What do I need to raise silk?
Mulberry trees, and more mulberry trees. You are lucky if you
live in an area where mulberry trees have been planted. You can begin to raise
silk as soon as the leaves begin to open. Those of us who live in mulberry
poor areas must begin to plant lots of mulberry.
I planted 100 starts around my tiny city yard. I will keep them pruned as bushes. After two years they seem able to feed three staggered batches of 200 caterpillars each, but only through their last molt. After the last molt, silkworms eat more in their last week than they did during the three or four weeks before. For that time of ravenous eating, I have located several full grown trees within driving distance. On Sunday afternoons I go gather mulberry leaves. They keep for a week in closed plastic bags in the fridge.
To find mulberry trees you must simply start asking. People who have them usually love them, as they are a very beautiful tree, and the berries attract happy birds. Mulberry trees grow better when pruned, so the best way to gather leaves is to prune off shoots or branches, rather than to pick individual leaves.
What about in the winter when there are no leaves?
In the winter, silkworms hibernate as eggs in the refrigerator.
The entire cycle from bringing the eggs out of the fridge till putting the
next generation of eggs back in the fridge is only about three months. All
the rest of the time they are in the fridge. I say these are the easiest pets
to keep!
Do the eggs have to be cooled for 9 months or can the cycle be shortened?
Can the eggs immediately be hatched for the next generation?
The eggs have to hibernate for at least 3 months. In a cold climate they don't
necessarily have to be refrigerated but when it starts to warm up they'll start
to hatch (hence the fridge is a good idea). There are strains in India where
it's hot all the time and there are mulberry leaves year-round that do not
need this hibernation period. The strains I grow have been in this country
for at least 30 years, and since we don't have year-round mulberry leaves available,
they work out well for growing once a year.
My house is 70-75 degrees. Should I get a heating pad?
Room temperature is fine. The only problem is if it gets really cool, the cocoons
might get indigestion. Otherwise, they just grow a little more slowly, but
reach the same size in the end.
How long does it take to raise some silk?
Once you take the eggs out of the
fridge and allow them to hatch, it's a total of about three months and you
will have some silk. However, you can only start in the spring when there are
mulberry leaves about. If it's still winter (and you don't have a greenhouse),
then you must be patient.
How many cocoons does it take to make silk?
250 cocoons produce 1 oz finished
silk, or 1,000 cocoons for 4 oz. When softly handspun and openly knit, 4 oz
is enough for the medium sized, long sleeved body sweater illustrated in Cheryl's Silk
Worker's Notebook.
Can I make any money raising silkworms?
Maybe. Right now I buy cocoons
and sell
them. For good, well formed Peace Silk cocoons, from which the moths
have been allowed to emerge, I am now paying 10¢-20¢ each. That is not much,
but it represents what I can in turn sell them for at this time.
However, what I most want to encourage is for you to think first about raising some extra special fibre for yourself. It is very easy and takes very little effort to raise enough of this fine handspinning silk to make a scarf, a pair of mittens, or some lace knit silk stockings.
How do you make thread from the opened cocoons?
Just pull them open (when they are dry) into a long fluffy "worm,"
then add twist. (More under Processing Silkworm
Cocoons.)
Our silkwormmoths have laid eggs. Should I put them in
the fridge or should I leave them out to let them start the hatching process?
Eggs MUST HIBERNATE, at least three months in the cold (fridge) before
they are viable and will hatch. Let them cure a week or two, then rub off the
paper and place in a breathable container, such as a small cardboard jewelery
box without the innards, then put in the fridge, being sure they never freeze.
These eggs are for next year's caterpillars. If you want to raise more this
year you must get more eggs from those that were saved from the year before.
What happens to the silkworms once they emerge from their
cocoons?
In the cocoon the silkworm turns into a moth. When it comes out it is a small,
1" long soft white waddler of a moth that is too heavy for its
short wings to fly. The males find the females, they mate, lay eggs and die
happy within a week. Their bodies make good chicken food, or I put them out
for the wild birds.
What is the difference between gold cocoons and the white
ones?
Gold gum or white is just a varient, they're all the same species. You can
select for one or the other over about three years. The silk gum is a different
colour, but the silk is all white. I think the gold is especially pretty, and
always use it for the sericin hair conditioner. The gold gummed cocoons are
rarer and in Japan, the silk reeled from them and used in the natural colour
is valued 50% more than white silk. But as for why, it's just genetics, like
blue eyes or brown.
What kind of container should I use for the moths to lay eggs in?
They lay wherever you put them. I use a cardboard tray. After the eggs turn
grey they rub off pretty easily. (More under Equipment.)
Why are the egg yellow at first and then grey?
As the eggs mature they change colour. They are ready to refrigerate after
they change to grey. There's no real answer as to why, it's just what happens.
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