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Monday 11 July 2011

Aaarrrggghhhh!! It's Happening!!!!!!

I've got a worm spinning a cocoon :-


This was taken at 6:30 this evening.  I'll take another one tomorrow to see how it's getting on.  The whole process takes them about 3 days apparently.

Watch this space!

P.S.  Is this some kind of record - 4 posts in one day?

4 comments:

  1. Ooh... great photo! Clever worm spinning its cocoon. Are the threads attached to kitchen paper at the edges? Can't wait to see how this progresses! I think 4 posts in a day must be a record - it's all interesting stuff though! :D

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  2. Yes, it started spinning in the basket (lined with kitchen paper) before I noticed it was ready. Otherwise I'd have moved it elsewhere to spin. Unfortunately, it'll have to stay there now though because they only have enough silk to spin their cocoons. If I were to move it now it would have to start again.
    By the way, came across a very good website which gives step-by-step photos of the whole process : www.wormspit.com/bombyxsilkworms.htm

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  3. Thanks for the link! That's such an interesting website - I've had a really good read! The information about the processes was very thorough and it answered some of the questions I'd been pondering regarding the killing of the pupae in the cocoons. Are you planning to do what they do - just keep a few to hatch for breeding from and kill the rest or will you let them all hatch? Hope everything is going well! :)

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  4. I'm just going to keep maybe 6 or 8 to hatch, and the rest, I'm afraid, will meet their maker. Well, they all do anyway because they don't live long as moths. They won't feel a thing!

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