A few Q's about silkworms...

[DragonJosh]

#1 For those who have bred them, how would you rate your experience (mainly difficulty, and continuing a colony) with them?
#2 I'm getting mixed views on searches on whether they can be a staple or not so I'd like an answer to this for sure.
#3 What IS the artificial silk worm chow? Whats so special about it (aka could I make it myself somehow...)?
#4 Do you have to dust silkworms with calcium or not since they are high in it?

Thanks!

 

[Gail]

They aren't difficult if you have all the right equipment but they can be time consuming when it comes to cleaning and separating them. I've fed them as staples before but they can get a bit pricey, depends on how much the chow is. The chow is mulberry leaf based, mulberry is the only thing that silkies eat so no, you can't make it yourself. If you have access to mulberry trees then you can feed the leaves instead of the chow. I usually dusted them but I never really looked into their natural calcium content.

 

[lizzywoodwardBD]

Silkworms have a high calcium content and don't need to be dusted.