Silkworm Exhibit 720p HD LANHM Insect fair 2009

[pedelpopper]

damn thats alot of money where i am they range from 30cents to 75 0.0

[JCMDIweirdStuff]

Once you have a few of these you can make a million more for next to nothing! XD

[pedelpopper]

@JCMDIweirdStuff how many do you need to make a good colony i have reptiles that love these things ;)

[JCMDIweirdStuff]

In-breeding can be a problem, so I'd guess you have to maintain 100 or more in order to keep the population healthy and on-going... If you have a LOT of reptiles, you may need even more than that. You will also need a LOT of Mulberry leaves to feed them :-)

[pedelpopper]

@JCMDIweirdStuff ya thats the main reason y i didnt try breeding them i dont know where those leave are im from ontario canada i dont think we got those trees arround, and ya i got alot of reptiles haha

[jcmegabyte]

Meal worms might be a better choice... easy to rear and will eat your leftover foods XD

[pedelpopper]

@jcmegabyte i do mealworms superworms and crickets allready was gunna do these for a snack food :P maybe ill try waxworms

[infinito999internet]

Como me puedo comunicar con el Dr Sue ?soy de Argentina

[woshigepro]

do they smells?

[jcmegabyte]

The caterpillars themselves don't have much smell at all. If the cages are kept clean, the strongest smell is the Mulberry leaves that the caterpillars are eating :-)

[infinito999internet]

Son una Belleza,me encanta

[jcmegabyte]

Thanks so much for watching! :-)

[TheLiivahiir]

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[jcmegabyte]

Nightmare material: Imagine diving into a swimming pool full of these! :-O

[TheLiivahiir]

@jcmegabyte yeah thx alot for mentioning that!!!!

[NUMMYPOOPY]

EWWWWW! These used to be in my backyard!!! GUHROSS! Especially when they make that big nest and start TWITCHING! AGH! AND YOU RUN INTO THEM WHEN YOUR RIDING YOUR BIKE!

[jcmegabyte]

It sounds like the caterpillars you have are tent caterpillars (family Lasiocampidae) - which look a lot like these but make a huge spideweb-looking nest like you described. Some species of tent caterpillars have hairy spines which can produce a mild sting or cause an itchy irritation, so you'd do well not to crash into them face-first! XD

[Fire666Hell]

AWESOME!!!

I've raised these worms once.They're really easy t rear,mostly because they don't crawl all over the container they're in,like the wild silkmoths do.

[jcmegabyte]

In the case of many Sat species, it seems to be a matter of satisfaction with the food and conditions, although some species migrate all over no matter what, which is probably a survival strategy, while others like to stay put. Interesting stuff!

[EternalBeauty14]

What kind of plant are they eating?

[jcmegabyte]

This species likes Mulberry leaves - and they eat a LOT of them! =)

[qwasd0r]

Why are they called SilkWORMS? Aren't they caterpillars?

[jcmegabyte]

They are indeed caterpillars. The term "worm" is only a nickname - they probably got it because their skin is lacking the hairs and/or spines that most other caterpillars have. They sort of look like worms, even though they aren't slimy. This species has been kept in captivity so long (thousands of years) that it's basically turned into something new, and can no longer survive in the wild.

[Christmastree0207]

at my school a person gave the hole class a silkworm it died when it turned to a butterfly because i stuck it in my closet and forgot about it lol

[jcmegabyte]

If it was a domestic silkworm, it would have turned into a semi-wingless moth, which would have died in a few days anyway.

Adults of the Saturniidae moth family have no working mouthparts or digestive system, so all they can do is mate and lay eggs in the few days that they have to live after emerging.

[NUMMYPOOPY]

@jcmegabyte Then it wouldn't have a reason to live....? Or if it's an IMPORTANT part of a food chain...

[snowball0825]

they look so rough but their really soft, they stick to you like suction cups :)

[jcmegabyte]

Amazing isn't it? Some of the really large Silkmoth species I rear (Hyalophora euryalus, for example) grow up to 4 inches long and have an incredibly strong grip! :-)

[conejolua]

JCMDI thanks for this magnificent

work,

excellent editing

Best regards

Raul ...

[jcmegabyte]

Thanks for all your support, Raul :-)