(a) SERICULTURE

Humans rear silkworms for obtaining silk. Silkworms spin the “silk fibres”. This practice of rearing of silkworms for obtaining silk is called sericulture. These silk fibres are then used for weaving silk clothes.

(b) SILKWORM

Silk moth lays eggs from which larvae come out. These are called caterpillars/ silkworms. They completely cover themselves with silk fibre. This covering is called cocoon from which silk fibre is obtained.

(c) MULBERRY

Mulberry tree leaves are used to feed silkworms. Silkworms eat day and night and increase in size. After eating mulberry leaves for 25 to 30 days, they start to spin cocoons.

(d) REELING

When cocoons are boiled/ exposed to steam, the silk fibres separate out. The process of taking out threads from the cocoon for use as silk is called “reeling of silk”. Silk fibres thus obtained are then spun into silk threads which are woven into silk clothes later.