The mulberry silkworm, Bombyx mori, is an economically important insect domesticated for silk production. It was first cultivated in China around 3500 BC to produce silk. As a domesticated insect, it is completely dependent on humans for feeding and reproduction. The larvae feed exclusively on mulberry leaves, while the adult moths do not eat and focus on mating. Silk production remains an important industry in countries like China, India, and Italy, providing income to many families and communities through sericulture.

1. MULBERRY SILKWORM
JEBA PREETHI JANSI P.C.

2. HISTORY OF MULBERRY SILKWORM
 Bombyx mori is called the Chinese silkworm or Mulberry silkworm moth. It is well known for
genuine silk.
 The importance of silkworm in silk production was known in China during 3500 B.C.
 The Chinese people methods for cultivating silk and of preparing cloth from it for more than
2000 years.
 The rearing of silk moth and production of raw silk is known as sericulture.

3. HABIT AND HABITAT OF MULBERRY SILKWORM
 Bombyx mori or the Mulberry silkworm is completely domesticated organism and is
never found wild.
 The adult moths seldom eat and are primarily concerned with reproduction.
 Their larvae are voracious eaters.
 They feed on the leaves of mulberry trees.
 Some moths are single brooded or univoltine and others are many brooded or
multivoltine.
 Owing to domestication, a large number of strains have evolved out, which prodce
cocoons of various shapes, sizes, weights and colours ranging from white to yellow.

4. EXTERNAL FEATURES OF MULBERRY SILKWORM
• The adult moth is about 25.00 mm long with a wing-span of 40.00 to 50.00 mm.
• The female silk moths are large than the males.
• The moth is quite robust and creamy-white in colour.
• The body is distinctly divisible into three regions, namely head, thorax and abdomen.

5. ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE OF MLBERRY SILKWORM
• The mulberry silkworm moth is a very useful and valuable insect.
• It provides two very important products such as silk and gut to the mankind.

6. 1.SILK
• The true silk of the secretion of the caterpillars of silkworm moth.
• Silk is a secretion in the form of fine threads, produced by caterpillars in cocoons for
their pupae.
• Long sac-like silk-glands, which are, in fact, modified salivary glands, secrete a thick pasty
substance, which is passed out through a pair of fine ducts that open on the lower lip.

7. 2.GUT
• Another economic value of the silkworm is the preparation of gut used for surgical
and fishing purposes.
• For preparing the gut, the intestines of silkworms are extracted, made into strings,
dried, treated and packed.
• This industry has good prospects and is growing in Italy, Spain, Formosa, Japan and
India.

8. COCOON PRODUCTION
• The ancient technique of rearing silkworms for production of silk yarn is widely practiced today.
• Over Rs.1000 crores worth of silk is produced in Indian annually by more than 27 lakh people,
over half of tem being women.
• There is a huge export market too for silk cloth and garments.