Silk worm project!!

[Whatcamo]

Well I got my silkies today so I'm going to be journaling how it goes here and I'll start with their first picture I made them food and it turned out so I guess I'm on the right roars tomorrow I will be installing a screen to elevate them so all their dropping can fall to the bottom I'll also note I'm hoping to have a self sustaining colony so I don't have to make another purchase! I also ordered 10 pounds of food off the bat so that should be nice anyways here's their first picture 500 babies and 100 mediums from mulberry farms so here's the babies!
Also all tips and critiques welcomed!

 

[Whatcamo]

They're getting big!

 

[okiroo]

wow congratz! they look yummy

 

[Whatcamo]

Haha thanks my boy has been getting spoiled on them since he's been sick! A spoonful of silkworm helps the medicine go down

 

[Chadbot]

I have always wondered if an empty box of clementine oranges/christmas oranges (depending on where you're from) would work to support silkies. They are little wooden crates about 10 inches by 8 inches and they have orange screen across the top (all you'd have to do is take out the oranges).

Looking forward to seeing your progress! Good luck.

 

[Whatcamo]

That's a good idea i think it's work for some in small numbers

 

[Whatcamo]

How much bigger do these get before they spin lol

 

[chendy]

holly crap batman!!! thats friggen huuuuge!
i didnt know they could get that big

 

[Bernie]

How easy/hard are they to raise? I want to get some eggs or small silkworms and grow them on - however I have no clue on how to do this successfully. Can anyone provide a guide and comment on the difficulty level?

 

[Whatcamo]

Over all I'd say they are fairly easy the main thing is just a pain to stay on top of keeping my 600 guys fed lol
I would really suggest doing a little research on them I found tons of great material on here just by searching silkworm, also check out wormspit.com

 

[Whatcamo]

Woohoo I have one spinning and the weird thing is its half the size of my biggest ones ?

 

[shaunaroxanne]

Woohoo I have one spinning and the weird thing is its half the size of my biggest ones ?

That's because right before they are about to spin, they dump their guts and become about 1/3 of their biggest size. You will also notice they get a littler darker in color in the back. I was advised never to withhold food at this stage (I had 5 die at that size) because they eat 95% of their food in the 5th instar. I have a bunch cocooning now. They ones I have in the incubator are more than 5 days ahead of the ones I have at room temperature, which have still not cocooned.

 

[Whatcamo]

Yeah the ones I have already spinning are with the mass of silkworms that are kept on top of my mister water storage tank that stays a steady 84f vs the ones that are larger and separated and kept in the furnace closet

 

[Miss Lily]

I think I need to move mine nearer the heat lamp to help them along!

 

[Whatcamo]

Might not hurt

 

[Whatcamo]

Here's a pic of the monsters

 

[Whatcamo]

Woohoo 6 in cocoon! Or In the process !

 

[Whatcamo]

Huh the picture didn't attach last night here we go

 

[zjuckett]

Do chams eat these...?

 

[Whatcamo]

Do chams eat these...?

Ooooh yeah they love then good for them too!