#356 What kind of insect is a silkworm?
The "silk reeling industry" frequently appears in both history and geography.
And "sericulture," the raising of silkworms that serve as the raw material for it.
This video is useful for explaining sericulture↓
While it is well known that "cocoons become raw silk" and that they "eat mulberry leaves," what kind of insect is a silkworm in the first place?
The silkworm is a species of moth belonging to the family Bombycidae in the order Lepidoptera.
It is an insect that humanity has spent thousands of years selectively breeding to make it possible to raise.
Because it has been improved specifically for harvesting cocoons, its life is fleeting.
Because it has developed the following characteristics, the silkworm cannot survive in the natural world.
・The larvae have weak legs and a limited range of movement.
・Cocoons are boiled to harvest the silk.
・Adults have no mouths and cannot eat. (They eat their entire lifetime's worth of food while they are larvae.)
・Adults have wings, but their muscles have degenerated, so they cannot fly.
・Once they become adults and mate, the males die after 2-3 days, and the females die 4-5 days after laying eggs.
You can see what adult silkworms look like in this video. (*Viewer discretion advised if you are uncomfortable with insects)
The mating and egg-laying process is vivid, but it clearly shows that the adults are entirely focused on reproduction.
By the way, after the cocoons are boiled to harvest the silk, the silkworm pupae are effectively used as livestock feed, as well as for human consumption in dishes like tsukudani (simmered in soy sauce) or deep-fried.
Furthermore, through selective breeding and the use of genetic modification technology, various colors of silk such as yellow and green, as well as fluorescent silk that glows when exposed to special light, have been developed.
[Table of Contents]
[Reference]