Chapter 3 Fibre to Fabric

(b) The larvae are fed on mulberry leaves for about six weeks. During this period each larva sheds its skin four times. This is called moulting. They are ready to spin their cocoons. They climb into branches of trees and start spinning their cocoons. This is called the pupa stage. They take about eight days for the process.

(a) Caterpillars spin their cocoon at the pupa stage which take about eight days for the process.

(b) The resulting thread is called raw silk. It is used for weaving clothes, and can be dyed into various colours.

(a) A cocoon is a soft covering that an insect spins with silky threads to protect itself. The thread is formed by the hardening of a liquid secreted by the insect. When the silkworm is fully grown, it is placed on some straw or small bushes on which it can make its cocoon

(a) Shoddy is made from the used wool. To made shoddy, the existing wool fabric is cut into small pieces and then carded. The carded wool is then respun into yarn. Such a yarn is inferior to the fresh wool and is used for making cheap woolen garments and blankets.

(b)

Explanation: Eggs laid by female moth hatch larvae or caterpillars. They enter into the next stage called cocoon in which the caterpillar secretes fibre around its body. Inside this cocoon, moth starts developing.