Question

Complete the paragraph related to the life history of the silk moth by filling in the blanks.

The _______ silk moth lays ______, from which hatch _______ called _______ or _______.

They grow in size and when the caterpillar is ready to enter the next stage of its life history called _______, it first weaves a covering to hold itself, which is known as _______.

Answer 1

Sericulture

1. The raising of silkworms for the production of silk is known as sericulture or "silk farming."
2. Bombyx mori, the caterpillar of the domestic silkmoth, is the most widely used and extensively researched silkworm despite the fact that there are other commercial kinds of them.

Life cycle:

Stage 1: Eggs:

1. The egg is the initial stage in the silkworm's life cycle.
2. The female moth, which is mainly the size of a little dot, lays the egg.
3. A female moth can produce up to 350 eggs at once.
4. Because the air is warmer in the spring, the eggs hatch.

Stage 2: Larvae:

1. The eggs open, and a silkworm emerges.
2. The growth of silkworms takes place at this stage.
3. Before moving on to the next stage, they feed on mulberry leaves and eat a lot of them for about 30 days.

Stage 3: Cocoon:

1. Silkworms create a protective cocoon around themselves at this stage.
2. It is constructed of a single silk thread and is about the size of a little cotton ball.
3. They surround themselves in a cocoon made of raw silk produced by the salivary glands after they have molted four times.

Stage 4: Pupa:

1. As they transition into the pupa phase of their life cycle, their bodies become a faint shade of yellow and their skin tightens.
2. The cocoon serves as a shelter for the silk moth during its vulnerable, immobile pupa state as it undergoes its final molt from larva to pupa.

Stage 5: Moth:

1. The pupa develops into an adult moth during the last stage.
2. Male moths are smaller than female moths.
3. To entice male moths, the female moth produces pheromones.
4. Longer antennae of the male moth enable distant pheromone detection.
5. Copulation occurs and the female moth lays eggs.

Final answer:

The female silk moth lays eggs, from which hatch larvae called caterpillars or silkworms. They grow in size and when the caterpillar is ready to enter the next stage of its life history called pupa, it first weaves a covering to hold itself, which is known as a cocoon.