silkworms

[newowner2]

does anyone know how to save mulberry leaves through the summer i am starting my own colony right now and i have 14 cocoons and they will be hatching out of that in the next week or so ... but i have read that the mulberry tree looses all its leaves in the winter and i was wondering if any one has fod a sucsesful way of saving the leaves through the winter or do i just have to buy the chow???

 

[newowner2]

i messed up on the spelling please fogive me

 

[Claudiusx]

I have two mulberry trees in my yard and I don't think they have ever lost ALL of there leaves. However I don't pay much attention to them but I can't remember ever seeing my two trees without any leaves at all.

 

[newowner2]

hmm

 

[Heisei]

It depends on where you are. However, for the most part Mulberrys WILL lose their leaves in the winter. Some trees such as the Chinese Elm can be either deciduous or semi-evergreen, depending on the climate they are in. I don't know if this is the case with Mulberrys also, but it could be. Even if it does keep some leaves during the winter it won't be growing, which means you can deplete the tree quickly.

I have been experimenting with ways of preserving leaves for the winter. With a vacuum sealer machine I could keep leaves fresh in the fridge for up to a month, at which point they start to show signs of break down. I also tried freezing some but found the freezer can not be set too cold or else it will ruin the leaves. I have no results yet for freezing because I am still looking for the optimum freezer temp.

If nothing else you could buy silkworm chow. Just have to be ready for the bill...

Aaron

 

[newowner2]

new question i got 5 moths that came out and only 1 of the female has been mated the male will not touch the other 3 females i dont get it

 

[fuzlbaby]

As far as the mulberry leaves, has anyone tried to blend them in a blender and then add a bit of water to them, then freeze?? This is what I was thinking of, but not sure if it would work. I have several moths that are mating now, I know they don't eat anything (due to domestication) but when the babies hatch out I would love to have a surplus of food for them during the winter and spring months.

Let me know

 

[Heisei]

Yes, I actually tried that (though not with a blender, just dried and crushed them). It doesn't really work. There is more to a silkworm chow recipe, but I don't know what the "more" is. I can't find a recipe anywhere and am getting NO help from the people who would know. I guess I can't blame them. After all, why would you tell someone how to make something you could sell to them? It seems the most promising bet at this point would be to vacuum seal copious amounts of leaves and freeze them. However, I have not yet tried this. As I have already mentioned I did get a one month self life from vacuum sealing and refrigerating. At least that would be one less month you have to pay for chow; though it's only feasible if you have a vacuum sealer.

Aaron