Silkworm Migration to new food...

[Vibrant Chameleons]

What is the best way to keep your newly hatched silkworms(1-4 days old) clean and fed?

Do I let them migrate onto the new strip of food by themselves? Will it hurt to keep the old strip on the dish until they all migrate over to the new strip of food?
I've successfully hatched close to the 1000 silkworm eggs and they are looking pretty well. But am I going about changing the food each day correctly?
So far I've used a soft tip paint brush to move the day olds to the new food. The others, I place the strip of food that they are feeding off of, close to or on the new strip of food.
How can I make it easier or better?

 

[Phatturk]

I always found this process to be pretty difficult. At first they are so small that it makes it pretty hard to move them, and when you add the silk getting all tangled and trapping them it becomes imposable almost. I change the food every other day and wait a few hours and let them make their way over to it. After they move I use some tweezers to move the slow ones and the ones trapped in silk webs and such. It sounds simple enough but when you have 1000 tiny worms it can take hours to move all of them with tweezers. The difficult part I find is rotating out the old food and adding new food. Thats when I need to spend all day with tweezers.

 

[Vibrant Chameleons]

I always found this process to be pretty difficult. At first they are so small that it makes it pretty hard to move them, and when you add the silk getting all tangled and trapping them it becomes imposable almost. I change the food every other day and wait a few hours and let them make their way over to it. After they move I use some tweezers to move the slow ones and the ones trapped in silk webs and such. It sounds simple enough but when you have 1000 tiny worms it can take hours to move all of them with tweezers. The difficult part I find is rotating out the old food and adding new food. Thats when I need to spend all day with tweezers.

Yeah, I use a fine and soft tip paint brush that seems to work well to move the little ones. Only problem is, it takes forever lol. I can't wait until they are big enough to be moved with fingers lol...

 

[lele]

when they are this small you can use a fine cheese grater and grate some of the chow on top of them (lightly, you don't want to cover completely) and then move the grater away from them as if you are making a trail for them to follow. I will physically move those that are farthest away.

Tweezers are risky on their tiny bodies. Fine artist brush is safer and you can usually catch up several with a single stroke. Have fun!!

 

[Vibrant Chameleons]

when they are this small you can use a fine cheese grater and grate some of the chow on top of them (lightly, you don't want to cover completely) and then move the grater away from them as if you are making a trail for them to follow. I will physically move those that are farthest away.

Tweezers are risky on their tiny bodies. Fine artist brush is safer and you can usually catch up several with a single stroke. Have fun!!

That's a good idea! Thanks for the tip, I will try that!

 

[silkworm]

The best way to feed silkies by chow is using medical syringe to squeeze the chow out. Use small ones for small silkies. Squeeze the chow into grids ( about 1/2 square rid for small silkies) by squeezing horizontally and then vertically.
When you mix chow powder with water to cook you, can add a little olive oil to help the chow moist longer. Smoothie blender is the best tool to mix powder before cooking
With big silkies, you can also use big drinking straw penetrate thru the chow and squeeze it out.
A small syringe is the best for silkworms regardless of their sizes, however it takes time to squeeze out if you raise so manny silkworms

 

[ladysilkworm]

Hello everyone and hello Silkworm, I think you are Chinese, based on your syntax, just like me. LOL.

I raise silkworms on leaves too and they are very easy to spot thru a semi trained eye. Most of local customers that live by me do not recognize them.

You are on the right track with the kego migration, using syringes.

Actually folks, I have a new product coming out in two weeks. They are a BRAND new way of applying your wet chow, where contamination by your own hands are history and the chow remains sterile as you use them.

This new application also answers your question about migration to some degree.

The thing is I NEVER TOUCH KEGOS AND I NEVER WORRY ABOUT CHOW SPOILING. I just apply my chow all over the newly hatched worms over and over again. I do feed them about 3 to 4 x a day, and I feed right on top of them, over and over and over again.. Rarely lost any hatchlings that way. They don't suffocate, they just eat and move up and up.. eventually the chow becomes a cake of dried ramen noodles, with lot of spacing. Our jr member, Silkworm is on the right track, making it into a grid.

In two weeks new products will launch on my website. You will see some of the very exciting things I have. Already, I have a member requesting this new stuff from me, right from this website!

 

[laurie]

send a pm to Froggthecham, she raises silkworms like crazy. Maybe that says something about her?? hum.......