Keeping Silkworms as Pets
Please note that silkworms are only available in the spring and summer months.
We are unable to ship silkworms through the postal service.
SILKWORMS ARE NOT AVAILABLE AT THIS TIME.
Silkworms make fascinating pets. They can produce silk from modified salivary glands which is then spun into a fine soft thread that is used for its cocoon. This strand of silk can then be unwound by humans, and it is this that is used to make silk cloth.
Feeding
When you buy your silkworms, they will be packed with some mulberry leaves. It is important that you have access to a Mulberry tree as silkworms have a very large appetite, and only eat mulberry leaves. Mulberry leaves must be replaced daily with fresh ones - it is important not to use young leaves or wet leaves.
Housing
Silkworms can be kept in almost any sort of container, although a shoe box with holes in the lid is probably the best. They like to live in a cool, dry place with no strong light. Line the bottom with newspaper so that it is easy to clean daily. Try to avoid touching the silkworms as much as possible as they have very delicate skin which is damaged easily.
Life Cycle
When fully grown (6-8 cm), silkworms stop eating and wave about restlessly looking for a place to spin their cocoon. Egg cartons are perfect for this. Just place a portion of an egg carton in the container and the silkworm will settle itself inside. The silkworm with then spin a cocoon around itself. During the next 2-3 weeks the pupa develop, and finally emerge as a moth.
Adult moths cannot fly, and so flutter around until they find a mate. After mating, the male dies, and the female dies soon after she has laid her pale yellow, sticky eggs.
During the summer months, the eggs will take about 5-6 weeks to hatch (they will not hatch in winter). When the caterpillars hatch, they look like thin pencil lines drawn on paper, but will start to grow very quickly once mulberry leaves are added. Over time they grow into lovely, cream coloured silkworms, moulting four times before they reach full size.
Now the life cycle begins all over again!
Unwinding the Silk
It is best to wait until the moth has emerged from the cocoon before unwinding the silk (although this does mean that you will not have a continuous strand of silk). Soak the cocoon in boiling water for 5 minutes. This will loosen the gummy substance and soften the thread. Find the loose end and begin winding it around a pencil. The thread from a single cocoon can measure up to 300 metres!
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