation, a destructive process brought about by the highly reactive molecular species known as free radicals. Such oxidative stress is normally offset by the presence of antioxidants, but the levels of these vital protective compounds are typically below normal in diabetic patients, as mentioned above. The resulting damage to the patientsâ erythrocyte membranes can compromise their health in various waysâall part of the scourge of diabetes, in which excessive lipid peroxidation and its destructive effects are characteristic features. It turned out that mulberry significantly reduced lipid peroxidation in the patientsâ erythrocyte membranes, whereas glibenclamide did not. Mulberry also brought about significant reductions in the levels of lipid peroxides in the patients blood plasma and urine. The authors stated: In conclusion, the present study provides preliminary data that suggest that mulberry therapy is capable of enhancing glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Our work suggests that serum and erythrocyte membrane lipids of diabetic patients were favorably affected by mulberry therapy. Dance for Your Life! Diabetes is one of the worst, yet one of the most easily preventable, of the chronic degenerative diseases that afflict us as we get olderâand itâs becoming pandemic. Because of our self-indulgent lifestyleâtoo much rich food, too little exerciseâwe tend to be overweight, out of shape, and prone to high cholesterol and high blood pressure. Thatâs a recipe for insulin resistance and then full-blown diabetes, which opens a Pandoraâs box of awful consequences. The solution is obvious. Not so obvious, however, is the fact that there are nutritional supplements, such as mulberry, that can help us fend off diabetes while we strive to follow a healthier lifestyle. Among the many forms that such striving can take is dancing, which is probably the most enjoyable way to exercise ever invented (âthe vertical expression of a horizontal desire,â as George Bernard Shaw put it). So get out there and dance!

And if you should happen upon a mulberry tree â¦ well, youâll know what to do. References Doi K, Kojima T, Makino M, Kimura Y, Fujimoto Y. Studies on the constituents of the leaves of Morus alba L. Chem Pharm Bull 2001;49(2):151-3. Doi K, Kojima T, Fujimoto Y. Mulberry leaf extract inhibits the oxidative modification of rabbit and human low-density lipoprotein. Biol Pharm Bull 2000;23(9):1066-71. Miyahara C, Miyazawa M, Satoh S, Sakai A, Mizusaki S. Inhibitory effects of mulberry leaf extract on postprandial hyperglycemia in normal rats. J Nutr Sci Vitaminol 2004;50;161-4. Andallu B, Suryakantham V, Srikanthi BL, Reddy GK. Effect of mulberry (Morus indica L.) therapy on plasma and erythrocyte membrane lipids in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Clin Chim Acta 2001;314:47-53. Vijayan K, Srivastava PP, Awasthi AK. Analysis of phylogenetic relationship among five mulberry (Morus) species using molecular markers. Genome 2004;47:439-48. Caution: If you have diabetes, do not take any supplement that may affect your blood sugar levels without first consulting your physician. Diabetes is a serious disease requiring careful professional management. Will Block is the publisher and editorial director of Life Enhancement magazine. FREE Subscription You're just getting started! We have published thousands of scientific health articles. Stay updated and maintain your health. It's free to your e-mail inbox and you can unsubscribe at any time. Types of silk | INTERNATIONAL SERICULTURAL COMMISSION Home » Silk Industry Types of silk There are four types of natural silk which are commercially known and produced in the world. Among them mulberry silk is the most important and contributes as much as 90 per cent of world production, therefore, the term "silk" in general refers to the silk of the mulberry silkworm.

Three other commercially important types fall into the category of non-mulberry silks namely: Eri silk; Tasar silk; and Muga silk. There are also other types of non-mulberry silk, which are mostly wild and exploited in Africa and Asia, are Anaphe silk, Fagara silk, Coan silk, Mussel silk and Spider silk. Mulberry silk Bulk of the commercial silk produced in the world comes from this variety and often generally refers to mulberry silk. Mulberry silk comes from the silkworm, Bombyx mori L which solely feeds on the leaves of mulberry plant. These silkworms are completely domesticated and reared indoors. Mulberry silk contributes to around 90 percent of the world silk production. Non-Mulberry Silk Tasar silk The tasar silkworms belong to the genus Antheraea and they are all wild silkworms.

There are many varieties such as the Chinese tasar silkworm Antherae pernyi Guerin which produces the largest quantity of non-mulberry silk in the world, the Indian tasar silkworm Antheraea mylitte Dury, next in importance, and the Japanese tasar silkworm Antheraea yamamai Querin which is peculiar to Japan and produces green silk thread. The Chinese and Japanese tasar worms feed on oak leaves and other allied species. The Indian tasar worms feeds on leaves of Terminalia and several other minor host plants. The worms are either uni- or bivoltine and their cocoons like the mulberry silkworm cocoons can be reeled into raw silk. Eri silk These belong to either of two species namely Samia ricini and Philosamia ricini. P.ricini (also called as castor silkworm) is a domesticated one reared on castor oil plant leaves to produce a white or brick-red silk popularly known as Eri silk.

Since the filament of the cocoons spun by these worms is neither continuous nor uniform in thickness, the cocoons cannot be reeled and, therefore, the moths are allowed to emerge and the pierced cocoons are used for spinning to produce the Eri silk yarn. Muga silk The muga silkworms (Antheraea assamensis) also belong to the same genus as tasar worms, but produce an unusual golden-yellow silk thread which is very attractive and strong. These are found only in the state of Assam, India and feed on Persea bombycina and Litsaea monopetala leaves and those of other species. The quantity of muga silk produced is quite small and is mostly used for the making of traditional dresses in the State of Assam (India) itself. Anaphe silk This silk of southern and central Africa is produced by silkworms of the genus Anaphe: A. moloneyi Druce, A. panda Boisduval, A. reticulate Walker, A. ambrizia Butler, A. carteri Walsingham, A. venata Butler and A. infracta Walsingham.

They spin cocoons in communes, all enclosed by a thin layer of silk. The tribal people collect them from the forest and spin the fluff into a raw silk that is soft and fairly lustrous. The silk obtained from A. infracta is known locally as "book", and those from A. moleneyi as "Trisnian-tsamia" and "koko" (Tt). The fabric is elastic and stronger than that of mulberry silk. Anaphe silk is used, for example, in velvet and plush. Fagara silk Fagara silk is obtained from the giant silk moth Attacus atlas L. and a few other related species or races inhabiting the Indo-Australian bio-geographic region, China and Sudan. They spin light-brown cocoons nearly 6 cm long with peduncles of varying lengths (2-10 cm). Oregon Silkworms | Live Silkworm, Silkworm Chow, Silkworm for sale.

We believe in a fair deal which is why all of our products are fair trade We believe in a fair deal which is why all our products are fair trade Welcome to Oregon silkworms We have best quality silkworm chow and Live silkworms available at best price . Did you know that silkworms are one of the very best feeder insect? The silkworm life cycle goes through the larva-cocoon-moth stages, which are typical of most moth like insects. Here are some interesting facts about silkworms and their life cycle. The silkworm eggs, laid out about 300 to 400 at a time, generally take about ten days to hatch. Once the silkworm eggs hatch, the larvae or live silkworms eat incessantly during the larvae stage! Silkworms They prefer eating white Mulberry tree leaves, but they will feed on all varieties of the mulberry tree. Silkworm eggs will hatch all year round given the correct conditions. Buy them for the experience to watch a silkworm hatch, spin a cocoon, turn into a moth and lay eggs or buy them as a feeder insect for your reptiles.

We have the best pricing With the best product for anyone starting to raise silkworms (or have been) . I try to make it as simple as possible to get what you need and learn what you want to know about raising silkworms. To keep it simple, we have no checkout minimum, so if you only need a half pound of chow, get only a half pound of chow! When I was starting out with silkworms, I was ordering small amounts of the food so I had to pay a lot more because of the discounts offered with bulk buying. We still do have the bulk pricing but its not as steep as the others, if you only need one bag you will pay less than you would elsewhere for ordering 16 of the exact same product! We have spent years searching for the best deal on this food and we’ve found it! This is very high quality food and is NOT FROM CHINA! If you have any questions on any product please email me at sheller@bendcable.com . You will not find better prices anywhere online for Silkworm Chow!

Question: What type of leaf forms the bulk of a silkworm's diet?
Answer: MULBERRY