SilkWorms 101

Awoke the next morning and female moth found my males. not sure which got there first. Fed off male female pair after mating and egg laying. My chams took a long time to eat them because they barely moved (they were 4-5 days old.)

Thanks Sean
 
does anyone have any ideas on where i can have the silkworms lay their eggs ?

I am trying to find out a way to let my silkworm moths lay and have loose eggs anyone have any sugg ?
 
I was wondering how long is from hatching to coccon. I know it depends on how much food they have but just wondering...My silkies have gone about 3 to 4 weeks and was wondering when I should start setting up the paper rolls?

OPI
 
opihiman said:
I was wondering how long is from hatching to coccon. I know it depends on how much food they have but just wondering...My silkies have gone about 3 to 4 weeks and was wondering when I should start setting up the paper rolls?

OPI
Click to expand...

they will discharge some liquid or poop mushy green frass.
That means they are ready to turn to cocoon.

Another way is to see along the back of the silkies.
you will see a fade line on the back.
if you pay attention, you'll notice that it is pulsating like a heart.
 
dodolah said:
Another way is to see along the back of the silkies.
you will see a fade line on the back.
if you pay attention, you'll notice that it is pulsating like a heart.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info...I just noticed to day that the line is just starting to appear. I set up my paper towel rolls. I am hoping that they will start cocooning soon...

OPI
 
Hey all,

I have eggs that were laid on construction paper. The eggs are colored creamy white. I put them in my fridge, the temp is at 38.7. They're in a zipped sandwhich bag, still stuck on the paper.

Anything wrong? Should I poke a hole in the bag? Should I put in a wet paper towel for humidity?

I was planning on leaving them in there for a month. Once they're out, and in a heated area... are they supposed to turn purple? I'm sorry if the answers were already put on here, I am in a hurry and don't have any free time 2day.

Any help would be much appreciated,

thanks in advance!
 
Ok the first few silkies have started to spin...my concern is that in this stage the majority are moving to find their spots...on is climbing all over the other one to get to a spot...should I be concerned or should I try to move the one that is disturbing the one that spinning...

Thanks for all the help

OPI
 
joshbert said:
How would they compare to roaches? I am trying to decide which of the three to start out with.
Click to expand...

o gosh.. roaches are easy..
much much much easier than silkies.
Here is a Dubia roaches 101:

Buy a plastic tub, egg cartons, cricket gutload, and water gel.
Buy roaches (the more pair the better)
put roaches, food, water gel, egg flats inside the plastic tub.

and leave it alone. check it once in a while to see if you need supply more food and drink
Done! :p
 
Man I should have read this thread a couple of weeks ago. I had bought 200 zebra eggs from georgiabugs, they started hatching, fed them chow, checked on them 3 days later and they were all dead. I'm pretty sure they got too hot like high eighties. I had the petri-dish on top of a rub lid on top of the heating blanket thats underneath my breeding/baby cricket bins which are at a constant 88*. I just didn't realized how much heat the dish holds. I need to buy some more eggs and give it another try. I have a lb of wet food in my fridge, good thing I wrapped 1-1/2" squares individually with saran wrap and like 10 in a each sandwich bag. This is a good write-up thanks dodolah!
 
So i have a quick question, Could i just buy a heat pad from like Walgreen its only like 15$ and i can change the temps from low med to high, I know you guys say heat the whole room but i cant do that :( I plan on putting them in a Rubbermaid like shoe size container
 
dodolah said:
Silkworm 102:
-continuation of Part C: cocoon phase:

After they finished making cocoon, you can gently put the roll back to vertical position, although there has been saying that bothering or moving the cocoons can cause your silkies not being able to hatch into moths.

I did it.. so far all of them hatch (only 4 needs my help)

Here is the thing you should know:
During the cocoon making, silkies cannot be bothered. If you suddenly have the urge to poke at something, i suggest poke something else.
Once they're bothered, they will cease the production and start looking for a new location to build their cocoons.

The problem with that lays in your silkies' silk ammo.
They do not have infinite supplies of silk. If you bothered them enough, at the end they will simply die halfway with an unfinished cocoon.
The only time they can be bothered (which i do not find the reason why would you) is when they are about finish making their cocoon structures.

Here is the thing you might be interested to know to impress your girlfriend :D..lol probably not gonna work, but heyy what do i know?

During the cocoon phase, your silky literally dies from the inside out.
They endure the process of histolysis where literally all of their organic tissues breakdown and destroyed leaving only one cell intact called imaginal bud.
This imaginal bud will dictate the new cells to reproduce into moth cells.
So, the moth and the caterpillar are literally an entirely different being.. cool, huh?

Took them about 2 weeks more or less before they start to hatch.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Part D: Moth Phase

Moth phase is pretty easy. They basically care for themselves. They do not have proboscis (mouth). So they cannot eat or drink.
This is the mating phase. Their last jobs on earth.

After 2 weeks more or less, the cocoon will be wet.
That is the moth's cocoonase.
Get ready for the moth to hatch! it's showdown time.

It generally take a few hours for them to hatch.
If it take a day, chances are the cocoon is too hard for its cocoonase to digest.
You can gently help the moth by cutting it open with an exacto knife. Careful not to stab the moth.
However, don't get your hope high. Chances are they probably already dead from not being able to get out.

If you are into knitting, you can use the cocoons and turn it into a scarf or socks or something.
You cannot turn it into a sweater though :D. You need the intact cocoons to do that. (you have to kill the silkies be4 they start to expel cocoonase to soften the silk).
But, I don't think you are interested in that since, after all, this is a chameleon forum.. not arts and crafts forum.

During this stage, lay some carton board or piece of paper on the bottom of the container. This is where the moth will attach their eggs on.
Take out the toilet paper rolls. you don't want your female moth to lay eggs there (i got one female that cover the top part of the paper roll with her fertile eggs :().

The moth will then hang out to dry their wings (o they also ooze some brown liquids when they get excited or surprised).
The female has tiny wings and larger abdomen (due to the eggs).
The male has normal looking wings.

They cannot fly, don't worry. The wings are completely vestigial.

Within seconds the female hatch, they will flutter their wings releasing pheromones driving the male crazy:rolleyes:
The male will start flapping his wings around and frantically looking for her :D They also squirt the brown liquid (I told you be4 that they do that when they get excited, right?)
Some dummy males will even start mating with anything in the size of a moth hahaha.

If they successfully found each other, the male will position its end on the females' end.
They will stay 'locked' together for 24 hours.
If for some reason you don't want them to mate, you can gently separate them by turning them like turning a key to open a door.
I emphasis the word gently cause there's a chance for you to ruin the female's ovipositor (??- i don't know if that's the correct scientific name for it).

After 24 hours, they will separate from each other and the males will continue to mate with another female (2 or 3 times more)
The females, however, will start laying tiny eggs.
You can use a plastic cup and (with holes on the top) to make your female moth lays the eggs in a nice circle formation on top of the paper or the cardboard that you put on the bottom of the container. No need for glue because your silk moth attach the eggs themselves to the paper.
You don't need to ask them whether they need a UHU stick or a heat gun :D jk
But, if you order loose eggs from the farms, you do need to glue it on a petridish.

Unfortunately, this is where they are going to die whether you like it or not. After they are done with their job, they have nothing else to do.
With one exception! Mwahahahahaha! You can feed them to your chameleon! Hey, i say better to do that than letting them go to waste.
As far as nutrition wise for your cham, I think it's about the same as silkies, yes? I don't know.. somebody will chime in for this fact.
My cham absolutely adores silkmoth. Also be aware, sometimes your cham's poop will have yellowish eggs (kinda like chili seeds). That's not parasite eggs. Most parasite eggs are so tiny that you cannot see them. That's the undigested eggs from feeding a female moth to your cham.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Part E: The eggs

After couple of days, the yellow whitish egg will start to turn to golden orange and then slowly turn to brown and finally become black.
That is a good sign! That means the egg is fertilized.
If the eggs stay yellow white, those are the sterile eggs. Do whatever you want with them. You can poke them, throw them away, make them into a necklace.. whatever :D
A good egg will be dark in coloration and it will looked like red blood cell from profile.

Cut the paper. put it in ziplock or freezer bag and put it in the refrigerator to induce diapause.
Don't freeze them, ok..
Put it in the bottom refrigerator.. wormspit.com says 30F-40F is the good temp.

Let them stay there for at least a month.
Like VegasChad said be4, the eggs will last for 6 months (I heard some even last for a year) in the fridge.
and feel free to hatch as many as you want.

Just buy a deli cup with lid. you know.. the tray that Albertson use for their Roast chicken.
Put some moist paper towel (not wet, ok).. and then incubate the eggs 78 to 85 F.
Brandaleon brings up a good point that i forgot to mention.
Avoid the moist paper towel from touching the eggs or any possibility of water to wet the eggs.
(Don't use the damp paper towel as substrate)

If condensation appears, remove the heatsource or carefully open the lid for a while.
Too much humidity will make the egg moldy.. that's a big NO NO.

2 weeks later more or less, Kego will start to hatch and the cycle repeats.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------End of Silkworm 101&102-----------------------------------------------------------------

Any questions?
Click to expand...

Any pictures? I have 40+ in cocoons right now and have been for a week and I just have them in a cricket keeper with a paper towel on the bottom.
 
I have a question, How many eggs does a female moth typically lay per clutch? O and also how maany silkies would you reccomend for a good starting colony and how many cricket keepers and pounds of chow would that require?

Thanks im trying to get into chams so might as well start at the food portion of it all
 
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