Silkworm Life Cycle

We get silk from this beautiful creature called the silk worm.

Let's see how the life cycle of the silk worm helps us get this beautiful product called silk.

The Cycle

At first, the female silk moth lays eggs. When the eggs hatch, a tiny caterpillar crawls out. This is the silkworm or larva.

The silkworm feeds on leaves and grows.

When it is ready to enter the next stage in its life cycle, it first weaves a net to hold itself.

It then secretes a fibre made of protein, which hardens on exposure to air. This is the silk fibre.

It covers itself completely with this fibre, to form a cocoon. At this stage, the larva is called a pupa.

The pupa grows and changes inside the cocoon. A few weeks later the cocoon opens and an adult moth comes out.

The silk yarn is obtained from the cocoon of the silkworm.