How Silk is secreted by silkworm?
Silk is a biological fibre produced by caterpillars of certains moths at the end of their larval phase prior to changing into and adult. Silks are produced by other insects indeed other arthropods such as spiders . However, the most commonly traded silk is produced by silk moth the Bombyx mori. The silkworm has a pair of laterally located silk glands opening by a common orifice or spinneret on the underlip of larva. For about 35 days following birth, the larva jos keeps consuming mulberry leaves ands becomes 10000 times heavier than when hatched. At that point it stops feeding and over the next 3 days ejects from both glands through the spinneret a continuous and reelable thread between 0.7 km and 1.1 km and even 1.6 km round and round its body to produce a cocoon . The thread from the cocoon unravelled and converted into the much sought after yam.
