Describe the processing of making a silk
fabric from the cocoons of a silkworm.
Answers
Silk moth is a kind of insect. The silk moth passes through a worm-like stage called ‘larva’ or caterpillar’ (which is also called silkworm) and an encased form called pupa’ during its development between the hatching of egg and formation of adult silk moth.
This can be written as:
Egg——> Larva(caterpillar) ——> Pupa ——> Silk moth
The larva (or caterpillar) and pupa stages in the life history of a silk moth are totally different in appearance from the adult silk moth. It is the larva (or caterpillar) of a silk moth which produces silk and not the adult silk moth.
The larva (or caterpillar) of a silk moth which produces silk is called silkworm.
(1) The female silk moth lays eggs on the leaves of a tree (such as mulberry tree)
(2) The eggs hatch to form worm-like larvae. The larvae of silk moth are called caterpillars or silkworms. The silkworms feed on the leaves of mulberry tree and grow bigger in size. Silk is formed in liquid form in the two glands in the silkworms’s head.
(3) When the silkworm (or caterpillar) is ready to enter the next stage of its development called pupa, it first weaves a net to hold itself. Then it swings its head from side to side in the form of figure of eight. During these movements of head, the silkworm secretes silk in liquid form through the tiny opening in its head which solidifies on exposure to air and becomes a silk fibre (or silk thread). Soon the silkworm (or caterpillar) covers itself completely by silk fibres. The silky covering spun by the silkworm (or caterpillar) of silk moth is called cocoon. The cocoon is made by silkworm to protect its development as pupa. Pupa is a stage in the life history of silk moth when the caterpillar (or silkworm) becomes ‘encased’ in a hard shell of silk fibres called cocoon. The silkworm continues to develop in the form of pupa inside the cocoon to form the silk moth.
(4) When the pupa (encased in cocoon) develops fully to form an adult silk moth, then the cocoon splits up and a beautiful silk moth comes out. The adult female silk moth then lays more eggs. In this way, the life history of silk moth is completed.
In order to produce silk, the silkworm developing inside the cocoon (as pupa) is not allowed to mature into an adult silk moth. As soon as the cocoon is formed it is used to obtain silk
fibres and the developing silkworm (as pupa) gets killed. This is because if the silkworm (as pupa) is allowed to mature into a silk moth, then the fully formed silk moth secretes a liquid to dissolve a part of silk of the cocoon to break it so as to come out of it and fly away. This breaking of cocoon causes damage to its silk threads and hence lowers the quality of silk. The cocoons having developing silkworms inside them are used to obtain silk. Some of the silkworms (as pupae) are allowed to live and mature into silk moths so that they can lay eggs to produce more silkworms.
Mulberry is called shehtoot.
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