The two diagrams illustrate the stages in the life cycle of silkworms and the way to produce silk cloth. Overall, the silkworm has four life stages from egg to silkworm butterfly and there are five stages to produce silk cloth.
Firstly, eggs are laid on the mulberry leaf surface, with each time silkworm butterfly adult can lay 150 to 300 eggs. It takes around 10 days to hatch into a larva and they feed on the mulberry leaf for 4 to 6 weeks until they reach a certain size and receive enough nutrition. Afterward, the larva starts releasing silk to create a cocoon surrounding them, and that process lasts for 3-8 days. After finishing they hide inside the cocoon to continue their pupal stage for 16 days before molting into a silkworm butterfly adult. The life cycle starts all over again.
At the first stage of the process of producing silk cloth, cocoons are selected manually, and then they are boiled in hot water, at which stage the workers have to stir in order to soften and peel out the cocoon. After that, it is unwinded by the workers to find out the root of silk to pull out as long as possible, especially each silkworm cocoon can pull out 300-900 meters of thread. Subsequently, to make the silk thread stronger, people twist 10 threads into 1 before wrapping it in a dedicated silk reel and can also be dyed or switch to the last stage to weave into silk cloth before dying.
The two diagrams illustrate the
stages
in the life cycle of silkworms and the way to produce
silk
cloth.
Overall
, the silkworm has four life
stages
from egg to silkworm butterfly and there are five
stages
to produce
silk
cloth.
Firstly
, eggs
are laid
on the mulberry leaf surface, with each time silkworm butterfly adult can lay 150 to 300 eggs. It takes around 10 days to hatch into a
larva and
they feed on the mulberry leaf for 4 to 6 weeks until they reach a certain size and receive
enough
nutrition. Afterward, the larva
starts
releasing
silk
to create a
cocoon
surrounding them, and that process lasts for 3-8 days. After finishing they
hide
inside the
cocoon
to continue their pupal
stage
for 16 days
before
molting into a silkworm butterfly adult. The life cycle
starts
all over again.
At the
first
stage
of the process of producing
silk
cloth,
cocoons
are selected
manually
, and then they
are boiled
in hot water, at which
stage
the workers
have to
stir in order to soften and peel out the
cocoon
. After that, it is
unwinded
by the workers to find out the root of
silk
to pull out as long as possible,
especially
each silkworm
cocoon
can pull out 300-900 meters of thread.
Subsequently
, to
make
the
silk
thread stronger,
people
twist 10 threads into 1
before
wrapping it in a dedicated
silk
reel and can
also
be dyed
or switch to the last
stage
to weave into
silk
cloth
before
dying.