So, I bought a 250 silkworm colony and powdered chow from silkworm store : * - Home Page.
Heres how I reared them, unfortunately not from start to finish but It was the same from when I first got them as tiny stage 1 slikworms (1st instar)
You will need:
plastic hinged box (provided when you order the colony)
plastic angle
mesh (aluminium or plastic)
plastic tweezers (provided when you order the colony)
patience!!!
heres a pic of the items cut to size:
Place the plastic angle in the box like so:
And put the mesh on top:
now place your prepared chow onto the mesh and add silkworms (note how I place the food to ensure the silkworms spread out and dont smother each other):
I keep everything as clean as possible, a thorough cleaning every 3-4 days should ensure no moldy chow is in the box. I also sterilise everything when I clean using soap and water and antibacterial wipes.
To mix the chow simply add boiling water and stir. Your aiming for a fairly thick paste. Put it in the microwave for a minute or 2 to thicken it up, and also to sterilise it. Then just empty the contents onto a sheet of clingfilm, wrap and put into the fridge. You will find that the chow thickens up into a playdo consistancy. This is what you want!
I seperate my silkworms after 2-3 weeks, making sure I wash and sterilise my hands and tweezers before any handling takes place. Cleansliness is VERY IMPORTANT. Take the bigger ones and place them into a seperate box. This ensures that the smaller ones are not getting caught up in the silk and that they can get to the chow.
Remove any dead or dying (going black) silkworms from the tub as they will make the others ill.
I hope this has been of some use. This was my first time rearing them, and after watching a few videos on youtube I decided to give it a go. It takes time and patience, but the end result is great! Look forward to my follow up thread on breeding them as Ill be letting 30 or so mature to moths!
Heres how I reared them, unfortunately not from start to finish but It was the same from when I first got them as tiny stage 1 slikworms (1st instar)
You will need:
plastic hinged box (provided when you order the colony)
plastic angle
mesh (aluminium or plastic)
plastic tweezers (provided when you order the colony)
patience!!!
heres a pic of the items cut to size:
Place the plastic angle in the box like so:
And put the mesh on top:
now place your prepared chow onto the mesh and add silkworms (note how I place the food to ensure the silkworms spread out and dont smother each other):
I keep everything as clean as possible, a thorough cleaning every 3-4 days should ensure no moldy chow is in the box. I also sterilise everything when I clean using soap and water and antibacterial wipes.
To mix the chow simply add boiling water and stir. Your aiming for a fairly thick paste. Put it in the microwave for a minute or 2 to thicken it up, and also to sterilise it. Then just empty the contents onto a sheet of clingfilm, wrap and put into the fridge. You will find that the chow thickens up into a playdo consistancy. This is what you want!
I seperate my silkworms after 2-3 weeks, making sure I wash and sterilise my hands and tweezers before any handling takes place. Cleansliness is VERY IMPORTANT. Take the bigger ones and place them into a seperate box. This ensures that the smaller ones are not getting caught up in the silk and that they can get to the chow.
Remove any dead or dying (going black) silkworms from the tub as they will make the others ill.
I hope this has been of some use. This was my first time rearing them, and after watching a few videos on youtube I decided to give it a go. It takes time and patience, but the end result is great! Look forward to my follow up thread on breeding them as Ill be letting 30 or so mature to moths!
