Here are a few amazing facts about silkworm for kids:
1. Silkworm cultivation began 5000 years ago.
Silk production is known as sericulture.
According to Confucius, it was in 2640 B.C. that the Chinese princess Xi Ling Shi was the first to reel a cocoon of silk which, legend also has it, had dropped into her cup of tea. From that historic moment, the Chinese discovered the life cycle of the silk worm and for the next 3000 years were to keep their monopoly of silk.
Most silkworm farms today exist in Japan, India, the USSR, Korea and Brazil. Silk is still produced in smaller quantities in many other countries, and several developing countries are studying new sericultural projects.
2. Silkworm eats mulberry leaves.
Mulberry leaves are the primary food for silkworms. In silk farms (where most silkworms live) they are fed chopped mulberry leaves, constantly.
3. It takes at least 2 days for a silkworm to complete its cocoon.
Silkworms work constantly to create the layers of their cocoons. It takes about two days for them to complete their job.
4. One silkworm cocoon is made of a single, unbroken thread about 914 meters long.
Silkworms create silk in their cocoons. They create a thread that is nearly 3000 feet long. It takes approximately 3,000 cocoons to produce half a kilo of silk.
5. Silkworms are no longer found in the wild.
All silkworms today live in captivity in a silkworm farm. The silk industry is valued at about $200 to $500 million annually.
6. Silkworm moths lay about 300 to 500 eggs
Silkworms will lay between 300 to 500 eggs. Silkworm farmers will place them in an incubator for about 20 days.
7. Silk Is A Good Insulator
Silk is a natural insulator. Depending on the temperature, silk duvets either draw heat away from the body, or traps in the warmth.
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