Ancient History

Learn how silkworms grow and make silk in ancient China.

Baby silkworms are born from eggs and need to be kept warm. The silkworm mother gathers them with a goose feather and feeds them chopped mulberry leaves.

Silkworms sleep deeply every few days and shed their old skin. They do this four times and go through five different ages as they grow.

Different aged silkworms eat mulberry leaves in different ways. Older silkworms eat more and grow bigger until their bodies become full of a special material called fibroin.

When silkworms are ready, they climb frames and spin silk cocoons. Each silkworm can make over 1,000 meters of silk thread from its body.

Inside the cocoon, the silkworm changes into a pupa and then into a moth. The moth makes a special liquid to break out of the cocoon.

Female moths attract male moths with a special smell. They mate and the female can lay up to 500 eggs to start the cycle again.

The Life of a Silkworm