What Types of Leaves Are Right for Silkworms?

It's not difficult to rear silkworms is you have the food they require.schwarze maulbeeren image by romy mitterlechner from Fotolia.com

Although silkworms can eat other leaves, such as fig and lettuce leaves, their natural diet is only mulberry leaves. Fig and lettuce leaves, although edible by the silkworms, will not support normal growth. In nature, silkworms consume only mulberry leaves. When keeping silkworms, use properly cleaned and prepared mulberry leaves for their food.

Harvesting Mulberry Leaves

The easiest way to raise silkworms is to own a mulberry tree. If the tree is your own, you can ensure

it hasn't been sprayed with pesticides or insecticides. You should only feed your silkworms leaves from untreated mulberry trees. If you don't have one of your own, you may be able to take leaves from a friend or neighbor's tree. However, be sure to ask if it has been treated with chemicals. Silkworms can be very sensitive to various herbicides and pesticides.

If you live in an area where mulberries don't grow naturally or need leaves when the trees aren't in season, you may be able to find a pet shop or supplier specializing in silkworm supplies to ship fresh leaves to you for your worms. Some companies make artificial silkworm food that mimics the properties of mulberry leaves. Although not as good as fresh mulberry, it will work to keep your worms healthy and fed in areas where getting fresh mulberry is a problem.

To prepare your leaves for your silkworms, start with fresh, pesticide free leaves. Make a mulberry cleaning solution from 3 tablespoons of bleach, 1 drop of dish washing detergent, and a gallon of water. Soak the fresh leaves in the solution for 3 minutes and rinse thoroughly with clean water. Pat the leaves dry with paper towels and store them in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. When feeding your worms leaves on branches, wrap the cut end in a wet paper towel to help keep it fresh for a longer time.