Make sketches of the two stages in the life history of the silk moth which are directly related to the production of silk.

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.

The life cycle of silk moth:

1. The female silk moth lays eggs.
2. When an egg hatches, a tiny caterpillar crawls out. This is the silkworm or larva. The silkworm feeds on mulberry leaves and grows.
3. 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 proteins, which hardens on exposure to air. This is the silk fibre. It covers itself completely with this fibre, to form cocoon.
4. At this stage, the larva is called a pupa. The pupa grows and changes inside the cocoon.
5. A few weeks later, the cocoon opens and an adult moth comes out.

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Updated on: 10-Oct-2022

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