What are the methods and precautions for raising silkworms?

Silkworm babies are so cute that children love them, and watching them slowly grow, spin cocoons, and turn into silkworm moths is a very interesting process. So what methods are there for raising silkworms? What precautions should be taken? Let's learn about them together below.

Methods and precautions for raising silkworms at each stage

1. From silkworm ants to silkworm babies

Suitable temperature: 20-25℃.

Time: hatch in 2-3 days.

Collecting the ants: the small silkworms will drill out of the eggshells like ants; with very light movements, collect and guide them onto tender leaves. Precautions: during the silkworm egg incubation period, they need ventilation and should be kept away from light.

2. Feeding silkworm babies

The living habits of silkworm babies are: when full, they sleep; when they wake up, they eat;

Living environment: a plastic or wooden flat box,

Precautions: mulberry leaves should be fresh. You can also collect one plastic bag at a time, use a few leaves each day in several batches, and sprinkle a little water on the rest and store them in the refrigerator to keep them fresh. The collected leaves will have some dust, so they can be washed clean and then dried. They must be dried, otherwise the small or large silkworms will get diarrhea after eating them.

3. Silkworm babies spin silk and make cocoons

Molting: after one molt, they are second-instar larvae. Each molt of the larvae counts as one year of age, and they molt four times in total.

Cocoon spinning: after the 4th molt, 7-8 more days pass, and they no longer eat mulberry leaves. Their bodies begin to shine, and they start looking for a suitable place to begin spinning cocoons.

Precautions: put some supporting objects in the silkworm box to help the silkworm babies make cocoons.

4. About silkworm droppings

Silkworm droppings are also called silkworm sand, and have the effects of treating dampness, treating itching, reducing internal heat, dispelling wind-dampness, and improving hearing and eyesight. Many elderly people dry them and make them into pillows for newborn babies to sleep on. Silkworm feces are black granules, can be used as medicine in traditional Chinese medicine, and are also a very good fertilizer for plants.

5. Silkworm babies break out of the cocoon

Inside the cocoon, they undergo the last (fifth) molt and become pupae. After about another 7-10 days, the pupae transform into silkworm moths and break out of the cocoon.

Precautions: the plump ones are the mother silkworm babies, and the thin ones are the father silkworm babies. Let the father and mother silkworm babies live together, and by the next day, many silkworm eggs can be seen. If protected well, these silkworm eggs can hatch again the following spring.

Precautions for raising silkworms

1. Silkworms cannot starve to death; they only die when they get sick.

2. Do not touch silkworms with your hands; the mulberry leaves fed to them must be washed clean, but after washing, the water must be wiped dry. Silkworms must not come into contact with water, otherwise they will die. Put them in a paper box, or in a small rice-sifting basket. If using a basket, put some paper in the bottom of the basket.

3. Silkworms are especially sensitive to fragrances. Perfume, mosquito coils, air purifiers, scented cosmetics, etc. cannot be used. Any type of insecticide is absolutely prohibited!

4. When small silkworms have just hatched from the eggs, be especially careful with them. Feed them relatively tender mulberry leaves. When changing mulberry leaves, use a very soft writing brush to move them, and pay attention to the force; sometimes the mulberry leaves are too dry, and if you are not careful, during the process of changing the mulberry leaves you will leave the small silkworms on the leaves to be discarded. They are a little harder to raise when small, and it gets easier once they grow bigger. When they are about to spin cocoons, take some wheat straw and tie it into a branching shape.

5. After breaking out of the cocoon, put them together in one box. They will mate together and then lay eggs. Sometimes, because few silkworms are raised, some moths will be left alone when they break out of the cocoon, but do not worry. As long as one pair of silkworms succeeds, it should be enough for you to raise.

6. Mulberry leaves should be fresh. You can also collect one plastic bag at a time, use a few leaves each day in several batches, and sprinkle a little water on the rest and store them in the refrigerator to keep them fresh. The collected leaves will have some dust, so they can be washed clean and then dried in a cool place. They must be dried in a cool place, otherwise the small or large silkworms will get diarrhea after eating them, and may even die.

Silkworm rearing techniques

1. Spraying mulberry leaves for supplementary feeding in silkworm rearing: add 5 milliliters of fermentation liquid to one jin of water, spray 10 jin of mulberry leaves for supplementary feeding, once a day. Silkworms love to eat, their feces do not smell, they grow quickly, the cocoons are thick, and the quality is good. Output can be increased by about 10%.

2. Spraying silkworm bodies to cool them and relieve heat: in summer, temperatures are high, silkworms are prone to illness, and if the room temperature is too high, silkworms are also prone to heatstroke and death. In high-temperature weather, add 5 milliliters of fermentation liquid to one jin of clean water and spray it on the silkworm bodies, once each at noon and in the afternoon every day.

3. Spraying mulberry leaves to keep them fresh: in summer, temperatures are high, and mulberry leaves collected and piled up for a long time will turn yellow and deteriorate. In autumn, the climate is dry, and collected mulberry leaves will dry out and harden if kept for a long time. Add 5 milliliters of fermentation liquid to one jin of clean water, use it to spray the mulberry leaves damp, then put the mulberry leaves into woven bags or pile them on the ground, cover them well with plastic sheeting, and after 24 hours of storage they will still be as fresh and green as before.

4. Spraying mulberry leaves to promote growth: add 1—2 milliliters of fermentation liquid to one jin of water, spray the mulberry leaves in the mulberry field, spray 2—3 times a month. Adding 0.2% potassium dihydrogen phosphate gives a better effect. It is best to spray until the mulberry leaves are completely wet but not dripping. The mulberry leaves grow quickly, and the leaves are oily green and thick, and output can be increased by 20—25%. It can also reduce pests and diseases.

Note: within 6 hours before and after using Huoli 99 fermentation liquid, antibiotics cannot be used. No matter how long the fermentation liquid is stored, as long as it still has a sweet mellow koji aroma, it can be used. If it stinks, it cannot be used.

What should be noted when raising silkworms in summer and autumn?

1. Prevent pesticide poisoning. During the silkworm rearing season, do not spray organic chlorine pesticides such as dimehypo on farmland near the silkworm room; their fumigation effect will cause silkworm poisoning. Mulberry leaves fed to silkworms must be confirmed non-toxic through trial feeding before leaves can be collected to feed silkworms.

2. Mosquito coils or mosquito-killing and insect-killing agents are prohibited in the silkworm room. If used in houses adjacent to the silkworm room, the doors and windows of the silkworm room must also be closed to prevent silkworm poisoning.

3. The silkworm room should be equipped with screen doors and screen windows to prevent flies from entering the silkworm room and harming the silkworms, and add “silkworm fly killer” emulsion or spray it on the silkworm bodies to kill fly maggots.

4. Before raising silkworms, block rat holes. The silkworm rack and the wall should maintain a certain distance. Around the feet of the silkworm rack, sprinkle lime powder or silkworm medicine to prevent rats from climbing up. For raising ground silkworms, do a good job of chemical rodent control.

5. Summer and autumn silkworm rearing has relatively high temperatures, so doors and windows should be opened to strengthen indoor ventilation and air exchange. Spraying mulberry leaves with clean water and using an electric fan indoors to blow a slight breeze also helps lower the indoor temperature.

6. Diseased silkworms should be cleaned up promptly and put into a disinfection basin containing bleaching powder solution or lime slurry. Diseased silkworms are prohibited from being fed to livestock and poultry, to prevent the spread of pathogens and pollution of the environment.

7. Silkworm litter contains a large amount of pathogenic matter. Do not spread it out to dry around the silkworm room. It should be concentrated in the field for composting or put into a manure pit for composting, to prevent the spread of pathogens.

8. Summer and autumn have high temperatures, and pathogens reproduce quickly. Pay attention to picking leaves according to need, transporting leaves promptly, and storing leaves reasonably. The mulberry storage pond should be disinfected once at each instar. Do not feed overnight mulberry leaves.

9. In high-temperature and high-humidity weather, avoid feeding wet leaves. Do not sprinkle water on stored mulberry leaves. Remove litter frequently, and spread more fresh lime powder, dry straw, and other materials to inhibit the breeding and reproduction of pathogens.

10. Outside the silkworm rearing season, do not store grain, bran, and other items in the silkworm room, to avoid moisture causing mites, which will harm silkworms during silkworm rearing.

Tips for saving mulberry leaves in silkworm rearing

1. Mulberry leaves should be reasonably picked, transported, and stored.

Try to pick leaves in the morning or evening, transport them as soon as they are picked, pack them loosely, and transport them quickly. After the collected mulberry leaves are loosened, put them into a mulberry storage pond or mulberry storage room and store them reasonably, to prevent wind damage or heat from piling and deterioration, which causes waste of mulberry leaves.

2. Prevent mulberry leaves from wilting.

During the young silkworm stage, use kang bed (room) rearing and plastic film mulching rearing to help keep warmth and moisture and keep mulberry leaves fresh. During the large silkworm stage, after feeding the silkworms, close doors and windows appropriately. Wait until the silkworms have eaten about 70% of the mulberry leaves, then open doors and windows for ventilation. This can effectively prevent mulberry leaves from wilting.

3. Ensure the silkworm room temperature.

The suitable temperatures for large and small silkworms are 24℃ and 25℃ respectively. Within the suitable temperature range, silkworms have a strong appetite, reducing leftover and poor-quality mulberry leaves, and also increasing the conversion rate of leaves to silk.

4. Promote fewer-feeding rearing and branch mulberry rearing.

Labor-saving silkworm rearing techniques such as flat three-dimensional once-a-day rearing for young silkworms, two-times rearing for all instars, and branch mulberry rearing for large silkworms not only improve silkworm rearing efficiency, but also help silkworms eat mulberry leaves, saving about 5% of mulberry leaves compared with ordinary rearing.

5. Planned mulberry use and fixed-quantity mulberry feeding.

According to different silkworm periods, formulate standard mulberry amounts by instar, by day, and by feeding. Achieve “silkworms eat their fill without waste, save mulberry use without starving silkworms.” At the beginning and end of each instar, silkworms eat less mulberry, so feed an appropriate amount of leaves at this time. During the peak feeding period of 5th-instar silkworms, let the silkworms eat their fill fully, but the maximum daily mulberry amount should be controlled within 110 kilograms.

6. Supplement with molting hormone.

When about 5% of silkworms show maturity, use 1 vial of molting hormone per batch of eggs, mix with 25 kilograms of water, mix with 20 kilograms of mulberry leaves, and give it to the silkworms to finish eating at one time. This can promote the silkworms to mature all together, and each batch of eggs can save about 10 kilograms of mulberry leaves.

Silkworms are easy to raise, but there are also many precautions. Raising silkworms can not only bring profits, but is actually also very suitable for children to raise. Raising silkworms helps improve children's hands-on and observation abilities, and can inspire children to learn the compassion to care for small animals.