How to Harvest Silk Link to this section
The silkworms spin silk around themselves in their cocoon stage. The silk they spin is one long continuous strand.
Silk thread is made by putting a cocoon into hot water, which loosens the long fine silk strand, which can then be unwound.
What happens to the silkworms inside? Sad, but true, they are sacrificed to make silk. But some are kept to make the next batch of silk. After two weeks they emerge from their cocoons as silk moths, then they mate and lays eggs, and the cycle begins again.
Coming Up Next: The silk moths emerge from their cocoons.
This page was last updated on September 10, 2019