Know how silkworm produces silk

Silk sarees and silk dresses are liked by everyone. Silkworm is the organism from which silk is made. Its scientific name is Bombyx Mori . China is the world’s largest producer of silk . Silk cultivation and silk trade have been practiced in China since ancient times. Do you know how the silkworm produces silk? If not, let’s know how silk is made from silkworm.

Silkworm production of silk

The silkworm remains alive for only two or three days and within this time the female silkworm lays eggs on the mulberry leaves. About 10 days from each egg, a female Rosham insect larvae emerge, which again grow long before 30 to 40 days and then become dull and turn into a round shape.

For about 3 days, the silkworm shakes its body, removing the salivary glands, producing a long thread solution called a coya or cocoon. On exposure to air, the cocoon becomes dry and silk thread, which is about 1000 meters long. The closed larvae of the cocoon turn into a pupa.

Within 12 to 15 days, the pupa turns into an insect which, with the help of alkaline secretion, bites the cocoon and comes out. In order to obtain silk, the cocoon is put into the boiling water before it becomes an insect and kills the entire pest within and separates the thread. In this way silk is made from silkworm and after that with the help of these silk threads, cloth etc. are manufactured.

Some facts about silk

1. The practice of silk started in China all over the world.
2. The most common mulberry silkworm (Bombyx Mori) is reared in India. India is currently the only country to successfully produce all the known silk trade varieties of mulberry, tropical tussar, oak tussar, eri and coral.
3. In the year 1943, Central Silk Research Zone was established in Baharampur, West Bengal.
4. Silk yarn is a type of protein, while cotton and jute yarn is cellulose.