|
Answer» Various stages of life cycle of silk moth are as follows: - Adult: The adult appears like a moth and is pale brown in colour.
- Eggs: Silk moth lays eggs on mulberry leaves. Eggs are carefully collected on paper strips and sold to silk farmers.
- Larva: Eggs hatch to produce larva. Larva is also called the silk worm. Larva is a glutton in terms of eating and feeds on mulberry leaves. Larva quickly grows to five times its original size. There is a pair of silk glands (spinnerets) in a larva. The larva releases a liquid protein which hardens to become fibre on contact with air.
- Cocoon or Pupa: Once the silkworm grows to 7.5 cm length, it stops feeding and begins to spin a cocoon around it. The cocoon is made from fine threads of silk. The inactive larva inside the cocoon is called pupa. Each cocoon can give 1000 – 1200 m long yarn of silk.
|
