Explain the life cycle of silkworm?
Answers
Answer:
Life Cycle of a Silkworm
- A female moth lays 300-500 tiny eggs and after around 10 days, the larvae (silkworms) hatch.
- The silkworms feed solely on large amounts of leaves from the mulberry tree for around 30-40 days.
- The silkworms shed their skin up to four times, or molt, as they continue to eat and grow.
- After their final molt, the silkworm builds a cocoon around itself. The cocoon is a protective casing spun from silk.
- Inside the cocoon, the silkworm changes into a pupa, the stage between larvae and adult moths.
- After around two weeks, the pupa emerges from the cocoon as an adult moth.
- The adult moth looks for a mate so that the female can lay more eggs and begin the cycle again.
- The thread from a mulberry cocoon when unwound can be 900 metres long
- Over 50,000 cocoons are needed to make 1 kg of silk
- To feed 25 silkworms from egg to the cocoon stage you need a 10 foot mulberry tree or 2 small bushes to provide enough leaves.
- A silkworm increases its size 10,000 times before it is ready to spin its cocoon. A small branch will most probably last a week and it takes 4 weeks for the silkworm to grow before it spins a cocoon
Explanation:
A female moth lays 300-500 tiny eggs and after around 10 days, the larvae (silkworms) hatch. - The silkworms feed solely on large amounts of leaves from the mulberry tree for around 30-40 days. - The silkworms shed their skin up to four times, or molt, as they continue to eat and grow.