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Silkworms' Diet

Silkworms eat a specific diet in order to release the fluid from their glands that creates the silk. They have the unique ability to digest toxic mulberry leaves without harm to themselves.

Mulberry Leaves
- Mulberry leaves are toxic due to the high amount of alkaloids they contain, which inhibit the breakdown of sugars. Silkworms are unaffected by these alkaloids due to their fructofuranosidase genes, which are not present in other animals.
Clean Source
- The mulberry leaves must be pesticide-free. Before feeding silkworms, the leaves must be soaked in a solution of three tablespoons of bleach and one drop of dish detergent to one gallon of water. The leaves are then rinsed in running water and excess water is removed.
Leaf Age
- Young larvae eat young leaves and as larvae grow, they will be able to digest older mulberry leaves.
Artificial Diet
- If mulberry leaves are unavailable, silkworms can also eat an artificial diet made from wheat germ.
Sense of Smell
- Silkworms have a genome that responds to cis-jasmone, a jasmine-scented odorant in mulberry leaves. A 2009 study by the University of Tokyo has suggested that "cis-jasmone might be added to artificial diets fed to domesticated silkworms to increase the efficiency of their food intake."

Insects & Science