The Cheapest way to raise silkworms

[silkworm]

I think the most exspensive to raise silkworms is silkworm chow.
Why don't we plan 1 or 2 white mulberry bushes. You can either plan them in a big pot. Just rember to cut of the branches when they grow so hight. Keep them in bushes not trees.
Here is the best place to buy white mulberry tree
http://www.naturehills.com/product/white_mulberry.aspx
In california they give leaves year around.

I usually chop off all branches annually in early spring.

I will show you how to made silkworm chow when you have extra mulberry leaves

 

[hondataeg6]

I have gave it a tought about planting a tree in our back yard...

 

[sandrachameleon]

I agree having a tree, or a good neighbour with a tree, is much better and less expensive than buying chow powder.

yes please how do you make your own chow for the winter months (leaves are not year round where I live)? right now I use bought chow powder that I cook up in small batches, along with fresh dandelion leaves. If there was a way to make my own chow, that might be even better

 

[Syn]

One of the comments had said,

This tree is not a native of North America and actually comes from eastern Asia. Some places list it as a nuisance/invasive tree. It can be well controlled in a yard or landscaped environment, but birds inevitably eat the seeds and then they are propogated via the birds droppings. They then can begin to push out native Red Mulberry. This also leads to hybridization of the White and Red Mulberry and puts the genetic future of Red Mulberry at great risk. Additionally, its fruit is very insipid when compared to the taste of Red and Black Mulberry. If youre looking to plant a Mulberry, then Id strongly suggest you choose a Red or Black Mulberry.

I don't know as much about plants, etc. as I'd like to, but can the Red and Black mulberry leaves be used?

 

[Ace]

I agree having a tree, or a good neighbour with a tree, is much better and less expensive than buying chow powder.

Thats my scenario!!! my neigbor has what i believe a black mullberry tree, i use that and my silkies seem okay and alive with them...

I don't know as much about plants, etc. as I'd like to, but can the Red and Black mulberry leaves be used?

I am using the black mullberry tree(i think) , my silkies are alive and well, and seem hardier in a sense...been doing it for a few weeks now

and i beleive they do not sell mullberry trees (males) only thr females and have seasonal unfertalized seeds within the berries(i do not know this is true , but my dad asked someone, cuz at another house we had a mullberry tree) that might expain the trees 'invasive" behavior...just a guess

 

[Syn]

I think the main issue is hybridization. Even if there is only a female white tree, there could be male red trees.

Eh.

 

[Ace]

I think the main issue is hybridization. Even if there is only a female white tree, there could be male red trees.

Eh.

O.i.C, then i go with your last response...."Eh"

 

[silkworm]

Actually, you just dehydrate mulberry leaves and grind it to fine powder.
Here are some key to do it.
Do not dehydrate the leaves above 55 Celsius degree (about 140 F degrees).
If you do it yourself, pick young leaves to make powder for instar 1, 2 and older leaves for older larvae. How to pick right leaves go here http://www.silkwormeggs.net/blog/3-hatch-and-feed-silkworms.aspx
Keep the powder in dark cold temperature.
For small amount of leaves, food dehydrator is the best device to do. Grinder is up to you. Many of them are in market that you can search for.
I will write more details in my website how to make silkworm chow.

 

[Syn]

I had once read that you needed a clean room to make chow, otherwise it would be too unclean to feed to the silkworms, and the bacteria etc. would make them sick.

Any truth to that?

 

[Goggles]

I think the invasive problem comes from birds eating the berries with seeds in them, and dropping the feces with seeds all over the place.
I have one beside my house and you sure can tell by the purple bird poop which ones have helped themselves to your berries!

 

[sandrachameleon]

Actually, you just dehydrate mulberry leaves and grind it to fine powder.
Here are some key to do it.
Do not dehydrate the leaves above 55 Celsius degree (about 140 F degrees).
If you do it yourself, pick young leaves to make powder for instar 1, 2 and older leaves for older larvae. How to pick right leaves go here http://www.silkwormeggs.net/blog/3-hatch-and-feed-silkworms.aspx
Keep the powder in dark cold temperature.
For small amount of leaves, food dehydrator is the best device to do. Grinder is up to you. Many of them are in market that you can search for.
I will write more details in my website how to make silkworm chow.

Oh. Ive done that. it didnt seem quite as "good" as the stuff I was buying. I figured there must be more to it.

 

[silkworm]

I think the invasive problem comes from birds eating the berries with seeds in them, and dropping the feces with seeds all over the place.
I have one beside my house and you sure can tell by the purple bird poop which ones have helped themselves to your berries!

Sorry, it posted it wrong place

 

[silkworm]

I had once read that you needed a clean room to make chow, otherwise it would be too unclean to feed to the silkworms, and the bacteria etc. would make them sick.

Any truth to that?

Well it depends on the purpose of raising silkworms.
First of all, if you room is contaminated and if it can not only transfer bacteria to you dehydrated leaves, then it also can transfer the bacteria to fresh leave when you feed your silkworms. Moreover, mulberry powder has chance to be cooked in high temperature whereas, fresh mulberry leaves do not. Anyway, when you dehydrating the leaves, you need to clean your room off course.
If you raise silkworms to produce eggs is different story. First of all mulberry powder is not naturally good to raise silkworms to laying eggs.
Nosema bombycis the weakest bacteria, it is the harmless to you who raise silkworm for not producing but it is destructive to the eggs producers. Because Nosema bombycis is so weaken that you can spray the bacteria right on the food. There is nothing happen to the silkworms. However its weakness became nightmare to me. It is too weak to killing the silkworms therefore silkworm can develop up to moths and laying eggs. The contaminated eggs will kill silkworms.
Raising silkworms to produce eggs need very clean environment and it doesn’t matter how clean it is egg producers need to check mother moth under microscope.
I think, may be somebody making mulberry chow from poisonous leaves that kill there worms and they thought it was bacteria
Leaves themselves not poisonous there are some poisonous sustains accumulate on them, for instance, if you pick leaves near to a road with heavy traffic, 90% your silkworms get killed.
I will post a thread “How to identify silkworms get killed by poisonous food next time”

 

[AESara]

Does anyone have suggestions of places to buy mulberry trees in the US? I have been unable to find any and I've been trying for a good while.

 

[Brad]

Does anyone have suggestions of places to buy mulberry trees in the US? I have been unable to find any and I've been trying for a good while.

Try our sponsors. As for actual trees, you may want to contact a local nursery or home depot.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/index.php?page=sponsors

 

[silkworm]

Does anyone have suggestions of places to buy mulberry trees in the US? I have been unable to find any and I've been trying for a good while.

They send out at the end of this month
http://www.naturehills.com/product/white_mulberry.aspx

You can buy from Armstrong Garden. Should call them for availability first. You can oder from them with 49.99.

Did you know that you can cut of young branches(about 10 inches) and plan to ground they will grow.
You should do it in spring. Do not cut to young or to old branches

 

[AESara]

Try our sponsors. As for actual trees, you may want to contact a local nursery or home depot.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/index.php?page=sponsors

I did try the forum sponsors as well as area nurseries and Home Depot/Lowes/The Andersons. Maybe there are a few nurseries I've missed. Thanks.

They send out at the end of this month
http://www.naturehills.com/product/white_mulberry.aspx

You can buy from Armstrong Garden. Should call them for availability first. You can oder from them with 49.99.

Did you know that you can cut of young branches(about 10 inches) and plan to ground they will grow.
You should do it in spring. Do not cut to young or to old branches

Awesome. I might actually be able to use silkworms if I've got a tree.