Silk fabric is one of the most valuable garment materials. Almost everyone loves this type of fabric because it is soft, elegant and looks classy. The need for silk fabrics increases every year following the development of the fashion world which seems to start using many references to silk fabrics. This is why the silkworm farming business is one of the promising businesses.
How to Breed Promising Silkworms
Silkworm farming can be said to require more energy compared to other animal farms. This is due to the characteristics of silkworms which basically require more intense attention and rather special care. For those of you who are interested in starting this business, here are some stages in the silkworm farming business process.
1. Preparation for Silkworm Cultivation
Things that must be prepared in this livestock business are mulberry trees as silkworm feed, silkworm rearing boxes and silkworm seeds or eggs. For beginners, you should start with 5000 to 10,000 silkworm eggs.
Use a box made of wood to keep the silkworms moist, and do not place the silkworm box facing east and west as the sunlight will hit the silkworms. Silkworms are very sensitive to hot conditions.
2. Silkworm Maintenance and Care Process
Silkworms are voracious animals. For a small-sized caterpillar alone, it will eat about 300 – 400 kg of mulberry leaves that have been separated from the stem. Feeding is done 3 times a day.
3. Disease Prevention and Management
To reduce the possibility of disease, you should frequently check the condition of the rearing box. Occasionally sprinkle lime to keep the surrounding conditions dry, check the air vents and make sure the sunlight is not excessive.
4. Harvesting Period and Sale of Cultivated Products
Silkworms can be harvested in a very short period of time, which is about 7-8 days. The caterpillar will form a brown and hard pupa. This pupa will be spun into silk fabric.
The silkworm farming business is quite easy, right? Silkworms are known to be quite spoiled animals because they cannot stand heat, softness and hunger. However, seeing the high selling price, the difficulty of taking care of silkworms seems to pay off.