Preserving Mulberry Leaves

[Miss Lily]

I got Amy 'n' Tommy a new batch of silkworms - I ordered mediums this time from a different company as the last lot didn't survive. So far these ones are large, juicy and healthy, I have only lost 1 so far. I also ordered some Mulberry leaves from bay and these arrived today (one day after the silks). Since I don't know what Mulberry leaves look like I take it that they are the right thing due to the reaction of the silkies when I gave them some! Yesterday they dined on thinly sliced carrot which they loved.

What I would like to know is, how do I keep the leaves fresh? I keep my other leafy gutload in a tub with damp kitchen towel on top and no lid (thanks Heather!) - would this also work for Mulberry leaves or do I need to freeze them or store them a different way?

 

[SSimsswiSS]

After washing off the dirt with water, I put whole leaves into a big ziplock bags. And place them in the fridge. They can last a few weeks to a month storing them this way. When removing the leaves to feed, make sure to dry pat the leafs down before feeding. Moisture can breed bad things like bacteria, that in turn can harm the silkworm and turn them to mush.

 

[Miss Lily]

Thanks Steve! This is the first time I have had leaves to feed my silkies so I wasn't quite sure what to do with them!

 

[reptoman]

https://www.chameleonforums.com/those-who-have-silkworkms-their-own-mulberry-tree-31456/

Hi Miss Lilly
I found a good article about this a while back. Check the thread.

 

[laurie]

Watch out Tiff, once you feed them mulberry leaves they will never go back to eating chow again. Picky little devils. But enjoy it while you can.

 

[KCcham]

I got Amy 'n' Tommy a new batch of silkworms - I ordered mediums this time from a different company as the last lot didn't survive. So far these ones are large, juicy and healthy, I have only lost 1 so far. I also ordered some Mulberry leaves from bay and these arrived today (one day after the silks). Since I don't know what Mulberry leaves look like I take it that they are the right thing due to the reaction of the silkies when I gave them some! Yesterday they dined on thinly sliced carrot which they loved.

What I would like to know is, how do I keep the leaves fresh? I keep my other leafy gutload in a tub with damp kitchen towel on top and no lid (thanks Heather!) - would this also work for Mulberry leaves or do I need to freeze them or store them a different way?

where did you order the leaves from? Is there a website I colld order from in the US?

 

[Miss Lily]

https://www.chameleonforums.com/those-who-have-silkworkms-their-own-mulberry-tree-31456/

Hi Miss Lilly
I found a good article about this a while back. Check the thread.

Thanks! I shall have a read up!

Watch out Tiff, once you feed them mulberry leaves they will never go back to eating chow again. Picky little devils. But enjoy it while you can.

They had carrot the first day which they loved and the leaves just get vacuumed up so fast, lol! I don't have any chow, that's why I brought leaves to coincide with the delivery of the silkies! Got loads of leaves though!

where did you order the leaves from? Is there a website I colld order from in the US?

I got them from a seller on ebay, but i am looking into getting a tree for the garden and trying to find if there is a tree locally! At least now I know what to look for!

I have had two spin cocoons already so I have separated them into a tub with some cardboard tubes. I am hoping that when the cute Moffy mk 2's emerge that they will breed for me!! How often do I need to feed the silkworms? And if I freeze some leaves do I need to defrost and dry them first before feeding to the silkies?

 

[reptoman]

I blanched and froze about 15 bags of leaves last year. All I did to feed them during the winter was take the bag out of the freezer and run warm water in a bowl and stick the frozen bag into the bowl. Only takes about 5 minutes for the leaves to thaw and the silkies ate them just as quickly as they did fresh off the tree. They keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks as well.
After thawing the leaves I did lay them out on a paper towel to soak up the excess moisture before feeding.

 

[Dave Weldon]

Howdy Tiff,

Here's more info on the blanching technique that Reptoman mentioned. I did it last year and it worked ok. You only need to do the blanching method when the mulberry leaf season is ending. It's like canning your fruits to last you through winter . After blanching and freezing, the thawed leaves will dry-out quickly so just feed the silks only what they will eat before the leaves get crispy .

http://rms1.agsearch.agropedia.affrc.go.jp/contents/JASI/pdf/society/34-3405.pdf

Follow what SSimswiSS said about Zip-loc bagging of fresh Mulberry leaves and you'll get many weeks out of them before they go bad.

 

[Miss Lily]

Thanks Dave! I have the leaves in the fridge at the moment, but I am going to freeze some I think. I am hoping to breed some of my own this time around! I have two already cocooned and two more are spinning now as well! It's great to finally have some healthy silkies, even if they do take as much looking after (and more cleaning) than the chams, lol! Until I can find a tree near me, then I need to preserve as many as I can of the leaves I have already got!

 

[Miss Lily]

I blanched and froze about 15 bags of leaves last year. All I did to feed them during the winter was take the bag out of the freezer and run warm water in a bowl and stick the frozen bag into the bowl. Only takes about 5 minutes for the leaves to thaw and the silkies ate them just as quickly as they did fresh off the tree. They keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks as well.
After thawing the leaves I did lay them out on a paper towel to soak up the excess moisture before feeding.

Thank you for your help!

 

[nick barta]

At the rate silks eat leaves, you are going to need a HUGE tree to gather from!!!!!

Nick

 

[DGray]

looking for that pdf

Sorry to duplicate the request, but I thought this title was clearer.
I am requesting for a friend, and newbies might like to learn this technique as well.

 

[nightanole]

I have had zero luck. It seems once they get a taste of fresh, mine wont even touch ones ive had in the fridge for 2-3 days, or the ones off a fallen branch that are just starting to wilt.

 

[jajeanpierre]

I have had zero luck. It seems once they get a taste of fresh, mine wont even touch ones ive had in the fridge for 2-3 days, or the ones off a fallen branch that are just starting to wilt.

I use fresh mulberry leaves for the newly hatched silkworms. I find that is the best way to get them out of the petri dish into a bigger box. When I switch them over to the silkworm chow, I smear the chow on the leaf so they munch away on the leaf and the chow. I've never had a problem going back and forth between chow and fresh leaves.

 

[OldChamKeeper]

Silks will eat thinly sliced carrots?