Accidental Silkworm breeding project

[aqualungs]

Very cool! I have not had success with the last hatching. I overslept and broke the 24 hour feeding rule. I can't seem to kill the bigger ones. I have had my adults for over a month. I was debating pupating the adult worms or give them to my friend's bearded dragon, but you have inspired me!

 

[NERVOUS]

Now how do the eggs go about hatching? Don't you have to chill them in a fridge and give them a tad bit of humidity for a while before you can hatch em out? How's that work?

From what I've read online, you can hatch the eggs by keeping them at 80+ degrees F or you can store them in a plastic bag in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator until you're ready to hatch them. I haven't read anything to-date about specific humidity requirements.

I plan on hatching this batch of eggs right away using the same complex 'incubation' technique I used to pupate the moths (i.e. placing them on top of my lights).

UPDATE: The eggs I have appear to be fertile based on the darkening color I'm observing. Since I'm not sure what to do with literally hundreds of Silkworms I decided to feed the remaining moths to my Cham.

That said, as each additional step unfolds in the reproductive lifecycle of these Silkworms I'm becoming increasingly interested in seeing this little project through!

 

[NERVOUS]

I was debating pupating the adult worms or give them to my friend's bearded dragon, but you have inspired me!

I suggest pupating a few of them... It's super easy. Plus, it's interesting to watch the process unfold... At least it was to me. Best of luck if you decide to proceed with a Silkworm breeding project of your own.

 

[aqualungs]

What is the best way to start pupating? Put them in TP rolls? A few of them are already spinning some silk on the walls. They all fed last night except a few.

 

[gotwqqd]

They will stop eating

Confine them

 

[NERVOUS]

What is the best way to start pupating? Put them in TP rolls? A few of them are already spinning some silk on the walls. They all fed last night except a few.

I couldn't tell you exactly. All I really did was remove the individual cocoons from the pod I had whenever they appeared.

There probably is something to the availability of food and pupating though... Because the worms I had only started cocooning when their food supply dwindled.

Also, just an FYI... I recall reading (in several different places) that you shouldn't bother a worm once it begins spinning a cocoon. Apparently, each worm only has a limited supply of silk - to spin its cocoon. If you disturb a worm while it's in the process of spinning a cocoon it might not be able to recover.

 

[aqualungs]

Cool beans I thought you shouldn't disturb them also. I am looking forward to watching this all pan out!

 

[gotwqqd]

http://dragon-seekers.com/Silk_Worm_Breeding.html

 

[NERVOUS]

UPDATE: Apparently, I have fertile Silkworm eggs. This is one of the three batches of eggs I got.

Fertile Silkworm Eggs

• NERVOUS
• Apr 12, 2016

Also, kudos to Coastal Silkworms. I re-ordered from them just prior to the start of this little project... And this is what they send when you order 100 live Silkworms from them!

Coastal Silkworms

• NERVOUS
• Apr 12, 2016

 

[Chilipina]

So. Many. Critters.

 

[trickedoutbiker]

Also, kudos to Coastal Silkworms. I re-ordered from them just prior to the start of this little project... And this is what they send when you order 100 live Silkworms from them!

That doesn't exactly look like 100..... ???

 

[NERVOUS]

That doesn't exactly look like 100..... ???

Yrah, it's way more than 100... Close to 200 in fact!

 

[aqualungs]

They sent me 100+ too. They're starting to spin silk here and there.