UCSB Science Line UCSB Science Line What kind of leaves do silkworms eat? Answer 1: Silkworms are very picky eaters. They will only eat one thing and lots of it, mulberry leaves. It would take about two fully grown trees to produce just one pound of silk. Answer 2: Silkworms are very picky eaters! They only eat mulberry leaves and lots of them. Mulberry is a type of tree that's found in the warmer areas of Asia, Africa, and North America. Mulberry trees have a fruit that we can eat but silkworms only eat the leaves. Click Here to return to the search form. Copyright © 2015 The Regents of the University of California, All Rights Reserved. Silkworms - Frequently Asked Questions Frequently Asked Questions How Do I Care for My Silkworms? Caring for your silkworms is very easy. Upon arrival, place the silkworms in a larger plastic container if they are overcrowded. Feed your worms with either mulberry leaves or pre-made silkworm food (sold separately) .

A cheese grater is the best method for distributing the food evenly, but you can also break the food into smaller pieces. Grate some food directly onto the worms and replace the lid to prevent the food from drying out quickly. If condensation develops, vent the lid Before feeding again, take the lid off until the old food and droppings dry out. If your worms are the desired feeding size upon arrival, you do not need to feed them. They will stay alive for a week or more (depending on temp. and size) without food. Repeat this feeding procedure until the worms reach the desired size. Obviously, the more you feed them, the faster they will grow. As the silkworms grow and become crowded, transfer them to a larger plastic container. The lid you are keeping the worms in needs to have ventilation holes. If not, you need to vent the lid so the silkworms won't suffocate and to allow condensation to dissipate. You may need to separate them into more than one container, depending on the number and size. Handle the worms with extreme care, as they bruise easily. Most of the worms will be clinging to a layer of silk, old food and droppings.

You do not need to separate the worms from the material they are clinging to as long as it is dry. For optimal growth and health, keep your worms at a temperature of 75°-88° F. My Silkworms are Just the Right Size. Can I Stop Feeding Them? Yes. Once the silkworm is past the larva stage, you may stop feeding them, and the worms will live without food for a week or longer (depending on temperature and size). It's a good idea to feed them every few days to extend this "hold" period. Yes. Click Here to learn 11 reasons why silkworms are an excellent critter to feed your pet. Click Here to learn about the nutritional value of silkworms compared to other common feeders. My Silkworms Aren't Eating or Moving. What's Wrong? 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. They will molt 3 to 4 times during growth.

If your worms aren't eating and are sitting still (especially with their heads raised in the air), they're getting ready to molt. Your worms will spend one or two inactive days just before molting. Can I Feed the Silkworms Other Types of Plant Leaves? No. Silkworms can ONLY survive on mulberry leaves (genus Morus), sometimes Osage orange (Maclura pomifera) or silkworm food , which is made from mulberry leaves. Your worms may eat other types of vegetation, such as lettuce leaves, but it will kill them. My Silkworms are Dying. What Am I Doing Wrong? Excessive condensation forming in the container after feeding is the leading cause of failure. In order for your worms to stay healthy for many weeks, you'll need to keep the silkworms as dry as possible. If condensation builds up during feeding, vent the container lid to prevent excess humidity. In order to increase air exchange, instead of a lid, you can also use several layers of paper towels secured around the container with a rubber band. Mold develops from high temperatures and high humidity.

If the worms are covered with droppings, silk and old food for too long, mold may develop and kill the worms. If mold does develop, grate about 1/4 inch of food (sold separately) all over the worms with a cheese grater. As the worms crawl to the top of the new food pile you can transfer them off the moldy food and place them into a new container. Be sure to wash your hands thoroughly before handling the worms or their food. Silkworms are sensitive to bacteria if you don't properly handle them. The droppings and uneaten food become a suitable germ-free mat for the worms to hold onto, as long as the container environment remains dry. Silkworms are susceptible to bruising and dying if now handled with care, especially as they grow larger. When handling and transferring the worms, be very gentle. How Do I Breed My Own Silkworms? Although we encourage you to get into the silkworm breeding process if it so interests you, we do not give lessons on breeding silkworms.

All of our creatures, including Our Silkworm Eggs and Silkworms , however, do come with detailed instructions on raising and growing the silkworms, but producing your own eggs is another matter on which you will find lots of information by doing a little research. Should I Feed My Pet? Each species of animal and each individual animal have different feeding needs and requirements that we cannot properly advise you on. It also depends on how much your specific animal is used to eating as well as size and age. We cannot offer instructions on feeding and care for your pet. We can, however, offer instructions and advise on caring for any and all of the creatures we sell. No, we ship neither our living nor our non-living products outside the U.S. We do not ship to Hawaii or Puerto Rico. Mulberry leaves Mulberry leaves Silkworms only eat fresh mulberry leaves (or artificial food). Mulberries are deciduous and only have leaves in the late spring, summer and early autumn. In California, trees lose their leaves in October and form green pollen bodies (see picture at left) in late March. Watch your local tree.

It will have only pollen bodies for a week or so, then the leaves will start to bud in early April. Take your eggs out of the refrigerator when there are a fair number of good-sized leaves on the tree, or your worms will starve. However, if you wait too long, your moths will not emerge until after school is over. You will need to locate local mulberry trees (Latin name Morus alba). Make sure to get permission from the owners and verify that they don't spray their tree with insecticide. If possible, just pick leaves (don't break off branches), so leaves will grow back faster. Leaves will keep fresh in Ziplock bags in the refrigerator for about 5 days. Please don't strip a tree. If an owner will allow you to break off a small branch, put it in a vase of water and pick leaves as necessary. A branch will last a week this way. Don't put caterpillars on a branch in water, since they will crawl down to the water and drown. If you're having trouble figuring out what a mulberry tree looks like, consult your local nursery or look at the photos in the Silkworm book listed under Teacher Resources .

A more detailed version of the picture of mulberry leaves is available here . If you cannot locate a white mulberry (morus alba), you can use a fruiting mulberry tree instead. Artificial silkworm food is sold by in reasonable quantities. It comes as a powder to which you add water. It works well with certain varieties of silkworm - but they will get bigger faster if they eat leaves. You might be tempted to place the silkworms on a mulberry tree to save the trouble of picking leaves. DON'T! Birds love to snack on silkworms and might devour your whole crop in moments. Once you have located a source of leaves, you will need a container in which to grow silkworms. To continue to that page, click here . You can find a tremendous amount of information about mulberry trees at More photos of trees to help with identification at [Add this page to the Navigation view to display hyperlinks here][Add this page to the Navigation view to display hyperlinks here] 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." 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). 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 Creature Features - Silk Worms Benny the Donkey Silk Worms As Gemma and Max have discovered, silkworms are a great no frills pet. In their two month lifespan you get to observe them as they eat, sleep, mate and then die.

Print Email Gemma and Max's silkworm eggs are the remains of last year's silkworm crop. They had been keeping the eggs at their grandmother's, but moved them home on the weekend. The change in temperature is jump-starting their hatching. Silkworms are always hungry. They have large strong jaws for cutting and slicing through mulberry leaves. Some silkworm lovers feed their pets at four-hour intervals night and day, especially in the last three weeks of the caterpillar stage. They can eat lettuce leaves but they need lots of mulberry leaves to make good silk. They don't need water but must be fed fresh moist mulberry leaves daily: they won't eat wet, wilted or dead leaves. They need to have a cool, dry, quiet place with lots of fresh air. They don't like direct sunlight or draughts. Cardboard boxes are great to keep them in, but don't forget to punch holes in the lid or cover for ventilation. Lids are important to protect them from predators such as ants or mice. These homes must be cleaned daily to remove droppings and old leaves as silkworms will suffocate if buried under rotting leaves.

A sheet of newspaper on the bottom of the box makes it easy to clean. The Chinese first domesticated silkworms about five thousand years ago. Popular legend says that Emperor Huangdi ordered his wife to find out what was eating his mulberry leaves. She found white caterpillars eating the leaves and spinning shiny cocoons. When she dropped a cocoon into hot water a single thread of silk unwound itself. Today there are no wild silkworms left. Silkworms start life as eggs. It takes from 6-20 days for eggs to hatch. Newly hatched silkworms look like thin pencil lines drawn on paper. Over the next month they eat voraciously and quickly grow into smooth, creamy white caterpillars about six to eight centimetres long with shiny noses and yellow blood. This is called the lava stage. On the larger silkworms it is possible to see eight pairs of legs, claspers and a beating heart. Silkworms have breathing holes on the side of their body instead of lungs. The worms grow to about seventy times their original size and shed their skin four times. This is called moulting.

When the silkworm matures (about 26 days after hatching) it spins a soft, soft, creamy white cocoon around itself in loops for protection when it is sleeping. The cocoon is produced by the worms' modified salivary glands and is made from one continuous thread of fluid silk, which hardens on contact with the air. It takes about three days to fully spin a cocoon and turn it into a pupa. The silkworm sleeps for about 21 days in the pupa, the stage between caterpillar and moth. Then it emerges from the pupa as a slimy moth with six jointed legs, two pairs of wings and two feathery feelers. When the wings have expanded and dried the moth is a pearly white colour. The silk moth can't fly because its body is too heavy. So it flutters around till it finds another moth of the opposite sex. They then mate: the male dies almost immediately and the female lays sticky, pale yellow eggs - up to 500 tiny eggs in neat rows. She usually dies about five days later.

The eggs hatch in spring but can be kept in the fridge to delay hatching so you can have eggs all summer - for as long as there are mulberry leaves! Sericulture::Silkworm Typs Tasar (Tussah) is copperish colour, coarse silk mainly used for furnishings and interiors. It is less lustrous than mulberry silk, but has its own feel and appeal. Tasar silk is generated by the silkworm, Antheraea mylitta which mainly thrive on the food plants Asan and Arjun. The rearings are conducted in nature on the trees in the open. In India, tasar silk is mainly produced in the states of Jharkhand, Chattisgarh and Orissa, besides Maharashtra, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh. Tasar culture is the main stay for many a tribal community in India. Oak Tasar: It is a finer variety of tasar generated by the silkworm, Antheraea proyeli J. in India which feed on natural food plants of oak, found in abundance in the sub-Himalayan belt of India covering the states of Manipur, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya and Jammu & Kashmir.

China is the major producer of oak tasar in the world and this comes from another silkworm which is known as Antheraea pernyi. Eri: Also known as Endi or Errandi, Eri is a multivoltine silk spun from open-ended cocoons, unlike other varieties of silk. Eri silk is the product of the domesticated silkworm, Philosamia ricini that feeds mainly on castor leaves. Ericulture is a household activity practiced mainly for protein rich pupae, a delicacy for the tribal. Resultantly, the eri cocoons are open-mouthed and are spun. The silk is used indigenously for preparation of chaddars (wraps) for own use by these tribals. In India, this culture is practiced mainly in the north-eastern states and Assam. It is also found in Bihar, West Bengal and Orissa Muga: How to raise silkworms Chicken Blog Archives How to raise silkworms In a previous post, I wrote about the potential of feeding silkworms to chickens . But how do you raise them?

Although you can buy commercial feed for silkworms, those who want to create a sustainable system will first need to plant or track down a mulberry tree. Silkworms don't eat as adults, and the caterpillars live entirely on fresh mulberry leaves, preferably white or black mulberries. I haven't found information on how many silkworms you can raise on the leaves of one tree without damaging it, so I'll have to report on that after a season of experimentation. In the meantime, I've scoped out a few additional sources to supplement my young Illinois everbearing mulberry if I run short. Your next step is to find a source of silkworm eggs. There are several different varieties of silkworms, but I've opted to buy so-called Peace Silkworms since the adults of this variety are able to break free of their cocoons and breed naturally. Many other varieties have been bred to optimize silk-production and have such thick cocoons that the adults perish inside. I'm going to try out Aurora Silk , where you can buy 200 silkworm eggs for $30 with free shipping.

Once your eggs arrive, you can keep them in a ziplock bag in the fridge for up to a few months to delay hatch. When your mulberry tree is well leafed out, take the eggs out of the fridge and leave them at room temperature in a box or on a tray. It should take about a week for your eggs to hatch, and you'll know they're nearly there when you see dark rings forming on the eggs. Just before the eggs hatch, layer some mulberry leaves underneath for the caterpillars to eat, then put a clear lid with some air holes on your tray to hold moisture in the leaves without suffocating your insects. Silkworms are voracious eaters of mulberry leaves, with various sources recommending topping off their feed once to three times per day. When you do so, be sure to supply fresh mulberry leaves with no water on them --- young caterpillars, especially, can drown in drops of dew. Every other day or so, clean out the old leaves (perhaps using mesh trays so that the caterpillars can crawl up into the fresh leaves without your help).

Chickens are supposed to like silkworms best when they're less than two inches long, but the insects will keep growing up to three inches. At that size, about one month after hatching, the silkworms stop eating and turn yellow --- your cue that they're ready to move on to the pupation phase. Take out any remaining mulberry leaves and place the bottom half of a egg carton in the silkworm habitat, providing about one egg cup per caterpillar. It's best to try to save at least twenty caterpillars to reach this stage if you want to keep the cycle going. Within three days, the silkworms should have spun cocoons, and three weeks later they will emerge as flight-less moths. Provide paper towels or another type of bedding and the female moths will mate and then lay 200 to 500 eggs apiece. If you want to raise another batch right away, just put the eggs in a container and wait for them to hatch in a week, or move them to the fridge to store until the mulberry leaves are flush again.

The Avian Aqua Miser is an automatic chicken waterer that makes chicken care so easy you have time to raise silkworms. Want to be notified when new comments are posted on this page? Click on the RSS button after you add a comment to subscribe to the comment feed.

Question: What type of leaves does a silkworm feed on?
Answer: Mulberry