Home › Livestock Farming › Article

How Do Silkworms Spit Flat Silk? A Detailed Guide to Rearing Techniques

Livestock Farming 0 views
Flat silk can be directly processed into calligraphy and painting silk paper, silk pasted mount, silk floss quilts, and various handicrafts, and can fetch a better price than ordinary silk products. So how can silkworms be made to spit flat silk? The method is: during the silkworm rearing process, do not provide cocoon-spinning mounts; instead, place the silkworms on a flat surface, and they will naturally spit and accumulate silk into a flat shape; then after degumming, it is done. Below are several points to note for making silkworms spit flat silk: Preparation of the flat surface: before the silkworms mature, for each box of eggs prepare 35-40 sq m of flat surfaces such as reed curtains and bamboo curtains. And

Flat silk can be directly processed into calligraphy and painting silk paper, silk pasted mount, silk floss quilts, and various handicrafts, and can fetch a better price than ordinary silk products. So how can silkworms be made to spit flat silk? The method is: during the silkworm rearing process, do not provide cocoon-spinning mounts; instead, place the silkworms on a flat surface, and they will naturally spit and accumulate silk into a flat shape; then after degumming, it is done.

Below are several points to note for making silkworms spit flat silk:

Preparation of the flat surface: before the silkworms mature, for each box of eggs prepare 35-40 sq m of flat surfaces such as reed curtains and bamboo curtains. For producing calligraphy and painting paper, a smooth surface is required; plastic sheeting can be spread over the flat surface, and then the size specification is determined according to the use. Generally, for producing silk floss, a specification of 1 m wide and 2 m long is suitable.

The silkworms must mature uniformly: if the silkworms do not mature uniformly, the spinning will not finish uniformly, affecting the silk yield. The method to make the silkworms mature uniformly is: after seeing 5% matured, feed them with ecdysone, which can promote uniform maturation and increase the flat silk yield. Before spinning, first let the mature silkworms excrete part of their frass, then pick them onto the flat surface.

The silkworm density must be appropriate: generally 500 per sq m for spring silkworms, and about 700 per sq m for summer and autumn silkworms.

The light should be dim and even: dim and even light can make the silkworms distribute and spin evenly on the flat surface. The temperature should preferably be 25°C; too high will affect the amount of silk spun; too low will prolong the spinning time. Humidity should preferably be somewhat higher.

Strengthen management during the spinning process: before spinning, some of the mature silkworms placed on the flat surface will crawl around looking for a cocoon-spinning position, so the wandering silkworms must be picked up at regular intervals and put back on the flat surface. After about one day and night, they spin a yellow, loose flat silk web; at this time the silkworms have finished excreting frass and urine and their whole bodies are transparent. During spinning, check at regular intervals, dig out the "buried alive" silkworms (diseased and weak silkworms wrapped and buried in the floating silk on the flat surface) and spread them out appropriately, which generally takes 1-2 days. In the early stage before spinning ends, the focus of management is digging out the "buried alive" silkworms and the fallen silkworms. When the silkworms finish spinning, collect the hairy-footed silkworms, and flat silk is obtained.

Related Articles