Got some Silkworms!!!

Beman said:
Ok so how do you actually know when they are ready to spin? Am I supposed to take the food away? I have like 12 that are huge and paler. I can see the vein pulsing in their back. I have toilet paper roles that I have cut down to 1inch tubes in with them. They just keep eating...
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I kept feeding mine. One by one they stopped eating finally and wandered over to the paper towel rolls and spun. I had three that couldn't figure it out. Those three keep spinning silk, then changing their minds and trying again somewhere else, and then they ran out of silk and died.
 
Rst_Cham said:
I kept feeding mine. One by one they stopped eating finally and wandered over to the paper towel rolls and spun. I had three that couldn't figure it out. Those three keep spinning silk, then changing their minds and trying again somewhere else, and then they ran out of silk and died.
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Thank you hun! So I need to not get attached to these ones then cause some may die before they die after mating lol.
 
Yeah like previously said, they just stop eating and crawl away and make their cocoons.

A little advice, once they come out as moths remember to take out the empty cocoons. Mine laid a bunch of eggs one them instead of the cardboard since I forgot to to do this.
 
JoshD49 said:
Yeah like previously said, they just stop eating and crawl away and make their cocoons.

A little advice, once they come out as moths remember to take out the empty cocoons. Mine laid a bunch of eggs one them instead of the cardboard since I forgot to to do this.
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Ohhhh good to know. Josh how long after they come out do they start mating? And do I mate them in the box completely closed up or put screen on the top?
 
They will begin mating as soon as they find a mate to work with haha. I had one that emerged way before the others and he just hung out. Haha.

I out a screen so I could watch for the. To be done and so my kids could see the moths. Haha
 
JoshD49 said:
They will begin mating as soon as they find a mate to work with haha. I had one that emerged way before the others and he just hung out. Haha.

I out a screen so I could watch for the. To be done and so my kids could see the moths. Haha
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LOL ok and the females have like a naked body where as the males have the white furry body right? Watch me get all males!
 
Beman said:
LOL ok and the females have like a naked body where as the males have the white furry body right? Watch me get all males!
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I read they both have furry bodies, but males have larger wings and antenee, and the females have larger abdomens.
 
Beman said:
Gotcha ok well this is going to be an interesting experience lol
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One of my worms that died had enough silk left to spin half a cocoon, it was interesting to see him in there, suspended in the middle by silk.

I cant wait for my moths to emerge! They look super cute by the photos I've seen. My son was completely fascinated by the silkworm cocoons. He helped me pull them out of the tubes and was surprised they are hard.

I cant wait for summer, I'm going to try to catch and breed katydids too. There are huge grasslands in the middle of nowhere a few hours northeast of us, we're going to go bug catching.
 
Rst_Cham said:
One of my worms that died had enough silk left to spin half a cocoon, it was interesting to see him in there, suspended in the middle by silk.

I cant wait for my moths to emerge! They look super cute by the photos I've seen. My son was completely fascinated by the silkworm cocoons. He helped me pull them out of the tubes and was surprised they are hard.

I cant wait for summer, I'm going to try to catch and breed katydids too. There are huge grasslands in the middle of nowhere a few hours northeast of us, we're going to go bug catching.
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That is really cool that he is interested. My daughter thinks the bugs are absolutely disgusting. I look forward to hearing about your katydid experience. That should be really interesting!
 
Beman said:
That is really cool that he is interested. My daughter thinks the bugs are absolutely disgusting. I look forward to hearing about your katydid experience. That should be really interesting!
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Since Max is a joint venture between me and my son I make him help with insect care. At first he was totally freaked out. Now he's gotten used to handling them and is no longer completely disgusted. He's warming up to them for sure. The silkworms are definitely a favorite, the roaches not so much. My family has figured out that if they cant find me, to come to my laundry bug room since I'm usually in there. :)
 
Rst_Cham said:
Since Max is a joint venture between me and my son I make him help with insect care. At first he was totally freaked out. Now he's gotten used to handling them and is no longer completely disgusted. He's warming up to them for sure. The silkworms are definitely a favorite, the roaches not so much. My family has figured out that if they cant find me, to come to my laundry bug room since I'm usually in there. :)
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Yeah my bugs and all their stuff are starting to take over. We move this weekend so I will have a bit more room and that will make the family happy not having my bugs in the living area lol.
 
Beman said:
Yeah my bugs and all their stuff are starting to take over. We move this weekend so I will have a bit more room and that will make the family happy not having my bugs in the living area lol.
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Ha! I would have been in big trouble if I had tried to keep bugs anywhere but the basement. Luckily my cat is on loose bug control and is eating any escaped crickets.
 
Rst_Cham said:
Ha! I would have been in big trouble if I had tried to keep bugs anywhere but the basement. Luckily my cat is on loose bug control and is eating any escaped crickets.
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Lucky our dog thinks the escaped ones are fun to just follow around lol.
 
And spinning has started!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so excited!

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Rst_Cham said:
LMAO! I got kicked out of the kitchen fridge but luckily we have a garage fridge and so I've moved my blue bottle fly larvae out there and no one has complained (yet). We had company this weekend and my husband made me take them down to the basement to show them my laundry bug room. They freaked out and wouldn't even step inside annnnnd now they think I'm weird. I guess I am. lol

Moe! I have a couple giants too, I guess I'll have to name them! I'm not sure why I'm trying to breed them. Max wont even eat hornworms! Maybe when he gets a bit bigger. I bought another pod of them to try again with him and they went from being too small to too big in less than 4 days. I'm seriously going to dump these new worms out in the chicken run and wish them luck.
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That sounds like me. Just for the fact that I have a "bug room", my own husband really has changed and thinks I am weird. As for the hornworms, I have several that are too big too. So is it okay to let them outside or do they damage the grass or trees? I was wanting to do the same thing with them. Angus has eaten the smaller ones and seems to like them.
 
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