"A person who is full of silkworms is not a silkworm keeper." When we read such ancient poems, we will feel the helplessness of the silkworm breeders in feudal society.
However, for the post-80s generation, raising silkworms in childhood is a kind of happiness, and until now, in some parts of Hebei and other provinces, especially in rural areas, silkworm farming can not only use silk to make quilts, but also sell silkworm pupae to restaurants or food stalls to make delicious food.
In the blink of an eye, it is the day when the earth is rejuvenated, and spring is the season when silkworm eggs become silkworm babies, and it is time to raise silkworms in spring. Now, the nostalgic Yu Brother combines his childhood experience and shares some knowledge of silkworm farming.
First, the life of a silkworm
The life of a silkworm is divided into four stages of development: silkworm eggs - larvae - pupae - adult insects.
Silkworms develop from "ant silkworms" to cocoons, a process that takes five peelings! After the first peeling, it is called "second-year silkworm", after the second time it is called "third-year silkworm", and so on. At a certain temperature, to meet the conditions for feeding mulberry leaves, the first-year silkworm and the second-year silkworm each need three days, the third and fourth-year silkworms need to be fed for about 5 days respectively, and the fifth-year-old silkworm needs to be fed for one week. That is to say, from the silkworm to the cocoon, the silkworm needs to be fed mulberry leaves for more than a month.
The five-year-old silkworm takes two days and two nights to crystallize, and then peels its skin in the cocoon once, and it becomes a silkworm pupae. After about ten days, silkworm pupae become moths, males and females mate, lay about 500 eggs, and then the moths die, and the following spring, their descendants continue the tradition of their parents and continue to contribute to mankind along the path of their descendants.
We often say "螽思延庆", from the "Book of Poetry, Zhounan, 螽思", describing many descendants. Ant is the name of an insect, also known as grasshopper, which is one generation per year, and the same is true for silkworms. And we feed the silkworms, and the time to meet and accompany the silkworms is no more than 50 days! Silkworms use limited life to leave beautiful silk, and human beings are very grateful!
As a contributor to humanity, silkworms have been praised since ancient times.
"Spring silkworm to the end of the dead silk", such a verse I believe everyone is familiar with!
Second, there are several details that need to be paid attention to in sericulture
1. It is said that the people take food as the sky, and the same is true for silkworms! Mulberry leaves should be clean and not damp. When the silkworms are relatively small, they should be fed with young leaves, and it is best to cut them into small pieces, which are easy for the silkworms to eat. Two-year-old silkworms and above can be fed with older mulberry leaves, and the back of the mulberry leaves should be facing upwards.
In the spring, when it is time to raise silkworms, the nostalgic Yu Brother shares this knowledge
It is particularly important to note that mulberry leaves should not be taken out of the refrigerator and fed. Silkworm farming season, at the turn of spring and summer, the weather is hot. In order to keep the mulberry leaves fresh, the owner will keep the mulberry leaves fresh, if you take out the mulberry leaves directly from the refrigerator crisper box to feed the silkworms, it will make the silkworms eat it! Its living environment temperature and body temperature have changed, which is not conducive to the healthy growth of silkworms.
2. The phenomenon of "suspended animation" of silkworms is normal, don't mistake it for dead!
When the silkworm peels, it basically does not eat, drink or move. Many people see that it is dirty, but in fact, the skin has not yet come off. It is a pity to see it not move at all, thinking that it is dead, and inexperienced people will throw it away!
Silkworms dormant for about 24 hours each time, we call it "suspended animation" for the time being, this time do not pay attention to it, let it go, after a day it completely peels off its skin, it will become larger, whiter and continue to nibble on mulberry leaves.
3. Do not catch silkworms by hand
Our hands have temperature, and there will be bacteria, and playing with silkworms with their hands is extremely unfavorable to silkworm babies.
In addition, it is also necessary to maintain the rationality and cleanliness of the silkworm living space to provide a safe and hygienic growth environment for the silkworms.
Third, conclusion
In short, as long as you maintain a sericulture environment of 20 degrees Celsius to 30 degrees Celsius, give a reasonable space and a safe and hygienic environment, and feed reasonably, you can cultivate healthy and lovely silkworms.
I am a nostalgic Yu brother, I love Sannong, and I am willing to share with you the experience of sericulture and share the bits and pieces of Sannong. If you don't have enough to say, please teach me a lot.