The diagrams below present the cyclical life of the silkworm and the stages that showcase the process of silk cloth production.
Overall, it is evident that the life cycle of the silkworm spans approximately 2 months, consisting of 4 main stages: eggs, silkworm larva, cocoon, and month.
The life cycle begins with the formation of eggs by the female moth. Then, after around 10 days, the eggs hatch, and silkworm larva emerge. Subsequently, larvae consume food for about 4 to 6 weeks and create protective layers to form cocoons by spinning a single strand of silk around themselves. It takes them approximately 3-8 days to produce enough silk to surround their whole body. They stay in cocoons for 16 days and then transform into adult moths.
Silkworm cocoons are selected in the first stage to produce silk cloth. Secondly, they are boiled in water, later being unwound from 300 to 900m long. Afterward, they are twisted to form thicker silk threads. Some of the threads go straight to the dyeing process, whereas others are woven into cloth, which is then dyed.