Silkworm Breeding supplies?

[Texas Ranger]

I have about 25 silkworms that have grown past the point of feeder size. My panther can not even choke them dowm they are so big. I have looked around the sites that sell silkworms and silkworm kits, but none of them tell you what the silkworms need for a breeding kit/supplies. The sites have "Breed your own silkworm kits" but I just what to know what I need to make my own kit because I already have the silkworms. And they are getting close to coccon.

Can anyone tell me the supplies I need for the silkworms to get therw these last stages (building coccons on what?, becoming a moth, egg laying surface?)

?????? Any info would help me. I dont want to waste these silkworms, because they are no use to me at this size. Thanks

 

[Miss Lily]

This thread may be of interest to you https://www.chameleonforums.com/silkworms-101-a-7906/

I currently have 5 cocoons and am hoping to breed them too. I have mine in a pre-pack cricket tub. I removed the cocoons from my silkworm tubs and put them inone of their own. I added a toilet roll tube cut in half for the moths to (heopfully) lay their eggs in. Once they pupate, the moths do not eat - they just mate, lay eggs and then die. I had a single moth earlier this year (I believe it was male) and I kept him for 9 days in the tub before he died off. I couldn't bear to feed him to the chams as he was such a cute l'il 'Moffy'!! I really wasn't prepared for just how cute the moths are, lol!

 

[getwitit]

lil Moffy hahaha

well I've always been curious how people deal with one aspect of raising silkworms..that aspect is when the are newly hatched.

I was told one of the efficient ways to move silkworms from their scummy living conditions to a cleaner one was to have two mesh screens. Put one down, put down food then put down silkworms. Next, lift that screen (when it needs to be cleaned), place a clean screen underneath with food on it(or on-top of it..I am not really remembering correctly now). All of the silkies will leave the dirty food-less screen to eat the food below/above it; then when no silkies are on the dirty one, you can remove and clean that screen. My question is this, I failed miserably with a set of 1000 eggs because I did not have a good enough way to remove their waste because they were so small they werent finding the new food. Any opinions on cleaning their bin when they are really small?
Cheers!

btw I just re-read this thread posted above and I recall reading about that method of the cheese cloth stuff floating above the bin but..does this really work? will the poop really "fall" through to the bottom?? I guess I need a picture of this cooking cloth stuff so I know exactly what to get.

also I didn't get the chow consistency right the first time..If I were to have correctly made chow it is supposed to be able to be taken out of the fridge and onto a cheese grater and shred "like cheese"?

 

[FroggtheCham]

lil Moffy hahaha

well I've always been curious how people deal with one aspect of raising silkworms..that aspect is when the are newly hatched.

Newly hatched silkworms are usually too weak to crawl to the food. It takes a few days for them to get large enough/strong enough to crawl anywhere, at least for mine.

I was told one of the efficient ways to move silkworms from their scummy living conditions to a cleaner one was to have two mesh screens. Put one down, put down food then put down silkworms. Next, lift that screen (when it needs to be cleaned), place a clean screen underneath with food on it(or on-top of it..I am not really remembering correctly now). All of the silkies will leave the dirty food-less screen to eat the food below/above it; then when no silkies are on the dirty one, you can remove and clean that screen. My question is this, I failed miserably with a set of 1000 eggs because I did not have a good enough way to remove their waste because they were so small they werent finding the new food. Any opinions on cleaning their bin when they are really small?

You need to physicall move them from the dirty to the clean space/bin. I use a tweezers to move them. I use a large tongs when they are bigger so I don't handle them much. The tweezers and tongs are cleaned between uses, and only used for them since they are very sensitive to any bacteria/ mold in their environment.
Cheers!

btw I just re-read this thread posted above and I recall reading about that method of the cheese cloth stuff floating above the bin but..does this really work? will the poop really "fall" through to the bottom?? I guess I need a picture of this cooking cloth stuff so I know exactly what to get.

I cut out the bottom of my bins and glue in large gauge screen. When they are tiny, I just use papertowel and manually move them every couple days to the new food.
also I didn't get the chow consistency right the first time..If I were to have correctly made chow it is supposed to be able to be taken out of the fridge and onto a cheese grater and shred "like cheese"?

Some people make the chow that dry. I make mine on the wet side to better hydrate the worms and make them more juicy!! I just cut it up with utensils only used for the chow.

 

[Miss Lily]

lil Moffy hahaha

well I've always been curious how people deal with one aspect of raising silkworms..that aspect is when the are newly hatched.

I was told one of the efficient ways to move silkworms from their scummy living conditions to a cleaner one was to have two mesh screens. Put one down, put down food then put down silkworms. Next, lift that screen (when it needs to be cleaned), place a clean screen underneath with food on it(or on-top of it..I am not really remembering correctly now). All of the silkies will leave the dirty food-less screen to eat the food below/above it; then when no silkies are on the dirty one, you can remove and clean that screen. My question is this, I failed miserably with a set of 1000 eggs because I did not have a good enough way to remove their waste because they were so small they werent finding the new food. Any opinions on cleaning their bin when they are really small?
Cheers!

btw I just re-read this thread posted above and I recall reading about that method of the cheese cloth stuff floating above the bin but..does this really work? will the poop really "fall" through to the bottom?? I guess I need a picture of this cooking cloth stuff so I know exactly what to get.

also I didn't get the chow consistency right the first time..If I were to have correctly made chow it is supposed to be able to be taken out of the fridge and onto a cheese grater and shred "like cheese"?

I use plastic canvas for my larger silkies and it works! The frass/poop falls through into the bottom of the tub, at least until the worms start pooping stuff that is too large to fit through the holes!! Plus the plastic is easily washed and dried for re-using. I cut mine into sections and wedged it inside empty crix tubs creating a false floor for the poop to fall through.