Day Fifty Seven, Week 9

We Have Moths!

Fluttery moths, who have wasted no time with moving on, to the next step of ensuring the cycle continues.

As with the hatching of the silkworms, all the action seems to take place around dawn.

Not much happened after about nine this morning.

So...all that work I was going to do, to prepare for the emerging moths, has been delayed because of a four week influenza that eventually developed into bronchitis.

I'm on antibiotics now and I have been feeling a little bit more on top of things for about twenty four hours...thankfully.

Working under pressure now, I removed from the tanks and counted the cocoons.

I cleaned and dried the tanks and then lined them with paper.

One layer of paper is laid out to line the tank.

A smaller piece of paper is used to add a second liner to the bottom of the tank.

Rectangles of paper are added, in the hope that the moths will lay their eggs on these bits of paper making for easier handling.

So far I've got two requests for eggs.  The first is for a small amount.  The second is for  whatever remains.

If you would like to purchase eggs or empty cocoons, do contact me.

Sorry, due to border control, New South Welshman only please.

And, what does six hundred and ninety nine cocoons look like?

Well, this one didn't cocoon...but metamorphosis is still progressing.

As I'm about to publish this post, the first batch of eggs has been laid!

Day Seven

The eldest of the silkworms are now seven days old.

By now some of these older brothers and sisters will have become too big for their skins; literally.

To cope with this situation the little critters moult, that is, they leave their old skin behind.

The time between each moult is called an instar.

Some of the silkworms have moulted twice since hatching last Thursday.

You can see some old skins above, they look like shrivelled up silkworms.

The first time you see this you might think that the silkworms are dead and take you by surprise, which is what happened to me.

Then I remembered that they shed their skins, just like a snake.

Silkworms moult four times, there are five instars during this stage.

The first stage is the wait for the eggs to hatch (incubation).  The egg stage is called Ova.

The second stage is the silkworm stage and is called Larva.

During the Larva stage, the silkworms eat and eat and eat.

Silkworms eat mulberry leaves so if you want to keep silkworms as a pet, then you need a mulberry tree.

The second thing you will need is a tank or box with good airflow to keep them in.

The third thing you will need is some time each day to feed them and to clean up their house.