Silkworm

The silkworm (Bombyx mori) is the larva or caterpillar of the Bombyx mori moth. Silk has been made for at least 5000 years in China. The moth is important because it makes the silk, and no longer lives in the wild. It is entirely dependent on humans. Silkworms eat mulberry leaves, and were native to northern China.

The adult silkworm is about 2.5 cm long and creamy white in colour. The body is divided into head, thorax and abdomen. The head bears a pair of compound eyes, a pair of antennae and mouth parts. The thorax bears three pairs of legs and two pairs of coloured wings. Abdomen is hairy and wider. The entire body is covered by minute scales. The size of male and female are different.

Male and Female worms copulate in tail to tail position. It completes its life cycle in about 45 days. The life cycle of silkworm is also completed in four stages:

i)Egg                                                                   ii)Larva (caterpillar)
iii)Pupa                                                               iv)Adult

Silkworm is very useful for human beings and silk thread is obtained from the cocoon. Silk is used to prepare beautiful and durable clothes like sari,tie,etc. and it is also used to prepare parachute, special type of type forcats, the outer covering of telephone wire,etc.