Rearing Silkworms on Dandelion

[deadhd5]

I was just wondering if anyone has tried rearing silkworms exclusively on dandelion leaves?

My mulberry tree is obviously out of commission right now and I don't have the same success / enjoyment rearing silks on chow. The chow oftentimes gets moldy or dried, and old chow is difficult to remove from the bin, whereas leaves are fully consumed before they can cause these problems. Also, I am pretty sure dandelion leaves are one of the best chameleon gutloads.

I just found out that the local wholefoods sell organic dandelion, which is so convenient.

I look forward to hearing about your experience!

Eric

 

[pigglett79]

I haven't feed them exclusively greens; however I have run out of chow and fed them greens and carrots for the last half of their life. They were fine and half of them went on to become breeders and the cycle was fine.

 

[deadhd5]

Thanks pigglet79! I was hoping to hear your input, I know you have had a lot of success with horn and silkworms.

I am trying to figure out how to raise silks without the normal silkworm Jonestown that I am confronted with most mornings upon opening my silkworm containers. I am focusing on being hyper clean and I am also using a hovabator to keep the temperature from fluctuating.

The only time I didn't have a mass die off was when I was using mulberry leaves.

 

[sandrachameleon]

I did an experiment a couple years ago, raising some on various percentages of mulberry based food vs other greens (primarily dandelion)

I found that one half to two thirds of their meals can be non-mulberry without any issues whatsoever. I raised from egg to moth and through the cycle once again with 50% or less of the diet being non-mulberry (mostly mulberry chow and dandelion, but also a few fresh mulberry leaves and grape vine leaves etc).

But I found that if they ate almost entirely non-mulberry food they didnt all do as well as those offered at least 25% muberry based food.

If you are having die-offs, have a look at the wetness of the chow and the humidity of the containers. I found too much dampness was not a good thing for silkies.

 

[pigglett79]

I'm thinking of working on a silkworm blog this week. I think plenty of pictures will be helpful. I have not ever had a mass die off and I'm not as careful as most people are. It would be interesting to see if they can survive on a diet without mulberry. The ones I had ate mulberry chow until about the third instar, then had greens and carrots until fed off or until they cocooned.

 

[pigglett79]

I did an experiment a couple years ago, raising some on various percentages of mulberry based food vs other greens (primarily dandelion)

I found that one half to two thirds of their meals can be non-mulberry without any issues whatsoever.

I raised from egg to moth and through the cycle once again with 50% or less of the diet being non-mulberry (mostly mulberry chow and dandelion, but also a few fresh mulberry leaves and grape vine leaves etc).

But I found that if they ate almost entirely non-mulberry food they didnt all do as well as those offered at least 25% muberry based food.

If you are having die-offs, have a look at the wetness of the chow and the humidity of the containers. I found too much dampness was not a good thing for silkies.

Great information. Thank you.

 

[sandrachameleon]

I'm thinking of working on a silkworm blog this week. I think plenty of pictures will be helpful.

You're welcome to use the ones I posted here:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/what-do-you-keep-your-silkworms-26605/
if they are any help to your blog.

 

[pigglett79]

You're welcome to use the ones I posted here:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/what-do-you-keep-your-silkworms-26605/
if they are any help to your blog.

Thank you! That is nice of you to offer. I will for sure look through them. I really enjoy offering help to make it easier for everyone.

 

[trevev]

I would love to see a blog on how to raise silk worms as i am planning on trying to raise my own

 

[pssh]

I think I have read that they can be raised on chow with only 10% mulberry leaves in it, but it had minerals and vitamins formulated specifically for moths and butterflies. I would think that if you were to use a chow and some other types of leaves the biggest issue would be giving them the nutrients they need to survive.

I wonder if a chow without mulberry could be made for them. From what I understand, mulberry is mostly only added to get them to start eating it. If one could be made, I have read about how vermiculite could be added to make the chow less likely to dry out, but I dont know if that would be very good for the chameleons. Perhaps soy fiber could be added to the mulberry farms chow to make it hold more water, and some potassium sorbate added to help prevent spoiling even more. I have added a tiny bit of potassium sorbate before to my chow and no mold has grown when I do this. I even tried to make my own chow to see if I could make one I liked better, but when I tried to order mulberry powder, the place told me I couldnt buy it because they only sell mulberry products exclusively to mulberryfarms and I would have to buy their stuff from them.

Anyways, next summer/fall you should try blanching the mulberry leaves and freezing them to use later over the winter. The worms, I have heard, eat them and trive just the same as with fresh leaves.

 

[sandrachameleon]

careful with using much (unfermented) soy. Soy contains what might be called anti-nutritional factors such as saponins, soyatoxin, phytates, protease inhibitors, oxalates, goitrogens and estrogens

 

[pssh]

Yeah, I know. If I use it in any of my gutloads, it is a very small amount and not very often. I can't remember about the new chow, but the older one from China was made with soy flour as the protein source for the silkworms at mulberry farms, or at least when I talked to the manufacturer that is what they said.

 

[sandrachameleon]

Yeah, I know. If I use it in any of my gutloads, it is a very small amount and not very often. I can't remember about the new chow, but the older one from China was made with soy flour as the protein source for the silkworms at mulberry farms, or at least when I talked to the manufacturer that is what they said.

interesting. good to know

 

[pssh]

interesting. good to know

Yeah, from what I have gathered in my research, a lot of artificial diets are made with soy flour as the protein source. Some are made with casein or powdered milk as well, and some use one or the other with or without wheat germ or some kind of nutritional yeast. I haven't read much about other sources though.

 

[Silkworms]

Using a cheese grater to put a layer of chow over them is the most beneficial way to provide their food. It doesn't dry out as much because they vigorously attack it from all angles, leaving none to waste. the incubator may not allow enough air flow, which can also be your issue. I hatch 4,000 a week and never have an issue if that helps my credibility any.

 

[pigglett79]

I have hatched many generations of eggs, but still can't get a regular duration on egg hatch time.