Question

Describe the life history of silk moth with the help of figures of various stages. [4 marks]

Answer 1

• The life cycle of a silkworm comprises 4 stages. They are eggs, larva, pupa and silkmoth.
• The life cycle of a silkworm starts when the female silk moth lays eggs. The eggs hatch into caterpillars or larvae that are known as silkworms. [1 mark]
• These silkworms feed on the mulberry leaves and grow bigger in size. After a silkworm reaches a particular size, it stops eating mulberry leaves and starts forming a cocoon around itself by secreting a proteinaceous fibre that hardens in the air to form silk. [1 mark]
• Inside the cocoon, the silkworm lies motionless and converts into a pupa. Inside the cocoon, the pupa further develops into a silk moth and then emerges by breaking the cocoon.[1 mark]
• The female moth lays eggs after mating and thus the lifecycle of the silkworm begins again. [1 mark]