#silk farming

As a side note, I was reminded that spider silk is actually amazing but I still hate spiders. 

There are actually quite a few varieties of silkmoth but wild silk moths are quite a bit harder to farm. Different moths produce different types of silk as well. The modern domestic silkmoth, which is where most of our silk comes from, creates its cocoon from a single continuous white thread. These threads can be anywhere from 300 to 900 meters in length. In order to unravel the cocoon and maintain the thread’s length, the moths are boiled before they can hatch. If the moths are allowed to hatch, they end up breaking the thread causing smaller, inconsistent lengths when unravelled. They choose a select number of them that are allowed to hatch in the spring, to continue the process. The boiled pupae are generally eaten and as a chef, I don’t know how to feel about that... XD One of my Japanese coworkers had be try crickets and I gagged. But insects are a good source of protein... I just get that queasy reaction to the thought of eating bugs.

I also learned that most domestic silkmoths can’t fly anymore as their bodies are too large for their wingspan and they’ve lost their pigment because they no longer need to blend in to stay safe. They now effectively could not exist in the wild and are completely reliant on human intervention. 

They almost exclusively eat mulberry leaves. Not that they can’t eat other leaves but that seems to be their favourite diet. Wild silk moths have a more diverse diet, depending on their region. There have been experiments done where the colour of the mulberry leaves can change the colour of the cocoon. They don’t live very long, even the wild ones. Like most insects, their life cycle is: eat, mate, lay eggs, die.

BUT THEY’RE CUTE (and you won’t hear me saying that about many insects)

Ok... the moths are cute. The larvae not so much. They’re quite large though, up to around 6 cm in length. The moths In tropical climates where winter isn’t an issue, silkworms can continuously reproduce, resulting in around 4 life cycles in a year. In temperate climates (like Japan) they tend to life cycle twice a year. In colder areas where winter is a thing, they only have one effective life cycle, remaining in the cocoon throughout the winter. My limited research leads me to believe that the most common domestic silk moth is the twice-yearly one. Wild silk moths vary based on the environment. 

The domestication of silk moths happened a very very long time ago. China has been farming silkworms for thousands of years. Silk is also fascinating. It is one of the strongest natural fibres and has a wide range of benefits. It’s comfortable to wear in both warm and cold weather. It’s excellent in protecting against insects and also generally resistant to piercing (no, it won’t stop a sword though...). Silk is smooth and soft but not slippery and extremely durable though water reduces its strength. So now you know... if your silk sheets are slippery... they probably aren’t real silk... XD

Last picture: a wild silk moth. Much larger wingspan and beautiful colouring.