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What is the only thing that a silkworm eats?
Question
#94426. Asked by armindasantana. (Apr 09 08 2:09 PM)
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zbeckabee
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Mulberry leaves -- Producing silk was a lengthy, complex process. Men took responsibility for the mulberry trees, growing the only food silkworms eat, but women were responsible for the critical task of feeding the leaves to the silkworms.
 http://depts.washington.edu/chinaciv/clothing/11sericu.htm
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jaddis01
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Like many insect larvae, the larvae of this species are highly "host specific", and will only eat Mulberry (Morus alba) leaves in nature. I have found some references to other plants being used as temporary food for silkworms in captivity, but this doesn't seem advisable, since the larvae would naturally only eat Mulberry, and may not be as successful on alternative diets.
http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/2000-03/952039801.Zo.r.html
A silkworm's preferred food is White Mulberry leaves. The White Mulberry (Morus alba) is a short-lived, fast-growing, small to medium sized tree to 10–20 m tall, native to northern China, and widely cultivated elsewhere.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silkworm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Mulberry
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