What do tiger silkworms eat? Learn about the diet of tiger silkworms in one article

The tiger silkworm is a type of silkworm, also known as the tiger-striped silkworm, zebra silkworm, tiger silkworm, etc. It gets its name from the black-and-white stripes on its body during the larval stage. It has aggressive tendencies and will attack domestic silkworms (newly hatched silkworms). Its cocoons are commonly white and yellow, and occasionally green. During the moth stage, it is not very different from ordinary white domestic silkworms. Let us take a look below at what tiger silkworms eat!

What do tiger silkworms eat?

The tiger silkworm is an oligophagous insect. During the larval stage, it prefers plants in the mulberry family, especially mulberry leaves, and is generally raised on the leaves of grafted Huzhou mulberry. Tiger silkworms have aggressive tendencies and will attack domestic silkworms (newly hatched silkworms). Some tiger silkworms will even eat domestic silkworms, so never raise domestic silkworms (newly hatched silkworms) together with tiger silkworms. Generally, domestic silkworms (newly hatched silkworms) and tiger silkworms should be raised separately.

The growth cycle of the tiger silkworm

The tiger silkworm hatches only once a year. In the Yangtze River basin region, under natural conditions, the eggs hatch naturally in early to mid-April. After about 23 to 28 days of artificial rearing, the larvae spin cocoons and pupate, and after another 9 to 15 days, the adults emerge from the cocoons. The adults die after mating and laying eggs. The eggs laid go through summer, autumn, and winter, and hatch in the spring of the following year. One generation takes about 40 days from egg hatching to death. When the larva reaches its maximum growth, it is about 10,000 times the size of a newly hatched silkworm. Female silkworms can reach more than 7 cm in length, while males are slightly smaller.

What types of silkworms are there?

1. Mulberry silkworm: The mulberry silkworm feeds on mulberry leaves. Its cocoon can be reeled into silk. Silk is a precious textile raw material, mainly used for weaving silk fabrics, and also has wide uses in military industry, communications and electronics, and other fields. The pupae, moths, and silkworm droppings can also be comprehensively utilized.

2. Tussah silkworm: The tussah silkworm is named for its preference for eating oak leaves. Its cocoon can be reeled into silk, mainly used to weave tussah silk. The pupae can be eaten and used as medicinal material. It occurs twice a year, with adults appearing from April to June, and overwinters as pupae inside the cocoon.

3. Chinese oak silkworm: The Chinese oak silkworm is a silk-spinning insect in the family Saturniidae of the order Lepidoptera. It is a very rare species in nature. The Chinese oak silkworm silk it produces is a priceless treasure, called a green soft gemstone surpassing gold.

4. Camphor silkworm: The camphor silkworm is a wild silk-spinning insect in the family Saturniidae of the order Lepidoptera. Its silk can be made into silkworm gut and high-quality fishing line. In China, it is mostly found in Guangdong, Taiwan, China, Guangxi, Fujian, Jiangxi, Hunan, and other places.

5. Chestnut silkworm: The chestnut silkworm is an economic insect that spins silk and makes cocoons, mainly feeding on walnut leaves and chestnut leaves. It is widely distributed in Japan, China's "Three North" regions, and central and southern areas. Chestnut silkworm silk is an expensive natural fiber.

6. Ailanthus silkworm: The ailanthus silkworm is an economic insect that spins silk and makes cocoons, mainly feeding on ailanthus leaves (tree of heaven) and also eating the leaves of Chinese tallow, castor bean, holly, Michelia figo, Paulownia, Chinese parasol, and camphor. It belongs to the family Saturniidae of the order Lepidoptera and is distributed in China, Japan, India, and other countries.

7. Willow silkworm: The willow silkworm mainly eats the leaves of Chinese wingnut, Spiraea thunbergii, Chinese tallow, camptotheca, apple, pear, and others. It is a silk-producing insect. A high-quality cocoon can be reeled into 300-meter-long silk, which has the advantages of being fine and rot-resistant. It is mainly distributed in East Asia and Southeast Asia.

8. Tiger silkworm: The tiger silkworm is a type of domestic silkworm. During the larval stage, its body has black-and-white stripes. During the moth stage, it is not very different from ordinary white domestic silkworms. During the larval stage, it prefers plants in the mulberry family, especially mulberry leaves. Silkworm cocoons are an important raw material for the textile industry.