Sericulture and Reeling

Table of Contents

• Sericulture
• Reeling
• Summary
• What’s Next?

In the previous segment, we learnt about silk and silkworms. In this segment, we will learn about sericulture and reeling.

What is Sericulture?

The practice of rearing or culturing silkworms to obtain silk is called Sericulture. Following are the steps employed in Sericulture:

1. Egg phase: The female moth lays eggs, which are allowed to grow till the larval stage. The caterpillars (silkworms) will be obtained after the eggs hatch.
2. Larvae phase: The silkworms are provided with fresh mulberry leaves to eat and flourish. The larvae eat numerous leaves and keep developing into next instars. Then comes the stage where they are content with eating the mulberry leaves and are set to enter the next phase.
3. Pupal phase: Now the fully grown bulky larvae prepare a coat around their body to rest within. It secretes sticky saliva to form a coat around its body. This sticky saliva, when exposed to air, hardens and forms the thick covering that consists of these entangled hard fibres called the cocoon.
4. Obtaining the silk threads from cocoon
   • The first method is by directly adding the cocoons to boiling water, thus killing the organisms within. If the moths are allowed to fly away, then the cocoons will break thereby breaking the threads. Thus, to keep the threads intact and obtain long filaments, this method is employed by most industries.
   • The second method is where the pupas are allowed to develop into moths and fly. This leaves the empty cocoons behind which can then be processed further. Similarly, the cocoons can be cut open to save the pupa. It can then be allowed to develop outside the cocoon into a mature adult. Silk obtained from both these humane processes is collectively termed as Peace silk or Ahimsa silk.

What is Reeling?

Reeling refers to the process of unwinding or unraveling silk threads from the cocoon of the silkworm. It is a crucial step in the production of silk fabric.

Silk is produced by silkworms, particularly the larvae of the silk moth (Bombyx mori). When the silkworm larvae reach their final stage of growth, they spin a cocoon made of silk fibers to protect themselves during the pupal stage. These cocoons consist of a single continuous filament of silk, which can range in length from several hundred meters to over a kilometer.

The reeling process involves several steps:

1. Softening the Cocoon: The cocoons are first softened by either exposing them to heat or soaking them in hot water. This process helps to dissolve the sericin, a natural gum-like substance that holds the silk fibers together.
2. Unwinding the Silk: Once the cocoons are softened, the silk filaments are carefully unwound from the cocoon. This can be done manually or by using mechanical devices. The silk filaments are delicate and must be handled with care to prevent breakage.
3. Combining the Filaments: To obtain a single, continuous silk thread, the unwound filaments from several cocoons are combined. Typically, around 3 to 10 filaments are twisted together to create a single silk thread of sufficient strength and thickness.
4. Silk Reel: The unwound silk filaments are wound onto a device called a silk reel. The silk reel provides tension and helps to maintain the integrity of the silk thread as it is being wound.
5. Final Processing: After reeling, the silk thread may undergo further processing steps such as degumming (removal of remaining sericin), dyeing, and weaving or knitting to produce silk fabrics.

Reeling is a delicate and intricate process that requires skill and expertise. The quality and characteristics of the silk thread obtained through reeling play a significant role in determining the quality of the final silk fabric.

 

Summary:

Sericulture is the practice of cultivating silkworms to produce silk, and reeling is the process of extracting silk fibers from the cocoons. Silkworms are reared in controlled environments and fed mulberry leaves until they reach the cocoon-spinning stage. During reeling, the cocoons are heated to soften the sericin, and then the silk filaments are carefully unwound either by hand or using a reeling machine. The unwound filaments are further processed to create various silk fabrics and products. Sericulture and reeling require precision and expertise, and they contribute to the production of high-quality silk, a highly valued material in the fashion and textile industries.

 

We hope that this article was helpful you, and was able to cover all your doubts.