Day Sixty Two

The full moon has had its full impact on the pupae - from now on, the number of emerging moths can only decrease.
Once again proportion of female to male is almost one to one.
The moths are taking up less of my time.
Cleanliness has paid off, no more ants.
Excess male moths have been house out doors and seem to be quite happy just hanging around on their polystyrene tank.
Eggs are being laid...they look like miniature pearls after being laid and eventually turn a brown colour after a few days.

Female moth laying eggs.

The eggs change colour after a day or so.

Day Fifty, Week 8

My aim for this blog is to post each day.
I have no camera at the moment.  I forgot it at my sister-in-law's house on Boxing Day, and I've been suffering from an extended-play influenza which is now in its third week.
The last thought on my mind today is silkworms.  Sorry to say.
Thank goodness only one, solitary, silkworm languishes on, waiting to spin its cocoon, eating very little and therefore not needing much attention from me.
All of the family have been visiting over the Christmas holiday period and only one adult child remains and plans to return to the city tomorrow.
Hopefully this means I can fade into the woodwork for a few days in an effort to fully recover.
Let's see if cocooned pupae can wait for my full recovery before metamorphosing and emerging as moths.
There is much work to be done before eggs begin to be laid.

Day Fourteen

Today, I sold three batches of fifteen silkworms.

Persistence is paying off.

I have been listing them on a community facebook page so I have sold four batches through this listing.

Because the weather has remained cool (it's 13.6 oC outside tonight) the silkworms do become less active.  I have switched the heating on so they will be alright.

The two plastic shopping bags full of mulberry leaves that Mr Honey Pie picked and which I posted about yesterday are almost gone.

My Dear Daughter took some for her silkworms while mine have continued on their feeding frenzy despite the cooler weather.

DD has commented on how Grand Daughter is showing responsibility by for her pets by feeding the silkworms herself.  She is only four years old.

By being responsible for her fifteen pets, she can demonstrate that she might actually be ready to have her own larger furry pet...like a cat or a dog.

By the way, the silkworm larvae are no longer furry.

Their skin is smooth now and are a much lighter colour.

Some of the larvae are moulting again.  Second or third moult?  I'm not sure,  but probably third.

The fourth moult is the final one and after the fourth moult, the silkworm, once mature, begins to spin a cocoon using a silk filament.

The silk filament is actually the silkworm's saliva.

The next stage, that is when the cocoon is formed, is called the pupa stage.