Fun Silk Worm Facts For Kids

Ever wondered where the glossy silk you see as an accessory comes from? Here we present exciting details about the silkworm moth, a caterpillar that produces silk. These silkworm moths have been in existence for about 5000 years, originating from China. However, now they are found throughout the world after undergoing their complete domestication. Silkworms being a moth, you’d expect them to be in the wild around the bushes, but on the contrary, their survival is solely dependent on humans.

Rearing the silkworm moth to produce silk fibers is called ‘sericulture’ or ‘silkworm farming.’ The female silkworm lays 300 eggs on the mulberry trees, which then change into silkworm larva followed by silkworm pupae. What becomes of a silkworm ultimately then? It spins a cocoon for itself, and within the cocoon, the silkworm starts transforming into an adult moth with enormous wings. Thus, the silkworm turns into silkworm moth that is similar looking to butterflies. Silkworms spin themselves into a silk cocoon made of silk threads. These cocoons are spun from threads spewed from the holes of these mulberry-munching tiny moths. During this 72-hour production, the silkworm moth produces about 500-1200 silk threads. However, the Bombyx mori has a tragic end to its life, where the silkworms are killed to produce silk as it's more straightforward to unwind the threads of the cocoon in boiling water.

Keep scrolling for more such exciting silkworm facts. Also, check out our articles on flatworms and honey bees!

What type of animal is a silkworm?

A silkworm is an insect and is a larval version of the silk moth.

What class of animal do silkworms belong to?

Silkworms belong to the class Insects.

How many silkworm species are there in the world?

More than 500 species of silkworm are present in the world!

Where do silkworms live? 

Silkworms are never found in the wild and are cultivated in distinct silkworm farms.

What is a silkworm's habitat? 

The silkworm is a highly specialized feeder that survives solely on mulberry leaves, hence the silkworm farms infused with an abundant supply of mulberry leaves are a silkworm's habitat.

Who do silkworms live with?

The humans entirely monitor the silkworm moth's survival as it no longer lives in the wild. In fact, the silkworm has been domesticated by humans to such an extent that it can no longer defend itself in the wild, nor can it fly or move more than a few centimeters to find food for itself.

How long do silkworms live?

The silkworm lifecycle approximately ranges from about six to eight weeks.

How do they reproduce?

A silkworm moth reproduces once a year. After silkworms mate, the female silkworm lays about 300-500 eggs on the mulberry leaves. These eggs then hatch within 10-25 days to give tiny silkworm larva. After hatching, silkworms move to grow to 1 in (2.5 cm) from the stage of being just eggs. In this final stage of their lifecycle, they do not eat at all! After laying the eggs, the adult moth dies.

What is their conservation status?

According to the IUCN, silkworm's conservation status is Not Evaluated.

What do silkworms look like?

The silkworm larvae initially look like tiny black threads but eventually start looking white as and when they start to shed their skin. The shedding of skin is what makes them look soft and white. Each larva sheds its skin four times before entering the cocoon stage.

How cute are they?

With their blond light to brown fibrous bands running across their body, silkworms are soft-bodied creatures and can make for cute little animals!

How do they communicate?

The silkworm moth has an interesting way of communicating with other silkworms. The Bombyx mori does so via organic molecules inside its body. In most of the studies, it was observed that the female moth attracts the male adult moth using a carbon molecule during the mating stage.

How big are silkworms? 

Silkworms are tiny moths that grow quite fast and reach a length of 3 in (7.6 cm) as a fully grown adult and are ready to cocoon in 25-28 days.

How fast can silkworms move?

In ideal conditions, silkworms can be pretty speedy while spinning their cocoons.

How much do Silk Worms weigh?

Around 35,000 freshly hatched eggs would only weigh about 1 oz (28.3 g). The diet of only chopped mulberry leaves makes the silkworm of the Bombyx mori species weigh a little under 2 oz (56.6 g).

What are the male and female names of the species?

Both male and female species of silkworm are called silkworm moths. In fact, they are also similarly colored. Another fun fact! The female silkworm is more significant than its male counterpart by 0.7 in (2 cm) as their requirement for a cocoon is larger.

What would you call a baby silkworm?

A baby silkworm is ideally a silkworm larva, but the Japanese identify this stage as 'Kego,' which means hairy baby. The newborn silkworms look like tiny black strings.

What do silkworms eat?

Silkworm moths' staple food includes eating lots and lots of mulberry leaves! But while rearing them, you could come across a situation in winters where the availability of these leaves may become sparse; hence as an alternative food for commercial sericulture, half a pound of 'silkworm chow' powder is sent to feed the hungry larvae.

Are they harmful?

The silkworm moth will not cause any serious damage as they feed only on leaves, but when present in large amounts, they could be a potential cause for harming young trees' health.

Would they make a good pet?

The silkworm moth would absolutely make a good pet for kids, the reason being, they are clean, they don't bite, and most importantly, can be kept in confined spaces. Moreover, since the adult silkworm lives only for about two months, it would also have no impact on a kid's emotional state after it dies. Above all, having a silkworm is a great idea to teach children about nature, insects, and their significance in an ecosystem.

Did you know...

The silkworm cocoons are made of a single thread of raw silk, which is nothing but the silkworm moth's saliva!

The discovery of the great use of silkworm moths started in China when the queen noticed the silkworm cocoons' soft threads in her tea. It was, in fact, China's invaluable secret that remained within its borders for 2500 years.

Silkworm pupae, after their use, are also used as fertilizers and compost.

People in Korea and China eat the pupae as popular street food items.

Apart from their primary use of producing silk, the Bombyx mori pupae are also widely used for medicinal purposes.

What does the butterfly of the silkworm look like?

The adult silkworm butterfly has a wingspan of 2 in (5 cm) and has a bristly body. The silkworm butterfly is blond to light brown colored with dark bands running across its body. Its wings, however, are cream-colored and have dark veins extending out to the margins.

Are silkworms blind?

Sadly yes, silkworms are blind since being raised by humans has made them highly dependent on them for many decades. Thus a silkworm is born blind.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other arthropods including giant African millipede, or green stink bug.

You can even occupy yourself at home by drawing one on our silkworm coloring pages.