Silkworm eggs

[ajs]

How long does it usually take for silkworm eggs to hatch once they have been laid? (Ambient temp = 78F)

I've had some eggs for 2-3 weeks now. All but a few look to have been fertilized and have darkened. It looks like some white shed-looking stuff has come off or out of some of them also during this time. Not sure what that means..

I unfortunately do not have a picture at the moment, but can add one once I am home

 

[NashansCamos]

im pretty sure @Beman has had some (bad) expirience with hatching silkworm eggs ?

 

[coastal_chameleon]

ohh man !! Iv tried many times and never been successful , I think you need to chill them first or they they wont hatch .

 

[Pearl Fields]

ohh man !! Iv tried many times and never been successful , I think you need to chill them first or they they wont hatch .

That’s one of the confusing things! Half of sources say put them in the fridge, half say don’t! And I’m like ???

 

[coastal_chameleon]

That’s one of the confusing things! Half of sources say put them in the fridge, half say don’t! And I’m like ???

haha I was going through the same and tried both , then I heard humidity plays a big roll in hatching them . I just buy the eggs online now .

 

[Beman]

Yeah so if you have moths that breed and lay eggs the eggs have to be put into the fridge to go through a diapause. I believe it is a 3 month period on that but don't quote me. @snitz427 knows.
Otherwise no hatching out.

When you buy eggs directly those will typically hatch out within a week or so because they have already gone through diapause.

Every once in a while if conditions are perfect you will get eggs that have just been laid hatch out but this is the exception not the rule with silkworms.

Once they hatch it is a whole different story. I started with 250 eggs about 200 hatched out here I am 3 weeks later and have about 35 worms but the growth rate is stupid slow for me. All under a 1/4 of an inch still. I personally won't do this again.

 

[coastal_chameleon]

Yeah so if you have moths that breed and lay eggs the eggs have to be put into the fridge to go through a diapause. I believe it is a 3 month period on that but don't quote me. @snitz427 knows.
Otherwise no hatching out.

When you buy eggs directly those will typically hatch out within a week or so because they have already gone through diapause.

Every once in a while if conditions are perfect you will get eggs that have just been laid hatch out but this is the exception not the rule with silkworms.

Once they hatch it is a whole different story. I started with 250 eggs about 200 hatched out here I am 3 weeks later and have about 35 worms but the growth rate is stupid slow for me. All under a 1/4 of an inch still. I personally won't do this again.

They grow faster with actual leaves ! IV tried chow and it's a pain to use ! It dries up fast and the growth of my worms were hella slow .

 

[Beman]

They grow faster with actual leaves ! IV tried chow and it's a pain to use ! It dries up fast and the growth of my worms were hella slow .

Yeah but I have no access to leaves lol. And last time I checked they were not cheap to buy either.

 

[snitz427]

Temp and humidity are most important through their entire life cycle. They can go a surprisingly long time without food... but if your humidity is wrong they’ll either mismolt or get sick (mold). Warmer temps seem to encourage growth in most bugs... within reason... and cooler temps slow development.

 

[Beman]

Temp and humidity are most important through their entire life cycle. They can go a surprisingly long time without food... but if your humidity is wrong they’ll either mismolt or get sick (mold). Warmer temps seem to encourage growth in most bugs... within reason... and cooler temps slow development.

I don't know what I am doing wrong lol. What humidity and temp do I need? I put them in the warmer (80) and they die. I keep them out and they die (75 day 67 night). No growth just death.

 

[snitz427]

I don't know what I am doing wrong lol. What humidity and temp do I need? I put them in the warmer (80) and they die. I keep them out and they die (75 day 67 night). No growth just death.

Too much or too wet of food might be playing into it. It will increase humidity and moisture - especially with heat.

I keep mine around same room temps (70ish) and they grow at a good pace - not too fast not too slow. I dont feed mine every day so they go without and grow slower. Lack of food also lets everything dry out. Maryland has moderate to high humidity, 70-80% outside is probably normal for summer. My home is around 50%. I keep the lid off so thats their humidity.

Also, kegos grow rather slowly in the first few weeks. When they hit around 3-4 weeks (in my experience) they grow a bit faster and are feeding size. That being said - I hatched some that Ive been feeding off for at least a month. Some hit cocoon size weeks ago, some are still small enough to feed my baby sized kinyongia chams.

 

[Ramrod]

Yeah so if you have moths that breed and lay eggs the eggs have to be put into the fridge to go through a diapause. I believe it is a 3 month period on that but don't quote me. @snitz427 knows.
Otherwise no hatching out.

When you buy eggs directly those will typically hatch out within a week or so because they have already gone through diapause.

Every once in a while if conditions are perfect you will get eggs that have just been laid hatch out but this is the exception not the rule with silkworms.

Once they hatch it is a whole different story. I started with 250 eggs about 200 hatched out here I am 3 weeks later and have about 35 worms but the growth rate is stupid slow for me. All under a 1/4 of an inch still. I personally won't do this again.

Yeah I had some moths that laid eggs and I didn't want to mess with them so just left them at room temp. About a week later I discovered they had hatched which was unexpected. Needless to say I was not prepared to take care of them and they quickly perished but what a surprise.

 

[ajs]

Oof, didn't know the diapause was necessary. Here i was thinking I could have a steady supply of silks.

Might just have to buy some eggs online.

Thanks everyone!