Cutting leaves to feed silkworms to seek advantages and avoid disadvantages

The period of young silkworm (1 ~ 3 years old) is a critical period of production. Only careful feeding and scientific management can lay a good foundation for disease-free and high yield in the later stage. In the production of sericulture in rural areas, some silkworm farmers are afraid of trouble and save trouble, and the whole leaves are still used to feed silkworms in the young silkworm stage, resulting in uneven development of young silkworms and serious waste of mulberry leaves.

(1) to avoid the loss of small silkworms, especially the whole leaves of the 1st instar silkworms, the uneaten residual mulberry often shrinks and curls into a tube, wrapping part of the silkworms among them, while the young silkworms move so small that it is difficult to climb out of them. Finally, these silkworms either starve to death or are dumped with the residual mulberry when they are desiccated, causing many silkworm losses without knowing it. If the cut leaves are fed (the size of the cut leaves should be 1.5 to 2 times the length of the silkworm body), the cut mulberry will not reel, and the silkworm can crawl around for food to avoid the above-mentioned losses.

(2) the quality of leaves is evenly adjusted and there are no two identical mulberry leaves on the same mulberry tree, and there are always inconsistencies in age, thickness, softness, hardness and nutrients. The feeding amount of small silkworms is small, and it is difficult for several silkworms to eat a whole leaf at a time. If the whole leaves are fed, some silkworms will be partial to food for a long time, some will accelerate their development, and some will slow down, resulting in phenomena of different sizes. After the mulberry leaves are cut fine and shaken and mixed, each silkworm can eat a number of leaves with different texture each time, so that the partial eclipse will not affect the development.

(3) reducing the feeding of whole leaves of drilled silkworms because of its large weight and wide area, it is difficult for young silkworms to climb from the lower layer to the upper layer to feed, and many drilled silkworms will be formed over a long time. These silkworms do not eat enough mulberry, have a weak physique, and are vulnerable to pathogens, which lead to silkworm disease. With cut leaves, because of its small face, light weight, loose and multi-gap, silkworms are very easy to climb to the upper layer, and there are almost no sand silkworms.

(4) the silkworm seat is hygienic, the leaf cutting surface is small and light, and the loose and porous residual mulberry layer and feeding layer are formed on the silkworm seat, and the water vapor and bad gas in the silkworm seat are easy to volatilize, which can keep the silkworm seat clean and dry. Unlike whole leaves, a little more accumulation will cause cold and wet or fermentation deterioration, breeding bacteria and harming silkworms.

In addition, the use of leaf cutting also has the advantages of convenient mulberry, uniform distribution, easy eating of silkworms and easy seat expansion.