Why do silkworms shed their skin?

The silkworm is the larva of silkworm moth and the main source of silk raw materials. It is also called silkworm because it is domesticated and raised indoors. It has an important position in human economic life and cultural history. It is native to China and its staple food is mulberry leaves. It can also be supplemented with goose vegetables. In the south of mainland China and Taiwan, silkworms are commonly known as silkworm babies or girls. Let's take a look at why silkworms shed their skin.

Why do silkworms shed their skin?

In the process of growth and development, the epidermis of silkworm can not grow up with the growth of the body, but peel off when the growth of the body is limited. Baby silkworms live on mulberry leaves. After eating mulberry leaves constantly, the body becomes white. After a period of time, it begins to peel. When peeling, it takes about a day, such as sleep, do not eat or move. After one peeling, the second instar larvae are the second instar larvae. even if the peeling is increased by one year, the larvae have to peel off four times to become the fifth instar larvae, and then eat mulberry leaves for 8 days to become mature silkworms and begin to spin cocoons.

Why do silkworms cocoon?

From the physiological point of view of the silkworm, because the protein that makes up the silk gland is composed of amino acids, if there are too many amino acids in the silkworm body, the silkworm will be poisoned, so the silkworm needs to remove amino acids to achieve the purpose of detoxification. Under natural conditions, the silkworm, as a completely abnormal insect, is very fragile at every stage of life, especially in the silkworm pupa stage, which will stop feeding, lose the ability to act, and be easily hurt by natural enemies. The silkworm evolves the behavior of spinning and cocooning, enclosing itself in a dense cocoon shell, so that it can not only avoid natural enemies to protect itself, but also safely turn into a silkworm pupa in the cocoon, and transform the organs in the silkworm pupa into the shape of a silkworm moth. and finally feathered into a silkworm moth.

What kinds of silkworms do you have?

1. Bombyx mori: Bombyx mori take mulberry leaves as food, and cocoons can be reeled. Silk is a precious textile raw material, which is mainly used in weaving silk. It is also widely used in military industry, alternating current and other aspects. Pupae, moths and silkworm droppings can also be used comprehensively.

2. Tussah silkworm: tussah silkworm gets its name because it likes eating tussah leaves, and its cocoon can be reeled. It is mainly used to weave tussah silk. The pupa is edible and medicinal materials. It occurs twice a year. Adults appear from April to June, and the pupa overwinters in the cocoon.

3. Bombyx mori: Bombyx mori is a silk-spinning insect of Lepidoptera, Bombyx mori, which is a very rare species in nature. its silk is priceless and is called a green soft gem better than gold.

4. Camphor silkworm: camphor silkworm is a wild silk-spinning insect of Lepidoptera, which can be made into catgut and high-quality fishing wire. It is more common in Guangdong, Taiwan, Guangxi, Fujian, Jiangxi, Hunan and other places in China.

5. Chestnut silkworm: chestnut silkworm is an economic insect that spins and cocoons mainly on walnut leaves and chestnut leaves, which is widely distributed in Japan, China's "three north" and south-central regions. Chestnut silk is an expensive natural fiber.

6. Bombyx mori: the silkworm is an economic insect that mainly eats the leaves of Chinese tallow, castor, holly, Michelia mollissima, paulownia, sycamore, camphor and so on. It belongs to the family Lepidoptera and is distributed in China, Japan, India and other countries.

7. Willow silkworm: willow silkworm mainly eats maple poplar, snow willow, Chinese tallow, Camptotheca acuminata, apple, pear and other leaves, which are silk insects. High-quality cocoons can draw silk 300 meters long, with the advantages of fine and rot resistance, mainly distributed in East and Southeast Asia.

8. Tiger silkworm: Bombyx mori is a kind of silkworm. There are black and white stripes on the silkworm body in the larval stage, and there is little difference between the moth stage and the ordinary white silkworm. The larval stage likes to eat mulberry plants, especially mulberry leaves, and cocoons are important raw materials for the textile industry.