Silkworm, why only eat mulberry leaves?

Silkworms don't just eat mulberry leaves. Silkworm is an oligophagous insect. Besides mulberry leaves, they can also eat the leaves of Zheshu, Elm, Crow Onion, Dandelion and Lettuce. The essential nutrients of silkworm include protein, carbohydrates, lipids, vitamins, inorganic salts and water.

Mulberry leaves are the most suitable natural food for silkworms. After eating mulberry, the larvae grow rapidly. Under suitable temperature conditions, a silkworm molts once every 6-9 days, and it takes about 24-32 days to eat 20-30 grams of mulberry leaves (5-6.2 grams of dry matter). Generally, after four times of sleep and molting, its weight increases about 1000 times when it grows extremely.

Extended data

Life habit of silkworm: Silkworm originated in China, and its development temperature is 7 ~ 40℃, and the suitable feeding temperature is 20 ~ 30℃. Silkworm babies feed on mulberry leaves After eating mulberry leaves continuously, the body turned white and began to peel after a period of time.

When peeling for a day or so, if you can't eat or move like sleeping, it's called "dormancy". Once skinned, it is the second instar larva. If you peel it once, it will increase by one year. Larvae will be skinned four times and become fifth instar larvae. After eating mulberry leaves for 8 days, they will become mature silkworms and start spinning and cocooning.

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