Ground Hog Day

The cycle is complete.
To my surprise I discovered that between 20-30 silkworm eggs  have hatched!
I can only attribute this to the fact that we have suddenly had some warm weather and that the way I have left the eggs I have unintentionally created an incubator.
Luckily, I found the new hatched silkworms very early and have been able to rehouse them and provide them with fresh leaves off our mulberry tree.

The rest of the unhatched eggs have been refrigerated until I can get them to their new owner.

Above is a photograph of  our mulberry tree.

It's not very large.

The chicken wire netting is to prevent possums from climbing into the tree and eating all the berries and to stop them from stripping the tree bare of leaves.

Six hundred and ninety nine silk cocoons.

Coming to an End.

Woke up yesterday morning, no silkworms or moths to attend to.
Felt a bit lost.
Today I spoke to my Second Son and he tells me that he has someone interested in taking the eggs to hatch next spring.
I am yet to find someone to take the 699 cocoons.
Before I find somewhere to send them off to I might experiment a little with some, see if i can unravel a bit of the silk.

Day Seventy Six

Arrived home from my three nights away to find that all the moths have died....

Day Seventy Five

Mr Honey Pie reports that it's still raining in Sydney and surrounds.
The weather on the south coast is not as wet as Sydney.  The mornings have been a bit iffy and then the afternoon clears to beautiful blue skies.
Back home tomorrow to tie up loose ends for the silkies, not much life can be left in the moths now.

Day Seventy Four

Today is the first day that I haven't been at home and therefore not seen the 'silkies', since day one.
Mr Honey Pie reports that their numbers are dwindling quickly.

I've been enjoying the sunshine while Sydney and surrounds continue to be inundated.

Day Seventy Three

I have left the the silkworm moths in the care of Mr Honey Pie while I take a short vacation.
This morning, no moths emerged and things seem to be a lot quieter than they have been for some weeks now.
I had the moths in their tank on the undercover verandah, in an attempt to keep the moth-wing dust down inside the house.
Later in the day I spoke to Mr Honey Pie by mobile phone and he told me that a stray moth got eaten up by a tree creeper that swooped down onto the verandah.
Perhaps Mr Honey Pie might have to draw the canvas awnings to keep predators away.

Day Seventy Two, Week 11

This morning saw no moths emerging.
I have been tossing some of the dead moths into the garden, thinking that perhaps the birds would find them to be a tasty morsel.
So you can imagine my surprise to see a water skink emerge from its hiding place and devour one of the moths I had only moments before discarded.  I watched from above, on the balcony, as the lizard ate another two of the moths.

The dust that the moths have generated is becoming more of a hazard each day.
This evening I spent over an  hour cleaning up a fine layer of white 'dust' off the dining room furniture, floor, and light fittings.

I'm now sworn to never having 'pets' in the house  again, as my airways are affected by the build up of  moth wing dust.