Silkworm
silkworm
The ‘silkworm’ is not a worm; it is the caterpillar of a silkworm moth, an insect related the butterfly.
silkworm moth
The silkworm moth lays eggs, and the eggs hatch into larvae and the larvae grow into caterpillars.
The caterpillars keep on eating the mulberry tree leaves for several day until they grow to 2-4 inches long.
When they find a suitable place on a branch of the mulberry tree, they start making a ‘cocoon’ to pupate — undergoing several changes, called ‘metamorphosis’ to change themselves into a moth. The cocoon is a kind of substance, like a smooth soft thread, spun around the caterpillar itself, produced by the glands near the silkworm’s mouth.
silkworm & cocoon
Now these ‘cocoons’ are collected by people to make the so called ‘silk’!
The gathered cocoons are then boiled to kill the ‘pupa’ of the silkworm.
When the pupa inside the cocoon is killed by boiling, the thread is unwound from the cocoon. Each cocoon is made of a single thread about 900 metres long (on average 300-900 metres long).
making silk yarn
Several threads taken from several cocoons are spun into thread (yarn), and the yarn is then dyed (= given the artificial colour), and left to dry. About 30,000 cocoons are needed to make ½ a kilo (1 pound) of silk yarn!
The dried yarn is then spun (woven) into fabric (cloth) on (spinning) looms!
Finally the smooth, soft, durable cloth which we call ‘silk’ is made!!
silk saree
Then, of course, the silk (cloth) is made into beautiful silk clothes!!!
Special Features:
The making of silk cloth from the silkworm is called ‘sericulture’.
The Chinese were the first people to learn about the making of silk some 5000 years ago, and had kept the secret of silk making form the other countries for thousands of years before the others finally got to know about the secret. Even to this day, the Chinese, along with Indians, are the producers of the best quality and the highest quantity of silk in the world!
These days the silkworms are grown on large ‘sericulture farms’ in several countries.
Since last century, silk has been made from different materials – soybean, bamboo, etc., artificially, i.e. using chemicals. This artificial silk is easier and cheaper to make, but does not have the durability and the soft, smooth ‘feel’ of the natural silk!
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Mr. Kumar, an English language teacher, having taught in many countries around the world including Ethiopia and Oman shares this English Language Reference website using material that he has written and compiled during the past 20 years.
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