Explain Silk.

• Silk is a natural fibre, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. 

• The protein fibre of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. 

• The best-known silk is obtained from the cocoons of the larvae of the mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori reared in captivity.

• The process of silk production is known as sericulture.

• The entire production process of silk can be divided into several steps which are typically handled by different entities.

• Extracting raw silk starts by cultivating the silkworms on mulberry leaves. 

• Once the worms start pupating in their cocoons, these are dissolved in boiling water in order for individual long fibres to be extracted and fed into the spinning reel.