Detailed Explanation of Rearing Standards and Key Technical Points for Young Silkworms

The key to rearing young silkworms is to master reasonable temperature and humidity, moderately mature fresh mulberry leaves and reasonable techniques for handling molting and awakening.

For leaves used for collecting newly hatched silkworms, the leaf color is yellow with a hint of green, slightly wrinkled; in spring pick the 2nd leaf, in summer and autumn pick the 2nd-3rd leaf. For the 1st instar, use moderately mature leaves that are green with a hint of yellow, with a flat leaf surface, the 3rd-4th leaf, preferably tender rather than old, depending on the climate. For the 2nd instar, moderately mature leaves have a normal green color; for the 3rd instar in spring, three-eye leaves can be used. For the 1st-2nd instars, cut leaves into square pieces 1.5 times the body length of the silkworm, and use strip leaves when expanding the rearing bed.

During the spring silkworm season, one can aim for 10 days to the third molt; when the temperature is high, the time can be appropriately shortened to promote uniform development. After most silkworms have settled into molt, a net can be added to lift out the green-headed silkworms, and the green-headed silkworms should be reared in batches. Feeding after molting should be carried out when there are almost no molting silkworms; in principle, stop mulberry late and feed late. During the young silkworm stage, combine feeding with mulberry to carry out ventilation, ventilating 2-4 times a day for no less than 10 minutes each time. At the same time, if the target humidity cannot be reached, heating is needed. Before the 3rd instar, co-rearing of young silkworms is required.