Silk
What we know as silk is a long unbroken strand constructed primarily from two proteins. The inside is fibroin which is the structural centre.
The outside is serisin- the glue binding it all together. The lava spins raw silk for two to three days straight. The end result is a single strand of silk, up to ten city blocks long. This tiny shelter maintains the right humidity and temperature for the caterpillar to transform into a moth.
Harvest
Once the cushy casing is complete, farmers harvest the raw silk. For most silkworms in captivity, this is where their journey ends.
They die when manufacturers boil, steam or dry them out in the sun. Silk harvesters unspool the single thread of silk that makes up each cocoon. If the moth is let to hatch, it breaks the valuable thread. It takes up to 2 thousand unbroken cocoons to make one silk dress.
Mating
Once outside the cocoon, a flightless male must seek out a female quickly because thewy have only a few days to live.
At this stage, they rely on human help to ensure they find a mate and reproduce. Silk production is a multi-billion dollar global industry and it is not just for fashion and luxury. Silk fabric is a natural insulator yet it also allows air flow.
