Silkworm Room Disinfection Techniques: Methods for Disinfecting Silkworms and Silkworm Rooms and Tools
Before rearing silkworms, the silkworm room must be strictly disinfected. Disinfection methods include fumigation, spraying bleaching powder solution, formalin, brushing with lime slurry, etc. After washing and sun-drying, the silkworm tools are moved back into the silkworm room, and the silkworm room and tools are sprayed with bleaching powder solution containing 1% available chlorine, keeping them moist for half an hour. Small silkworm tools such as silkworm nets and silkworm chopsticks can be disinfected by boiling after washing.
1. Carry out comprehensive and thorough disinfection before rearing silkworms. Complete disinfection 3-5 days before rearing, and prevent recontamination.
First, silkworm room disinfection, which requires: sweeping away dust and plugging holes; washing the interior and exterior clean with water; scraping and washing the floor of the silkworm room clean; brushing the interior and exterior walls, indoor ceiling, and floor white with 20% lime slurry (add 10 kg of fresh lime to 40 kg of water).
Use 1% available chlorine bleaching powder water to disinfect the silkworm room and tools, spraying evenly until wet enough to drip, then close up for half a day before opening the door to dry; two days before rearing silkworms, close doors and windows, then fumigate once with sulfur and cypress branches for disinfection.
Second, silkworm tool disinfection, which requires: first wash, second sun-dry, third soak in medicine or steam-boil, fourth air-dry. When disinfecting, first wash and scrub thoroughly and sun-dry, then soak in 1% available chlorine bleaching powder water for half an hour. Then, move them into the already whitewashed silkworm room to dry in the shade, and disinfect them together with the silkworm room.
2. Carry out key and frequent disinfection during the rearing period.
(1) Persist in disinfecting the silkworm body and silkworm seat: during the rearing period, one must persist in using fresh lime powder or No. 78 anti-stiffness powder with 2%-3% available chlorine bleaching powder or Disease Prevention No. 1 for disinfection. During the young silkworm stage, use anti-stiffness powder with 2% available chlorine bleaching powder. If the measured available chlorine content of the bleaching powder is 24%, then the multiplier for adding fresh lime powder = (24-12)/2 = 1l (times), that is: 1 part bleaching powder plus 11 parts fresh lime powder.
Stir evenly, and after the mulberry leaves are eaten up, sprinkle it on the silkworm body and silkworm seat before feeding mulberry leaves, like a thin layer of frost. During the large silkworm stage, use deep white powder anti-stiffness powder with 3% available chlorine, calculated by the same method. In places with poor conditions where silkworm farmers cannot measure the available chlorine content of bleaching powder, during the young silkworm stage they can use 1 part bleaching powder plus 10 parts fresh lime powder, and during the large silkworm stage they can use 1 part bleaching powder plus 7 parts fresh lime powder, mix thoroughly, and sprinkle it on the silkworm body and silkworm seat for disinfection for about 15 minutes before adding nets and feeding mulberry leaves.
During the mulberry-eating period, every morning before feeding mulberry leaves, persist in disinfecting the silkworm body and silkworm seat once with fresh lime. At the time of stopping mulberry feeding at each instar, use "three-seven" bran to disinfect the molting silkworms, that is, mix 3 parts lime with 7 parts scorched bran, mix evenly, and sprinkle it on the silkworm body and silkworm seat, covering most of the mulberry leaves, so that only a small amount of mulberry leaves is visible.
When silkworm diseases are found, sprinkle disinfectants for the silkworm body and silkworm seat such as anti-stiffness powder once each morning and afternoon every day, and choose different medicines for disinfection according to the silkworm diseases that occur.
(2) Fumigation disinfection: fumigation disinfection should be carried out before and during the rearing period. After disinfecting with bleaching powder water before rearing, immediately fumigate with sulfur and cypress cabinets for disinfection and keep closed for a day and a night.
During the rearing period, on rainy days or when humidity is relatively high, fumigate in the silkworm room with sulfur and cypress branches every day or every other evening for 15-20 minutes, which can prevent the occurrence of stiffness disease, but fumigation cannot be done during the molting period of young silkworms.
(3) Establish a disease-prevention and hygiene system: frequently disinfect and maintain cleanliness and hygiene in and around the silkworm room and the surrounding environment; change shoes or step on lime before entering the room; wash hands before feeding mulberry leaves; tools that have not been disinfected must not be brought into the silkworm room or mulberry storage areas; mulberry leaves must not be stored in the silkworm room.
Sick and dead silkworms should be put into a disinfection vat and buried deep in the soil in a centralized way; silkworm baskets, silkworm nets, and bedding paper should be frequently changed and sun-dried to maintain cleanliness and hygiene; young silkworms and large silkworms should be reared in separate rooms; it is forbidden to pile up silkworm droppings, pesticides, chemical fertilizers, cotton, cottonseed, wheat straw, and other items in or around the silkworm room.
3. Disinfect immediately after rearing. The steps for post-rearing disinfection are first disinfection, second fumigation, third washing, fourth sun-drying, fifth collecting and picking up. That is, first spray and disinfect with bleaching powder water containing 1% available chlorine, then while still moist carry out fumigation disinfection, then move the silkworm tools outdoors and wash and scrub them clean with running water or clean water, and sun-dry them.