When we talk about silkworms, many of you will remember your childhood at school. A very common science course assignment was raising silkworms. It was great to see how they turned into a butterfly. Thus, we not only discovered what a lepidopteran insect is, but also learned to take care of nature and to take on responsibilities.
However, many adults keep silkworms as a hobby. One of the most common questions when starting to breed this type of insect is how to feed them.
Are you one of those people? If the answer is yes, worry no more, from our site we will explain everything about feeding silkworms.
General information on silkworms
Silkworms or Bombix mori are native to Asia. Their common name comes from their ability to produce silk in the larva that will envelop them to become butterflies.
It would be from the Middle Ages when sericulture or silk culture spread throughout the world. In fact, in Spain, specifically on the Levante coast, this industry was quite important.
Silk cocoons can have different shades. What does it depend on? The color of their legs. If they are yellow, the cocoon will have that hue. If its legs are white, the cocoon will have softer tones.
Feeding silkworms
The main source of food for silkworms is mulberry leaves Morus sp. You may not have known it, but there are different types of mulberry leaves. For some breeders, the most recommended leaves are those of the Morus alba tree (with white blackberries). There are also Morus nigra and Morus alba. The leaves of both trees are also used to feed our worms.
Feeding newborn silkworms
The first consideration for silkworm feeding is the size of the leaves. If they have just hatched, offer them sprouts and small leaves They are the only ones they can eat as they are more tender. As the insects grow (all their organs change, including their jaws, isn't that amazing?) you'll be able to grow stronger leaves.
You must be careful with how long you have the sheets. Little by little, as is logical, they dry out and must be changed. A good frequency to replace them is every 24 hours.
To get the worms to climb the new leaf, you just have to place it on top of the dry one. The normal thing is that they themselves move towards it. Another option is to carry them with an ear bud. The worms will climb up into the swab tissue with no problem, then you just have to lower them into the new leaf. You should not do it with your finger since they are very small, there is a good chance that you will hurt them.
As they get bigger, you'll be able to pick them up by hand. Eye, never tightening. Also, if you see that they do not come loose from where they are attached, do not pull. You can tear their skin.
Where you can find mulberry trees
How they say "you can't start the house from the roof". If we are looking for mulberry leaves, the first thing we will have to learn is how to identify the tree.
Mulberry trees are trees with a rounded crown and much branching. The leaves are alternate, or what is the same, they do not appear at the same time on both sides of the stem. One on the right, then one on the left. Another important detail: its shape is heart-shaped and its margins are jagged.
Although nature does not understand dates, the mulberry is a deciduous tree, so its leaves will sprout in spring. If you are not sure where to find mulberry trees in your city, consult specialized forums on the internet. On these websites, people share the location of these trees
It is important that you be proactive. As I was saying, the mulberry is a deciduous tree so you won't have leaves all year. One solution is to collect a good amount of leaves and freeze them.
If you have run out of mulberry leaves, you can offer your insects lettuce and nettle leaves. But be very careful, never more than two days. The worms would get sick and die.
Homemade silkworm feed
Another way to prevent running out of mulberry trees is to make our own feed for worms. We will do it while we still have leaves to keep it later.
The ingredients are as follows:
- 20g Calcium
- 1 teaspoon reptivite (special vitamin supplement available in stores)
- 250 g mulberry leaves
- 2 tablespoons of agar agar (gelatin, can be found in supermarkets or he alth food stores)
- 300 ml of water approximately
Preparation of our homemade worm food recipe:
1. Wash the fresh mulberry leaves well
two. We scald them in water for a few minutes.
3. We dry them in the sun on top of some sheets of newspaper. Another option is to dry them in the oven at a low temperature.
4. When they are well, they are crushed until obtaining a fine powder5. We mix the powder with calcium, the reptivite and the agar. Add the water and put it in the microwave for 5 or 6 minutes. Let it cold down
If you freeze the resulting feed it can last up to a year. If you are not going to freeze it, do the first 3 steps and only when you are going to use it the last step. Without freezing, lasts 6 months.
