Silkworm pupated before finishing cocoon

[Samz19]

I have some silkworms set aside as i want some to change to moths. Most of them have cocooned and the others are almost finished building. But i have one that has been trying to build for about 5 days now and it has made little progress.

I had a closer look and it appears to be pupating? It’s gotten short and fat and is darkening. Checked to see if it is still alive and it wiggled when i poked it.

This has never happened to me before, and i’m not very sure of what to do. Should i leave it and hope for the best? Is there any reason it started pupating before it could finish? Please let me know.

 

[MissSkittles]

I have some silkworms set aside as i want some to change to moths. Most of them have cocooned and the others are almost finished building. But i have one that has been trying to build for about 5 days now and it has made little progress.

I had a closer look and it appears to be pupating? It’s gotten short and fat and is darkening. Checked to see if it is still alive and it wiggled when i poked it.

This has never happened to me before, and i’m not very sure of what to do. Should i leave it and hope for the best? Is there any reason it started pupating before it could finish? Please let me know.

It’s my understanding that they only have a limited supply of silk. I have had some that never even made it into a cocoon. I gently and loosely wrapped them in some of the extra silk I gathered off their bin and 2/3 did become moths.