Table of Contents
Why is the silkworm called a useful insect?
Silkworms are useful because they produce high quality silk fiber which is used to weave clothes, shawls and expensive clothing. They are strong, long and shiny fibre. They have highly elastic and high tensile strength. They can absorb the water easily.
Why is Silkmoth called the Queen of insects?
Silk is known as the queen of fibers as it is soft, strong, durable and shiny fiber compared to other natural and synthetic fibers. Silk is one of the strongest fibers compared to other fibers.
Are silkworms worms or caterpillars?
Silkworms are easy, fun and educational to grow in a classroom or at home. They are caterpillars that spin a silk cocoon and change into moths while inside. After hatching from an egg, the worms take one month to grow large enough to spin the silk.
Is silkworm and silk moth same?
The silkworm is the larva or caterpillar of a silk moth. It is an economically important insect, being a primary producer of silk. A silkworm’s preferred food are white mulberry leaves, though they may eat other mulberry species and even the osage orange.
Why do silkworms have fake legs?
All insects have six legs in the adult stage. Silkworm caterpillars have six real legs, plus five pairs of pseudopods (false legs) on the rear of the body. The very rear of the body, which is split, is used for grasping twigs and leaves. Silkworms shed their skins four times while growing.
Are there male and female silkworms?
The best way to distinguish between the genders is by looking at their size. Larger Silkworms are more likely to be females – sometimes up to 2cm larger – because they will need more energy when they are in their cocoons and producing their eggs. It is much easier to see the gender of a Silkworm Moth.
Do silkworms become butterflies?
The silkworm is the caterpillar of a moth in Lepidoptera, the order of insects that includes moths and butterflies. Lepidoptera are holometabolous insects, which means that they undergo a complete metamorphosis during their lifetime.
Is a Silkworm an insect or a moth?
Silkworms are the larvae (immature stage) of silk moth, which is an insect. They have segmented body, 3 pair of true legs etc which are all characters of true insects. They belong to the order lepidoptera of class Insecta.
What is the closest relative of the silkworm?
It is the closest relative of Bombyx mandarina, the wild silk moth. The silkworm is the larva or caterpillar of a silk moth. It is an economically important insect, being a primary producer of silk. A silkworm’s preferred food are white mulberry leaves, though they may eat other mulberry species and even the osage orange.
Can silkworm disease spread to other insects?
This disease is not passed on to the eggs from moths, as the infected silkworms cannot survive to the moth stage. This fungus, however, can spread to other insects. Grasserie, also known as nuclear polyhedrosis, milky disease, or hanging disease, is caused by infection with the Bombyx mori nuclear polyhedrosis virus.
What do silkworms feed on?
Answer Wiki. Silkworms are insects. There are many varities of silk commercially available in market, all produced by diffrent species of silkworm. The fore most of them is mulberry silk. Here, larvae in large numbers are fed on mulberry leaves. Ones the larval development is complete, they spin a cocoon for pupation.