Seeking Silkworm cocoons

[Firewallx]

Hi, ok so this is probably an unusual request. I'm looking to buy any newly-cocooned silkworms who have started that process around the 19th of January or so. The reason is because I bought a small group of silkworms of which most members were shedding and cocooning at the same time, except one. One of them was a full instar behind the others. Now that it has also cocooned, I want to get possible mates for it. I'm in the Montreal area. Thank you for your consideration!

 

[MissSkittles]

If you don’t find any mates for it, your chameleon will enjoy it as a snack. What I do is start with at least 250-500 eggs (I do have 10 insectivores) and a couple of pounds of unprepared chow mix. They can be slow to get growing to a decent feeder size, but then whoosh! You’ll end up with lots and lots of pretty moths with only one thing on their cute little minds. Once the eggs darken, I put them in the warmest part of the fridge for 2-3 month minimum before hatching out what I need/want.
*I forgot to add that for some reason I always end up with more male than female moths. It’s possible, but not easy to sex them as worms.

 

[Firewallx]

Hi MissSkittles! Thank you for your reply. I don't have a chameleon, I just raise silkworms. I've been a member here for years because this site is a great resource for learning to care for them and find other people who have silkworms. Hehe, I've been lucky most of the times where I end up with an equal number of both males and females. It's the luck of the draw, I guess. I did have a small group of almost all females once, though.

 

[MissSkittles]

Ohhh…ok. It’s always nice to have confirmation that I’m not all that weird for loving silkies…or at least company.

 

[Firewallx]

Hehe! Nah, you're not weird for liking silkworms! They are fascinating creatures all on their own. I really love caterpillars, and that love brought me to the silkworms. Raising silkworms has led me down a path of learning about moths in general and taught me to appreciate them.

 

[ehdee6]

I've recently been able to source silkies from a local vendor. I instantly found them almost too adorable for feeding. They stand up and beg like my puppy...

Interestingly, their sex is determined by genetics, like humans. There's not a found way to alter their sex through external conditions.

The very seintific explanation:
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11587106/

 

[MissSkittles]

They are just the sweetest little buggies. It’s so cute when a smaller one is just hanging out along the back of a bigger one.