My family raised silkworms when I was a child. Although I didn’t like this wriggling creature at that time, I still called it “silkworm baby” because after all, it can bring income to the family.
However, after the cocoon was formed, someone came and took it away. It is unknown what they did to the cocoon afterwards, so I have always been very curious about how such a cocoon came to be. Becomes the silk at the back.
I know that many primary schools now have requirements for raising sericulture. Silkworm raising is already a homework, not a source of income like before.
Of course, there are many reasons for letting primary school students raise silkworms. The most important thing is that silk is the pride of China. There are also deeper reasons. The purpose is to let children know that silk, a delicate fabric, comes from insects, so that they can appreciate the beauty of nature.
The silkworm that makes silk raw materials is the larvae of a moth, and the cocoon we are talking about is the protein produced by its pupa stage to protect itself. We are using Silk is made from these proteins.
It is indeed very magical. These seemingly unrelated elements finally created such a comfortable fabric as silk.
Caption: Ancient loom
The history of silk: Chinese origin
Because silk is difficult to preserve, it is difficult to say exactly when it originated, but what is certain is that it originated in China and is one of the oldest fabrics known to mankind.
According to legend, about 5,000 years ago, Leizu, the wife of the Yellow Emperor, was the first to observe cocoons and successfully create silk.
Of course, many things in our lives were invented by Huangdi and his wife, and thanks to their status in our Chinese hearts, this may not be the case.
Illustration: Silkworm eggs
Back to the legend, after Leizu discovered some secrets of cocoons, she thought of weaving.
She began to study these silkworms, successfully deciphered the life cycle of this moth, and began to understand how to use silkworm cocoons to produce silk, and formulated ways to grow mulberry and raise silkworms.
We pass this knowledge from generation to generation, but it is relatively inefficient. Now many people are unwilling to understand these things, but it is really amazing.
For this knowledge, we can start with the life cycle of silkworms and briefly understand how our silk is obtained.
Illustration: Several stages of silkworm
The life cycle of silkworm
Like Like other moths, silkworms go through an interesting life cycle, growing from a tiny insect smaller than an ant to a butterfly-sized moth.
However, this evolution is not straightforward and involves several stages in the life cycle.
Starting from the laying of eggs by an adult female moth, silk moths can lay 300-500 eggs at a time. Then, when the eggs hatch, the larvae hatch and hunt for food and eat furiously.
Of course, mulberry trees are their only food, or host. In about 4 weeks, their bodies will grow 10,000 times, and then they will enter a dormant stage – —Pupa stage.
Actually, just like we need to cover ourselves with quilts when resting, these insects that have completely metamorphosed will cover themselves when entering the dormant stage. Wrap it up.
Silkworms have a special spinneret in their mouths, which can secrete sticky silk-like structural substances composed of proteins. Their heads rotate in various directions to secrete silk threads. Tie yourself up tightly.
Interestingly, these sticky coverings will harden once exposed to the air, forming a thick shell. This is called a cocoon. Silkworm rearing The purpose is to get this thing.
This stage will last for more than 2 weeks. This process is called pupation. The silkworm larvae will develop into moths in the cocoon and then emerge from the cocoon.
The life of a silkworm moth is short, generally not more than a week. And at this stage they no longer eat, their only purpose is to reproduce in order to start the next cycle of life.
Cocoon of silk
Some people may think that we Silk is made from the cocoon shell of the moth after it comes out. At least I have asked similar questions before.
Unfortunately, this is not the case.
If we wait until the silkworm emerges from the cocoon, its silk will have degraded and will not be used as fabric.
So, the silk we want is in the state when the cocoon is still pupating. You may also ask about the silkworm baby.
Well, the general operation is to suffocate it with steam, and then boil it in water, which can melt its gelatin and make it easier to unravel .
Then the silk is taken, and the threads of 30-50 cocoons are passed through the small holes on the bamboo sticks and fed On a manually operated spool, this is a very delicate job and requires very slow movements.
In addition to the difficulty of obtaining silk, the number of silkworm cocoons required for silk is astonishing. One pound of silk requires almost two to three thousand cocoons. This is why silk has been used since ancient times. It is a luxury item, and now a set of silk clothes can be sold for several thousand yuan.
The next step is to wash these silk threads with warm water to remove the residue of melted protein. After that, they are woven into cloth, dyed in various colors, and made into various silk products.
Finally
Silk is often known for its durability and comfort , but one characteristic that is often overlooked is that it is stronger than many metal wires.
In fact, it is the strongest natural substance known to mankind and well utilized. However, nature is so magical. Such a strong thing comes from a completely A moth that has nothing to do with fruiting.
