SILKWORMS

The silkworm is, of course, not a worm at all. It is a moth, and the silk is produced in the form of a cocoon by the developing larva or caterpillar. 

The photograph below shows new hatchlings beside a British one pence.

 

Silkworms have insatiable appetites! These are Mulberry Silkworms, kept for their high silk yields and ease of keeping. Below is a photograph of the larva a few weeks later, within a couple of days of pupating.

Here they are beside two completed cocoons - which really makes one wonder how on earth they fit inside!

Before spinning the actual cocoon, a silk floss is spun to suspend the cocoon and hold it in place. The larva spins the cocoon around itself by excreting liquid silk and turning in a figure of eight. The yellow colouring of these cocoons is natural - but it is the colour of the gum that holds the threads together, not the actual silk, which is pure white. The outline shape of the larva can just be seen inside this cocoon.

The only silk produced by us is known as internationally as Peace Silk. This means that instead of killing them inside their cocoons, the larvae are allowed to develope into moths and emerge, as below. When it emerges, the moth "chews" a hole which cuts every figure of eight twist of the continuous length of silk. This is fine when the silk is to be spun in a blend with angora or another fibre, but of no use to the massive Chinese producers who reel of the silk and twist the threads of eight or more cocoons together to make thread for weaving. The moth is not able to fly - centuries of domestic keeping have bred out this ability. They also lack mouth parts and are unable to eat. They will wait by or on their cocoon and display by fluttering wings until found by a male. Having mated the female will lay eggs and shortly die.

Visit my DYEVERSITY YARNS on Twitter  to see the complete life cycle of the silkworm.

(https://twitter.com/DyeversityYarns)

As well as using the silk to blend with other fibres and spin, we supply whole white cocoons as a natural beauty product. The gum that holds the cocoon together is seratin, used as the basis to many anti-wrinkle and anti-ageing products, and the silk itself acts as "scrub". The cocoon complete, slipped over the little finger, is therefore a gentle and perfect facial cleanser!