CATDOLL : CATDOLL: What are the seasonal issues in silkworm rearing?

1. When is the season for primary school students to raise silkworms?

In spring and summer, there are mulberry leaves.

2. Which month is it best to raise silkworms?

1. Generally speaking, the season for raising silkworms is spring and summer every year (starting around April each year). Since the main food source for silkworms is mulberry leaves, the season for raising silkworms and the growth cycle of mulberry trees need to be roughly the same to ensure that there are enough mulberry leaves to feed the silkworms.

2. The season of sericulture is related to the region. In the sericulture areas of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, theoretically, sericulture can be carried out during the eight months from April when mulberry trees sprout and open leaves to November when mulberry leaves turn yellow and fall off, but generally only 3-5 times a year. The sericulture areas in the Pearl River Basin raise sericulture more frequently than those in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, while some sericulture areas around the Yellow River or in the north raise sericulture less frequently than those in Jiangsu and Zhejiang.

3. Can we raise silkworms in winter?

Unfortunately, silkworms cannot be raised in winter. The main food of silkworms is mulberry leaves. Mulberry trees, like most trees, shed their leaves in winter and will not sprout and grow leaves until early spring. The main seasons for raising silkworms are spring silkworms (May-June), summer silkworms (July-August) and autumn silkworms (September-October). Some areas can only raise silkworms in late autumn (end of October). Apart from this, there is no other season to raise silkworms.

4. Which season is suitable for children to raise silkworms?

Spring is suitable for children to raise silkworms because the temperature is suitable, neither too hot nor too cold. Silkworms can only live and grow well in a suitable temperature environment. Spring is also the season of revival of all things. Mulberry leaves, the food for silkworms, also grow in large numbers in spring for silkworms to eat. Silkworms can only grow well when the temperature is suitable and there is no shortage of food.

5. What climate is suitable for raising silkworms?

Silkworms are usually raised in spring and summer. The growth cycle of silkworms should be roughly the same as that of mulberry trees to ensure an adequate supply of mulberry leaves. Silkworms are metamorphosed insects, and the most common one is the mulberry silkworm, also known as the domestic silkworm, which is one of the economic insects that feeds on mulberry leaves and spins silk cocoons.

1. Silkworms are usually raised in spring and summer, which is roughly the same as the growth cycle of mulberry trees, to ensure sufficient supply of mulberry leaves. Prepare food: Mulberry leaves must be washed with clean water and dried before feeding. Do not feed silkworms with yellow and rotten leaves, otherwise the silkworms will be poisoned or have diarrhea. In order to prevent the excess leaves from wilting quickly, put them in a plastic bag, tie the bag tightly, and place it in a cool place.

2. Feed the silkworms with leaves 4 times a day, early in the morning, at noon, in the afternoon, and at night. The amount should be appropriate each time to avoid waste. You can put more leaves at night because the silkworms eat mulberry leaves all night. Ant silkworms should be fed with young leaves, and the leaves are best cut into pieces or strips.

3. Clean up the feces and leftover leaves frequently: When changing leaves for the silkworms, you can directly cover the old leaves with new leaves, and remove the old leaves after the silkworms have crawled onto the new leaves. This can reduce the casualties of the silkworms and facilitate the removal of leftover leaves and silkworm feces.

4. Do not spray pesticides in the silkworm room as this will harm the silkworms.

It is best to start growing the mulberry trees after May 1st, because the leaves will be very large by then and picking them will not affect the growth of the trees. However, you should still grow less at first and gradually grow more.

6. At what age is it best to start raising silkworms?

When silkworms are over 4 years old, daily management needs to be strengthened. Doing 7 key points can increase production and income

When we were raising silkworms at home, every time the silkworms reached the fourth age, the whole family was really busy from morning to night. In the morning, before it was light, we had to pick mulberry leaves. Three meals a day were also simple. Generally, we had to start removing sand after 10 o'clock in the morning. In the afternoon, when the sun was not very strong, we had to pick mulberry leaves in the mulberry garden. At that time, we were afraid of encountering sunny days. The hot and stuffy environment in the mulberry garden was unbearable. We were also afraid of encountering rainy days. If it rained for two or three consecutive days, picking mulberry leaves would be a big problem. We had to pick them in the rain, and we had to find a place to dry the picked mulberry leaves. We couldn't feed them directly, which increased the workload a lot. I hope to see a cloudy day, so that we don't have to worry about the sun and rain, and we can pick mulberry leaves in the mulberry garden all day, and the time is relatively controllable.

Normally, when silkworms are at the 4-5th instar stage, the demand for mulberry leaves increases significantly. Whether the size of the silkworms can keep up depends on whether the mulberry leaves are in sufficient supply. Therefore, this stage is often the peak of labor. If the labor force of the breeder is relatively scarce, it is necessary to communicate the employment time in advance. During the adult silkworm period, in addition to eating good mulberry, special attention must be paid to hygiene and disinfection, and good management of the silkworms. This stage is also the time when silkworm diseases are prevalent, such as dead silkworms and purulent silkworms. Once such abnormal conditions occur, abnormal cocoons are prone to occur, and some even cannot reach the stage of spinning silk cocoons. A reduction of more than 50% is normal, and severe cases will face a total loss of harvest, which will be a big blow to breeders. Why are silkworms prone to abnormal conditions such as dead silkworms and purulent silkworms at the 4-5th instar stage? This is caused by multiple factors, which can be divided into the following five points.

1. Failure to properly control the silkworm breeding process has resulted in a virus lurking in the silkworms.

Many breeders have experienced that sometimes when silkworms reach the 4th or 5th instar stage, their feeding rate will slow down significantly or even stop eating mulberry leaves. This may be followed by dead silkworms and purulent silkworms. If effective measures are not taken, they often appear on a large scale within two or three days. Before the time of cocooning, it is known that the income of this season is very small. This is a big blow to breeders, which means that there is no return for the early efforts. In fact, the abnormal conditions such as dead silkworms and purulent silkworms that appear in the adult silkworm stage are not necessarily infected during this period. Many times, it is because the corresponding hygiene and disinfection are not done before the 4th instar, resulting in the infection of the corresponding virus in the body of the silkworm. After the adult silkworm stage, it is induced by factors such as temperature and humidity, silkworm tools, etc., and the corresponding symptoms are shown. Silkworms need careful care throughout the growth period and provide a suitable growth environment. Only when the details are implemented well can the cocooning be smoothly realized in the later stage.

2. Feeding unclean mulberry leaves induces the occurrence of silkworm disease

When silkworms are at the 4-5th instar stage, the amount of mulberry leaves used increases significantly. At this time, some farmers only want to pick more mulberry leaves and ignore the management of mulberry leaf quality. Others temporarily find help from outside and are not very clear about which mulberry leaves cannot be picked. For example, some mulberry leaves contain mud, insect eggs, spider webs, etc. Picking these mulberry leaves is a hidden danger. If they are not picked out and fed directly, it is easy to induce silkworm disease. There is another kind that cannot be observed with the naked eye. On the surface, there seems to be no problem, but there will be problems after the silkworms eat them. What farmers need to focus on is whether there are pesticide residues in the mulberry leaves. This phenomenon is more common in summer and autumn silkworms, especially when the mulberry garden is close to other crops. When other farmers use pesticides on crops, although they are more cautious, it is easy for a lot of them to drift in due to wind direction problems. It is difficult for the big silkworms to have good results if they eat unclean mulberry leaves.

3. Abnormal weather factors lead to abnormal temperature and humidity in the silkworm house

During the entire silkworm rearing period, weather factors need to be paid attention to in a timely manner, both on rainy days and sunny days. For example, in continuous rainy weather, the humidity in the silkworm house will increase significantly, and the water content on the mulberry leaves will also increase significantly. In addition, the normal excretion of the silkworms will easily breed bacteria if no measures are taken. It is also easy to encounter hot and humid weather in the south. When the outdoor temperature reaches 30℃, the indoor temperature of the poorly ventilated silkworm house may be above 35℃, which is very unfavorable for the normal growth of silkworms. The emergence of abnormal weather can also easily make silkworms grow poorly at the age of 4-5, and the number of abnormal conditions will increase. It is not good to be too dry or too humid, so farmers need to make reasonable grasps according to local actual conditions.

4. Disinfection of silkworm houses and silkworm tools has not been fully implemented

When silkworms reach the age of 4 or above, the amount of silkworm tools needed increases significantly, which is basically more than double the amount used in the age of 3. Silkworm tools play a big role in the whole silkworm breeding process and accompany the growth of silkworms. Silkworms are relatively fragile. If silkworm tools are not disinfected, it is easy to cause problems when using such silkworm tools, especially for silkworms with more diseases in the previous season. If the used silkworm tools are not thoroughly disinfected and used again in the adult silkworm period, the residual viruses on them can easily induce dead silkworms and purulent silkworms. There is another important place, that is the silkworm room. Many farmers do not clean the silkworm room without dead corners. For example, the ceiling is easily overlooked. When disinfecting, they only pay attention to the ground. Some details are not implemented in place, resulting in the latent viruses not being removed in time. The crowding in the silkworm room during the adult silkworm period increases significantly, and the disinfection work is not done well, which lays hidden dangers.

5. Failure to remove sand from silkworm plaques in a timely manner

According to the traditional silkworm breeding model, it is necessary to remove sand, and it must be removed frequently, so that the silkworms can grow in a relatively comfortable environment. If the sand is not removed for a long time, the silkworm feces, silkworm urine and the remaining mulberry leaves will mix together, and it will be easy to breed bacteria over time. In humid or hot weather, it is also easy to produce odor. It is difficult to ensure that there will be no problems when the silkworms grow in such an environment. Many farmers are busy picking and feeding mulberry leaves during the silkworm period. If there is a shortage of labor at home, there is simply not enough time to do the sand removal work. The sand removal was originally required to be done twice, but it was only done once. This brings certain hidden dangers. There may be no problem when the temperature is good, but if there is a changeable weather, the bacteria that grow may cause trouble.

Whether the silkworm production and quality can be improved, it can be said that the adult silkworm period is a very critical moment. As long as the silkworms can maintain normal at this stage and successfully cluster and make cocoons, there is hope for increased production and income this season. If they cannot cluster and make cocoons smoothly, it will usually show up in the adult silkworm period. Some farmers have made proper arrangements in all aspects during the 4-5-year-old stage, the size of the silkworms is also very good, and there is no silkworm disease. In the end, the quality and size of the cocoons are also large, and of course the income from silkworm farming is not low. There are also farmers who make mistakes in succession at this stage, busy from morning to night, but in the end they don’t even earn money for silkworm seeds. The difference is quite obvious. In order to avoid the appearance of dead silkworms, purulent silkworms, etc. during the adult silkworm period, farmers need to do corresponding work in many aspects. Based on my own many years of experience in silkworm breeding, I personally think that silkworms need to do the following seven things during the 4-5-year-old stage.

1. Mulberry leaf picking, transportation and storage must be handled as required

1. Mulberry leaf picking

When picking mulberry leaves during the silkworm period, we must ensure both the quantity picked and the quality of the leaves. Leaves with abnormal conditions such as sand, insect eggs, etc. that can be seen with the naked eye should not be used to feed silkworms. Mulberry leaves near the edge of other crops should not be picked to feed silkworms if it is not sure whether the crops have been sprayed with pesticides. When picking mulberry leaves, you need to avoid the strong sun at noon. Under normal circumstances, you can pick mulberry leaves with less than 3-4 leaves. If you need to prune the branches after picking mulberry leaves for late autumn silkworms, you can pick them all. Another thing to note is that when picking mulberry leaves, you should be careful not to damage the mulberry buds, and do not pull off the mulberry bark together.

(II) Mulberry leaf transportation

The food intake of silkworms over 4 years old increases significantly. Many mulberry gardens are some distance away from living areas, so it is necessary to consider the transportation of mulberry leaves. When picking mulberry leaves, they should not be pressed too tightly. In many cases, people who are temporarily hired to pick mulberry leaves are paid by weight. In order to reduce the transportation time, they are often pressed again and again. Over time, the mulberry leaves will heat up and become stale. Especially in hot weather, it is not advisable to squeeze them too tightly during transportation. After transporting them to the mulberry storage room, they should be poured out in time and shaken to dissipate heat.

(III) Storage of mulberry leaves

The mulberry leaves that have been picked need to be stored in a special place. Farmers with conditions can set up a mulberry storage room. They need to choose a relatively cool place. If it is a cement floor, it can be cleaned and disinfected before use. If it is a non-cement floor, a layer of woven cloth can be laid first, and then the mulberry leaves can be placed on it. This is relatively clean and hygienic. Of course, it should be noted that after each use of the mulberry leaves, they should be cleaned in time and disinfected with bleach.

2. Reasonably control the amount of mulberry leaves fed

When silkworms are in the early stage of waking up from sleep at the 4th instar, they will eat less food. At this time, you can let the silkworms finish eating the mulberry leaves. It is not advisable to feed too much to avoid wasting mulberry leaves. Generally, after feeding 3 times, the food intake increases significantly. At this time, the amount of mulberry leaves fed should also keep up with the pace, especially at night, the amount given can be appropriately more. In the middle of the 5th instar, the silkworms basically eat a lot of food, and you can clearly hear the sound of silkworms eating mulberry leaves. In the late 5th instar, the appetite of silkworms will gradually decrease, because they are ready to spin silk, and the amount of feeding needs to be gradually reduced. When feeding mulberry leaves, try to feed them evenly, which is conducive to avoiding the phenomenon of large and small silkworms. Good mulberry and full feeding are necessary conditions for the good growth of silkworms.

3. Rationally utilize the space of the silkworm house and control the breeding density

The adult silkworm period includes the 4th and 5th instars. The development of silkworms will reach a peak during these two periods. Farmers need to reasonably control the breeding density and prevent the silkworms from crowding together. Usually, this is controlled during sand removal to ensure that the silkworms have a certain amount of space to move around. Under normal circumstances, a silkworm seed requires an area of ​​about 30 square meters. Most of them adopt the model of three-dimensional breeding of silkworms, which significantly improves the utilization rate of the entire space. Of course, it is necessary to consider issues such as lighting and ventilation. If the lighting is obviously uneven or the ventilation is poor, it is not suitable.

4. Do a good job of waking up and protecting yourself during sleep

The sleeping and waking of silkworms are stages that they need to go through during their growth. Each time they wake up from sleep means that they are one year older. When they enter the fourth sleep stage, the time from the beginning of the sleep to the end of the sleep will be slightly longer than in the previous stage. At this time, the time of adding the sleeping net should be controlled and can be delayed appropriately. If late-sleeping silkworms are found, they need to be collected and raised separately. Weak silkworms and sick silkworms should be eliminated resolutely. When some silkworms show signs of waking up from sleep, the humidity in the silkworm room can be appropriately increased, which is conducive to the smooth molting of the silkworms. When the silkworms are sleeping, appropriate protective measures need to be taken, and the temperature and humidity should be controlled according to the actual situation to provide a quiet and comfortable environment for the silkworms to sleep.

5. Control the temperature and humidity of the silkworm room according to the actual situation

Temperature and humidity issues are unavoidable at any time, and breeders need to pay attention to them. During the period of growing silkworms, the more suitable temperature is 24-26℃, and it should be kept above 24℃ as much as possible. When the temperature is below 22℃, the silkworms are likely to be small in size, resulting in small cocoons. At the age of 5, if the temperature in the silkworm house is higher than 28℃, it is easy to cause insufficient time for the 5th age, affecting the amount of silk spitting in the later period. Some silkworms may even spit silk randomly, resulting in a decrease in cocoon production. In terms of indoor humidity, it needs to be controlled at 60%-70%. If it is too dry, it needs to be moisturized. If the humidity is too high, it is easy to breed bacteria, and ventilation needs to be strengthened.

6. Avoid frequent entry and exit of irrelevant personnel in the silkworm house and strengthen the management of the silkworm house

During the adult silkworm stage, the frequency of people entering and leaving the silkworm house increases significantly, because they need to feed mulberry leaves, remove sand, etc. If they frequently enter and leave the silkworm house, if the management is not in place, it is easy to bring in germs from outside, which is not good for the growth of silkworms. If there are a large number of silkworms, it is necessary to make a good division of labor arrangement, who can enter the silkworm house and who cannot enter, and wash hands with disinfectant every time they enter and exit, change clothes, shoes and hats, and no irrelevant personnel are allowed to enter and exit. When entering the 5th age, it is necessary to make certain plans and arrangements for the silkworm house, and it is necessary to consider how to place the cluster tools in the later stage, and the late-sleeping silkworms should be separated from the normal silkworms.

7. Strengthen the prevention of silkworm diseases in various ways

When entering the adult silkworm stage, the silkworms are obviously larger in size and have stronger antiviral ability than the young silkworm stage, but the chance of infection increases significantly. This stage is when silkworm diseases are most prevalent, especially in the late 5th instar, when they are about to make cocoons, but face reduced production after silkworm diseases occur. In order to reduce the probability of silkworm diseases at this stage, farmers need to take various preventive measures. First, they need to remove sand frequently and control the density of silkworms; second, they need to spread lime powder every day and disinfect silkworm tools and silkworm rooms; finally, they need to deal with abnormal silkworms in a timely manner to avoid cross infection.

In short, after the fourth instar, the silkworms need to ensure the supply of mulberry leaves and prevent silkworm diseases throughout the growth period. No matter which feeding method is adopted, the basic purpose will not change, which is to make the silkworms eat well, stay away from various silkworm diseases, and smoothly spin silk, and finally achieve a good harvest of both production and quality. This stage requires farmers to be "coarse but meticulous". On the surface, it seems that they don't take as much care as in the young silkworm stage, but in fact they pay close attention to the growth of the silkworms. As long as the seven key points of the adult silkworm stage are implemented, the benefits of silkworm breeding will naturally increase.