The first eggs laid by silk moths after mating are about 350. The larvae of silk moths are called mulberry silkworms. Eating mulberry leaves and spitting out a large amount of silk for making cocoons before pupating is an important textile raw material.

Mulberry silkworms are completely metamorphosed insects. They go through four completely different stages of development in terms of morphology and physiological functions: egg, larvae, pupa and adult.

The egg is the stage of embryogenesis and development into a larvae. The larvae is the growth stage of absorbing food nutrients. The pupa is the metamorphosis stage of transition from larvae to adults. The adult is the reproductive stage of mating, laying eggs and producing offspring. During the entire generation, only the larval stage feeds and stores nutrients for life activities in the pupa and adult stages.

Extended information:

The mulberry silkworm is an oligophagous insect. In addition to mulberry leaves, it can also eat mulberry leaves, elm leaves, crows, dandelions and lettuce leaves. The necessary nutrients for silkworms include protein, carbohydrates, lipids, vitamins, inorganic salts and moisture.

Mulberry leaves are the most suitable natural food for silkworms. After eating the mulberry, the larvae grow rapidly. Under moderate temperature conditions, a silkworm molts its skin once in about 6-9 days from hatching to spinning silk and cocooning, and it takes about 24-32 days to mature.

Spinning silk and making cocoons is an instinct of silkworms to adapt to the environment and survive. Silkworm cocoons can be reeled into silk, which is a precious textile raw material and is also widely used in military industry, power transmission, etc. Silkworm pupae, moths and silkworm droppings can also be comprehensively utilized. They are raw materials for various chemical and pharmaceutical industries and can also be used as plant nutrients.